White space, websites, and combining skill sets: an interview with Russell Mitchell

We caught up with Russell Mitchell, Senior Designer and Developer at We Create Digital, a man of many talents, working in the industry for over a decade.

Russ, you’ve worked with a variety of clients over the years. What do you feel are the most common things clients get wrong from a design perspective?

I like to adopt a collaborative approach with the design process. Clients are here to listen to our guidance, but the designer also has to listen to the client’s thoughts, feelings and objectives for a website. There is always contention between the amount of content which is featured on the design and the visual aspect of the page.

For example, white space is a topic that always comes up, and it can be hard for clients to understand why having good breathing space allows for content to be better digested by the user. Lately I’ve been trying to focus the client’s attention on the user journey. This helps them to see the potential of the website and why it’s important for users not to spend too long before getting to a point of contact with you.

You’ve worked for a few different digital agencies in your career, what do you think the most common challenges are between different departments?

That’s a good question! Striking the balance between each department can have its challenges. SEO has seen many changes in recent years and there is more focus on putting out great content, which obviously means design has to adapt to accommodate this. I think the industry has changed significantly since I first started and I find the approach to building a website is just as much about relationship building as all departments are required in making the website the best experience for the user.

UX plays a much bigger role as it unites the team in working to make sure the user is at the heart of everything. Making a conversion to a lead or sale on a website is very important and getting to this point requires everyone to work together.

Often web designers and web developers are separate people with quite different skillsets, but you combine both areas of expertise – how does this help you create projects that benefit your clients?

I have always been told that being able to code and also have good expertise in design is a bit of a gift in the industry! Many people choose one side or the other depending on where their skills lie. I started off as a junior web designer with very limited code knowledge.

Over the years I taught myself more but my passion has always been on creating amazing designs. Having the knowledge of both disciplines has helped me to straddle many departments allowing me to deliver designs which work for developers and help to come in budget that the client has set out.

What work are you most proud of in your career?

I spent a couple of years working with some big name brands which allowed me to grow my portfolio and really hone my skills as a designer. I got to work on many exciting projects which required both design and UX experience. One of these was working on a booking process for a national hotel chain which although scary at the time, it was a way to really stretch my skills and push myself in areas I was less confident in at the time.

What do you wish you’d known earlier on in your career?

I think I would say that although I refer to myself as a designer I have mainly focused on creating website designs. I have always wanted to expand on my illustration skills such as creating bespoke graphics and being able to draw some of the things I have wanted to achieve in a design. There are plenty of resources out there which can be used or manipulated but sometimes it would be easier to be able to draw what I am thinking!

Russell Mitchell is Senior Designer and Developer at We Create Digital.