Last week I started a new section called Design Breakdown. This week I am pleased to announce the next “new thing” for the site, Designer Interviews.

The idea of having an interview is to get the thoughts of the true professionals out there and take their pulse on the various topics of the day. Today’s interview is with Daniel Mall (www.danielmall.com). He is a prolific designer and has worked for some of the biggest names on the web.

So without further ado…here is the interview.

Hey Dan, first I have to ask the obligatory introductory question could you please state who you are and what you do?

Not a problem! My name is Dan Mall. I work for Happy Cog Studios, as a designer and front-end developer. Aside from web geekery, I play keyboards for a Philadelphia-based contemporary Christian band called Four24.

You are one of the lucky few who work at Happy Cog Studios. What is it like to work with design and usability gurus such as Jeffrey Zeldman and Dan Cederholm?

As you can imagine, working with the extraordinary people that I do is a dream come true.

Working for such respected people must have taught you a lot; if you had to choose the one lesson in design that has really impacted you, what would it be?

It’s tough to narrow down, but I’d say the best lesson is that talent is not enough. In addition to being extremely gifted, the people I work with and consider “gurus” have an extreme passion for their work. Their work ethic is unmatched, they’re eloquent and articulate, and they live and breathe their work.

As a professional web developer I know you have built some amazing sites. Tell us about some of your favorite projects that you have worked on, and why they stick out in your mind.

That’s an unfair question
I don’t think I have a FAVORITE project, but there are a couple that stand out for different reasons. In terms of execution, the Happy Cog site (www.happycog.com) is one that I’m very proud of. First of all, it’s a great design by Creative Director, Jason Santa Maria. In terms of the programming, the site is just about pixel-perfect to the design, and the code is pretty lean. On top of that, there was a lot of room to experiment, and I got that chance to put in practice some things that had been stewing for a while in my brain and my sketchbook. I learned a lot by putting it together, and the methods I used on that site influence the work I do currently.

I’m particularly happy with my band’s website (www.four24.com). I did all of the art direction, branding, and built every piece of the site from the ground up. It’s a testament to the kind of work I love to do, from design to Flash to CSS. The old site was average, and I feel like this one really reflects the band.

One more: I’m currently working on a project that is easily shaping up to be my best yet. I can’t mention any names, but it’s a fairly prominent brand within its own industry. I’ve been involved from the start of the project as both a project manager and an art director, and I’ve gotten the chance to shape the new site into something that the client had no idea was possible. More on that to come…

Earlier this year you released swfIR. What is the story behind that app? What design challenge was it designed to overcome?

swfIR was a long time in the making. It originally started with a problem that I needed to solve for a client. I was building a site where the designer wanted a certain aesthetic that unfortunately forced the client to perform some image creation and editing every time they updated the site, which was as frequent as several times a day. One day, the idea just hit me, and swfIR was born.

Are you and your team still working on it? If so, what can we expect in the future?
We’re definitely still working on it. We have a LONG list of new features to implement. Sadly, swfIR has taken a back seat to client work (gotta pay the bills somehow!) and some other secret side projects. Once we get some time, the new and improved version will be worth the wait.

Last week I wrote a few articles on creativeUI about the future of design and the user interface. What trends do you see now that you think will really take off in the next 2 – 5 years?

I’ve never really been good with predicting trends, but I do have some hopes. I think (and hope) we’ll see an increase in smarter uses of Flash. JavaScript had its revival in the last couple of years with the introduction of unobtrusive scripting and the idea of the Document Object Model. I think the same will be true of Flash; people will start thinking outside of what they “know” to expect from Flash.

Have you seen Jeff Han’s multi-touch interface? How do you think the design of applications and websites would change if something like this replaced keyboards and mice?

It’s certainly a novel idea, but I think it’s too early in its inception to worry about it replacing mice and keyboards. Precision isn’t really an issue with the devices we’re used to, and touch interfaces aren’t nearly as ergonomic. However, that may all change with the advent of the iPhone.

We have a lot of readers who are new to the profession of design. If you were to meet a person who had no experience, but a passion to start a career in design, what advice would you give them?

I’d say, “Trust your instincts.” Every human has participated in learning design since birth. We interact with design every day, from trying to read road signs to unwrapping a gift to dialing on a telephone. The only difference between a trained designer and everyone else is that the designer is cognizant of how the world influences him.

I know you are big into standards and purely CSS developed sites. A lot of newer designers have a tough time making the transition from the old-school table approach to pure CSS. Any advice on how to wade into the waters of CSS?

One of the best ways to learn CSS is to learn HTML. Seriously. It’s the same advice I give to people that are looking to learn server-side languages, like PHP or ASP. If you’re working on the web, the end result is almost always HTML. If you don’t have a solid base in HTML, then you’re starting in the wrong place.

Once you can do that, dive right into the deep end with CSS. It’s deceivingly simple. It’s not really a programming language; it’s a practical language. There’s only so much you can read about it; the best way to get into it is to just try it. They more you use it, the more you’ll understand its capabilities and strengths.

The WPF and Silverlight are poised to take the stage later this year for both online and offline applications. What do you think of these technologies and how do you think they will impact applications in the next year or two?

They look like they could have potential, but I’m skeptic (and biased!). Granted, as more features get added to Flash, it adds bloat, which makes room for competitors to specialize and do it right. Take Dreamweaver for instance. Dreamweaver is a great one-stop-shop for web production, but I prefer smaller applications like Transmit or Textwrangler that only focus on a few tasks and do them really well. That being said, Flash is still (and will probably remain) the industry standard for applications in its class. A big reason for that is the penetration rate for the Flash player. Even if the new apps are more appealing, 98% distribution is going to be tough to overcome.

In one of the recent articles on creativeUI I went through the process I go through when starting a brand new project. What are some of the steps you go through when just starting on something new?

Whenever I start a new project, the first thing I do is research. The more I know about a project, its goals, audience, statistics the more capable I feel to make recommendations that are in the best interest of the client.

Any sites you like to visit for inspiration?

I don’t really have any specific sites that I like to visit, but I do try and keep an archive (screenshots and bookmarks) of how certain problems are solved. For instance, if I’m working on a site with a several sections of depth, I’ll look for examples of some visual solutions of navigation.

On a lighter note, how did you become known for eating? I have noticed several of the sites you are involved with mention your propensity for chowing down any story behind that?

Haha, that will have to remain a mystery for now…

Thanks again Dan, for taking the time to talk with me.
Of course! Thanks for having me!

Once again I would like to thank Dan for his time. I will check in on him from time to time so everyone can keep up with his latest projects.