November 1997: Jamey Baumgardt

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November 3, 1997

The following article was originally published for the Site Builder Network Workshop (now MSDN Online Web Workshop.)

You can't be taught this stuff in school

When he started school at the University of Washington, Jamey Baumgardt wanted to have a personal Web page, so he studied HTML and began "borrowing" code from sites he thought were cool. Now, with three years' experience designing Web pages and a year and a half at fine.com , Jamey has helped create some of the coolest Web sites around -- everything from online stores, such as Microsoft's Developer Store , to entertainment sites, including 20th Century Fox's Independence Day International Site . For Japanese company Digit, Inc. , he has even worked on an online comic series that combines fun and technical knowledge.

SBN: What would you consider to be your latest, greatest Web achievement?

Jamey Baumgardt: I am most proud of the Microsoft Developer Store. It first went online in the spring, but we have recently completed the addition of the Academic Developer Store. Both stores offer great information on the full line of products, as well as express checkouts for those who already know what they want. The site utilizes Active Server Pages (ASP) to generate the site on the fly from information stored in a database. This Web site was really a huge team effort, and I am grateful for being a part of such a talented team.

SBN: Where do you look for inspiration?

Jamey Baumgardt: I am also a traditional artist, in that I paint and draw as well, so I look to many areas for inspiration -- from beautiful paintings to architectural curves to magazine ads to sketch drawings. I don't find much inspiration on the Web itself. If it is already there, then it has, of course, already been done. Instead, I like to find things in a non-Web medium, and ask, "How can I do something like that on a Web page?"

SBN: What do you think constitutes great Web design?

Jamey Baumgardt: Web design is more information design than graphic design. A good Web page puts what is important up front: the information. You can decorate a bad Web page with all the graphics you want. It is still going to be a bad Web page. Keep it simple. Keep in mind why you are building the Web page. Don't overdo it. If the site doesn't absolutely require a big, gaudy graphic, why include it? I guess I am in a kind of minimalist phase currently, probably in reaction to all the super-flashy, super-annoying Web sites that are out there right now.

SBN: Could you discuss the importance of maintaining a balance between design and site performance?

Jamey Baumgardt: Too much design and not enough "performance" is common in Web sites today. A site May be beautiful, but if it is "overdesigned," hard to use, difficult to navigate, or causes frustration due to enormous download times, then it has failed as a Web site. Sacrifices can always -- indeed, must always -- be made in order to ensure site efficiency and intuitiveness, in addition to being designed well.

SBN: What are some of the ways cross-browser capability affects the design choices you make?

Jamey Baumgardt: Cross-browser capability is very important in what we do. Most of our clients don't care about being loyal to one browser or another. All they want is for everyone to be able to see their sites no matter what browser they choose. This often limits us as a design team, but there are little tricks we can pull off if a certain effect or layout is deemed worthy. I like to take advantage of many of Internet Explorer's features, even simple things, such as top and left margin tags. Unfortunately, other browsers do not support those tags. I am also really excited about the new Internet Explorer 4.0 stuff, including structured graphics controls and vector animation. But again, not everyone would be able to view sites constructed using Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript), and so forth.

SBN: For what screen resolution do you prefer to design? Do you optimize for 640x480, 800x600, or do you need to consider Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE), or other small resolutions needed for emerging technologies?

Jamey Baumgardt: Right now, most of our sites look great at any resolution -- that is, they expand to fit into larger screens, but still display all or most of the content at 640x480. My personal preference is to design at 800x600. I think most people these days have the capability to set their monitors up at that resolution.

SBN: What is your favorite Web design tool and how do you use it?

Jamey Baumgardt: Adobe Photoshop is so powerful and versatile, I use it almost everyday, but Macromedia Flash 2 is so fun and easy to use. I would have to say it's a toss-up between the two. I use Photoshop for day-to-day graphics work, and I use Flash for creating cool opening animations and great navigation tools with neat effects, such as animation and mouseover.

SBN: What would you say is the best thing about your job as a designer?

Jamey Baumgardt: Artistic freedom. I get paid to be creative. What else is there?

SBN: And the worst thing?

Jamey Baumgardt: Having to design for cross-browser capability (just kidding!). Actually, I really can't think of a "worst thing." Any seeming roadblock we come across is simply viewed as another challenge -- and more often than not, we overcome it. That's part of the credo here at fine.com, and that's part of what gives us all satisfaction in what we do.

SBN: What about the social or cultural implications of Web design?

Jamey Baumgardt: First, the Web has put a vast amount of information at our fingertips. Never before have so many people had such easy access to so much. I believe this will really level the playing field in years to come. Second, the Web has made, and will make, our lives much easier. I have ordered concert tickets online, reserved plane tickets through Expedia, sent flowers to a friend for his birthday. I did it all at my desk at work, and it took just a few minutes. That is so amazingly convenient.

SBN: What do you think is the future of Web design and of the Internet itself?

Jamey Baumgardt: Right now I can't see anywhere else to go but up. As the technology and equipment advance, so will the end result. Web sites will be able to offer more and more services, and I think the lines that now distinguish various media will begin to blur even more than they already have. For a while, single home stereo units were manufactured that played CDs, cassette tapes and record LPs, all on the same box. Perhaps in a few years, or even sooner, our TVs, telephones, and PCs will be a combined unit as well.

SBN: What advice would you offer to someone interested in a career in Web design?

Jamey Baumgardt: You need to have a strong skill set in graphic design, but you also must understand information design -- and just as important, you need to really keep up with this ever-changing technology. The pages I am designing today are completely different and technologically far superior to the pages I designed even a year ago. You can't be taught this stuff in school. It's up to you to keep up.

Photo Credit: Michael Moore/Microsoft Corporate Photographer