Name:
John Lampard
Age:
I hate this question... since turning 30... yeah, I hate this question.
Location:
Randwick, Sydney, Australia.
Mac or PC:
PC, can't you tell?! Macs are ok though. Lucky for me creativity doesn't
wear a uniform.
Site(s):
www.disassociated.com
The Boss:
Anyone who wants to be, I freelance/contract.
Design education:
No, none. I have a certificate in multimedia design, though it makes
me feel more like a jack of all trades than anything else.
Hunk, spunk or flunk:
Um, fraud...? ha! Otherwise spunk - ask anyone; spunk is mind, hunk
and flunk are matter, spunk is mind over matter, right?
Disgusting personal habits:
I'm a creative type; do you really want to know? Well, apparently I'm
not as nasty as I used to be, so nope, none sorry.
Nice personal habits:
Oh yeah, I say "thank you" to people I don't like. I love
animals too. Someone else's animals that is.
Hobbies off the net:
I love travelling, going to foreign countries where no one speaks English,
and slowly meandering around and absorbing the culture and ambience.
Also, thanks to net cafes I don't have to stay off the net anymore.
hehe.
Favourite quote:
Click here to begin.
What do you know about Australian web designers:
Well I don't think they're all bald headed men in their 40's wearing
glasses... hehe, check out the likes of Justin Fox, Caryn Gillipse,
Alex Dillon, Matthew Willis, Emme at Elephant Cloud, Tobias at Kazumichi,
Helen Gorter, or Luca Lonescu, bald headed men? I don't think so! Wait
up, I can think of a web designer whose bald and 40 odd, but do you
think I'm going to name him?
How did you first learn of the Internet:
Via the Total Guitar web site back in '94(?). It was like Netscape 0.9,
grey backgrounds, and TNR was not only the default font, it was the
only font! I kept asking myself, what's the attraction in this? This
is bland! It was a further two years before I really got into it though.
Like, things ain't what they used to be... viva la image tag!
What do you like/hate about the net:
The accessibility. I love it. Anyone who is creative can post their
work to the net, whether it be for personal or professional purposes.
Try publishing your own work like that ten years ago. Communication
is a big plus as well, keeping in contact with friends and family who
are all over the world is a snap via e-mail or chat.
On the down side there is the almost total lack of standards, especially
from the web authoring point of view. Then there are various technical
issues, 404 errors, slow connections, dead servers etc. I'm not so keen
on these big commercial portals and their "default homepages",
but hey, if you don't like it, you don't have to go.
What drew you to web design:
Well, HTML is a lot cheaper than the latest version of Director! My
introduction to the digital media was via a CD-ROM authoring course...
which was in the days before everyone had CD burners on their desk.
I hated slogging away for weeks or months on a project only to have
it sit on my hard drive until it could be "burned". So I turned
to the net. Speed, ease, flexibility. Also I like changing my mind a
lot and redesigning things... not so easy once something's burned onto
ROM!
What is your working style (PhotoShop, etc):
PhotoShop! Every graphical idea I get I'll try out in PhotoShop first
to see if it "fits", then I start building up interfaces in
a text editor (I hate these WYSIWYG things). Then I keep jumping between
PhotoShop, browser, and text editor, until everything is right.
Do you think that Flash is cool or overused:
Flash is cool, no contest. It has a ton of possibilities. Yeah, lets
bring greater interactivity and excitement to the web. However, too
much Flash around at the moment is "text book" stuff, and
almost embarrassing to see. There are notable exceptions however;
with MWG and Elephant Cloud (Yeah, Ottergirl!) being two excellent
(Australian) examples.
Do you prefer technologically advanced sites or sites with simple
but good design:
Both. It doesn't really matter whether a site's hi-tech or lo-fi;
it's the design that ultimately intrigues me.
Do you have any cool design tips:
Yeah, don't undo. Don't command/control-z. Great ideas come out of
stuff ups!
Favourite sites:
Well, Design is Kinky is cool! I can't say I have any particular favourites
though, since there's so many to see. Just to name a quick few though,
Sabre, Uploading, Invertebrate, Tintin, Shift, Final, Shotdead, Coolstop,
are on my bookmarks.
Favourite designers: (Web or otherwise)
The designers on the above favourite list for a start. But to name
names I'd say mschmidt, Rats (from Gorblimey) and Joe at Sabre, those
little bubble creatures of his are totally funky y'know. Non web?
I like the work of Rosina Wachtmiester; I love the way she blends
all kinds of eclectic elements to produce her art.
Design styles you hate:
None really... I love going from one website to the next and seeing
something different. If we all designed according to a code, or a
"school of thought", that would be defeating the purpose
of design. The net would be a very bland place.
Do you think web designers will become the design elite:
With a little bit of attitude we can become whatever we want. Lets
be elite then.
Do you see yourself as an influential web designer:
No. But I wouldn't mind a few groupies though...
How would you like to be remembered:
Ha, for being different? I think just being remembered period will
be enough.
Any final comments:
Yes, it took me four and a half months to complete this profile, is
that a record?