The first ever development book I picked up was an early edition of HTML For Dummies. Yes, notice there also was no CSS or XHTML at the time.

Anyways, therefor it was with awesome pleasure when Jeff Noble, co-author of the 7th edition of the HTML for Dummies series, came to me and asked if I wanted to poke around a few chapters and see if I could find any errors or bugs. Of course, how could I resist?

The preview I got of the chapters was awesome. This book has definitely come a long way from it’s early 90′s ancestors. Plus, it’s in full color! Lucky me, I was able to grab Jeff for an interview about who he is, what development is to him, and how he got started as an author.

Without further ado, I introduce to you guys: Jeff Noble!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Jeff Noble, I’m the co-author of the 7th edition of HTML, XHTML & CSS For Dummies. I also co-wrote the 6th edition and I’m the technical editor of 6 other “For Dummies” web design/programming books and if there was one more 6 in this sentence it would officially be really creepy. I work at CA technologies and I manage and work with the biggest and baddest team of product designers ever assembled and we’ve declared war on mediocre enterprise software design.

I really don’t think I’m anything special, I’ve just been lucky enough to stumble into something that I’m passionate about and I get paid for it, which is awesome and mildly annoying to people that hate their jobs. I’m a dork. I dream in CSS and I’m grown man (some might argue that one) and I’m more interested in childish activities like eating Gummi Bears and breaking stuff than whatever adults are supposed to be doing. I actually don’t even know what that is, I’ll just guess it’s something like clipping coupons and eating cheesecake while drinking fancy wines and discussing how you really can taste the difference between all the wonderful woody/tobacco/floral undertones or what is wrong with kids today (it must be the music).

When did you first start learning HTML? Why did you decide to go into development?

I started playing around with HTML back in college, you know – when there weren’t actually courses on this stuff, everyone was on dial up, and it was uphill to school both ways, that sort of thing. The first website I ever built was about living in this rat infested house in college with my roommates. At the time I thought it was funny, but FYI.. rats = NOT funny. It was on one of those free-hosted sites with a million banners and popups – it was terrible but I loved it. Before long, instead of taking notes or even paying attention in class I was drawing websites or dreaming of things I could add to my site.

To be honest, in the beginning I never really cared about development. I just wanted it to look cool, so at that time it meant you had to load up your page with a lot of spinning animated gifs, the under construction guy, blinking text with those marching ants, and some rocking midi files to mess with people’s ear drums a bit – that was great design back then (at least I thought). I always did stuff the hard way, I just hacked things together to get the functionality I wanted or did it wrong and tried to get by. Over the years I slowly realized how important it was to build things correctly – how it would be easier on me in the long run and it also helped that I didn’t have to split contract gigs with expensive developer friends of mine. Find out more about those guys below.

Where have you worked in the development world? What are some of your projects?

I’ve worked at a wide range of weird/terribly named high tech companies that most people have never heard of, I didn’t plan it that way but that’s kind of my thing. It could be worse though; I have a group of developer friends that for a while, every place they went to work went out of business, which really isn’t a record you want to hold. It was crazy, hiring one of them meant eventually four of them would work there, they multiplied like a virus and once the gang was together, it was like a death sentence, the business was boarded up and they moved to some new place and repeated the process.

Anyway, one of my biggest projects has been at the software company I was at before we were acquired by CA technologies. I wrote a lot of the HTML and CSS for a product was part of multi-millions dollar deals with 8 of the Fortune 12 (most successful companies in the world). Obviously I didn’t build the product myself – there as a ton of great work done by an awesome team, I didn’t get rich, and none of these companies probably know I exist, but I just liked the idea of something I helped build being used across the globe on such an incredibly massive scale.

To rewind a bit, one of my early personal projects was a website called ReverseScam.com, it was one of the original Nigerian 419 scam websites before there were dozens of them and it’s been kind of beaten to death at this point. I hated my job at the time so as an escape I made up all these characters in my head and responded to online scammers emails just because I thought it was funny. I’d like to claim I had some secret plan with this, but somehow I ended up in the newspaper, TV, and radio and that’s when I realized maybe I could do something with creative writing.

Recently I’ve taken this creative writing approach and tried to infuse that into a lot of what I’ve done in both “For Dummies” editions I’ve worked on but it’s probably a lot more noticeable in the 7th edition. And if you’ve read it, that probably helps explain some of the random Back to the Future, Beetle Juice, MMA fighting, and Jay-Z references I slipped past the editors. I wanted it to be a great resource and be entertaining as well.

Do you know any other development languages?

Not really. I’ve mostly been focused on HTML and CSS. I know some JavaScript but I’m probably just dangerous enough to totally screw things up. Also I would like to note that I do a pretty awesome Patrick Swayze impersonation if that counts?  And by awesome, I mean awesomely terrible.

What is the most important thing about HTML that you think beginners should know?

While I suppose it’s technically possible to build an entire website with popular programs like Dreamweaver and content management systems like WordPress without knowing a single HTML tag, it’s important to learn the fundamental basics of HTML so you can appreciate and understand what these tools are doing, why they are awesome, and how to fix HTML problems and glitches if/when they happen (they will). It will also make you a better web designer or developer because you will understand what is and isn’t possible when building a website. The good news is that learning HTML isn’t that hard, anyone can do it with a little practice. You don’t have to be some whiz kid that hacks into the matrix with Neo-like efficiency or some thick glasses wearing computer nerd that lives in his parent’s basement trying to get past level 24 on whatever game is cool right now to unlock the hidden secrets of HTML. All you have to do is be remotely interested in learning and then check out the hundreds of online resources, books like ours, and talented people that actually care and are interested in helping you.

Do you still do a lot of coding today? Do you use a lot of HTML5 and CSS3?

I still code, probably not as much as I used to but I don’t think that’s really a bad thing. It’s all I used to do and while it’s cool to work on stuff you are into, I think there is something to be said about cutting the umbilical cord to your computer, going outside, enjoying life, and just remembering what is important to you.  At least that is what I tell myself from time to time.

I’ve played around a lot with HTML5 and CSS3, we added a chapter on each in the 7th edition and there are of really cool exciting new features in both.  However, just because you can now easily add a shadow, a border, and a border radius (for rounded corners), then choose a fancy font and layer multiple back- grounds behind the content in a document embedded with 157 videos, and then transform the entire element to dance around the screen doesn’t mean you should. As with Photoshop, Flash, or any other Web tool, I think HTML5 and CSS3 can be misused, overused, and even abused if you don’t keep communication as your primary goal, with all the new cool stuff purely in a supporting role.

How did you become a co-author for the HTML for Dummies series? Is this your first book?

So here’s the deal, to become a Dummies author it’s kind like that Sylvester Stallone movie “Over the Top” where Sly plays himself (like every movie) and in this one he is a truck driver that also has an uncanny knack at winning in arm wrestling. OK, not really. I mostly blame Ed Tittel – he’s a super pro writer and I’m semi-literate so he kind of dragged me kicking and screaming through the magical mysterious publication process. And yes, this is my first book, but the second edition I have worked on, unless we are talking scratch and sniff or popup books – I pretty much have that market locked down.

What were some of the difficulties writing your own book? Was it more difficult because you had a co-author?

One of the main difficulties was just trying to remember that this is a “For Dummies” book that is meant as an introduction to the basic concepts of HTML, XHTML & CSS. In reality each of the chapters deserve a book of their own, and most of them actually do. As far as having a co-author goes, my vocab consists of like 10 words that I arrange in different order and use interchangeably in good and bad situations. Ed is a real author, I just hack a bunch of gibberish together – he has helped me tremendously.

Tell us a secret about you that no one online knows!

I have never been on facebook. Now for the record, I will admit I was on Myspace a long time ago and eventually tried to delete my profile but they would never get rid of it. Finally I just removed all my info and renamed myself “Captain Corndog” because that made me laugh. I just checked, it’s still up there – that’s fantastic. I’d like to close this interview by sending only the warmest regards to fellow Myspace users (all 4 of them) from Captain Corndog.

Contest is Over!

The winners of our two books are @clairedwillett from Twitter and Tom! Congrats!

I’ve know the company SumEffect software for over a year now and they make an awesome product called CoreCommerce. SumEffect software is an excellent example of a company that makes their own products.

I’d heard stories that the two owners Nick McDuffie (bottom middle) and Matt DeLong (bottom right) used to work for a regular design agency before starting their business from scratch. They were able to bootstrap the business together until they become a full-fledged small business, and one of Nashville’s best businesses.

I know that a lot freelancers dream about becoming a bigger business so I asked one of the owners, Matt DeLong, to take some time for an interview for us. If you’re thinking of transitioning from freelancing to a small company, stay tuned and I’ll share what I learned from Matt. (We already know that many great businesses start with freelancers.)

View the rest of  my post on FreelanceFolder »

I was able to get him to stop working for a few minutes in order to answer some questions and let us in to some of his juicy secrets. Let’s dive out and find out who this guy really is!

First, can we have a short bio of who you are? Did you go to school for design?

My name is Francisco Inchauste. I am also known as Finch from my website. I’m a designer and writer.

I didn’t go to school for design. In my first job I volunteered to try and help out while one of the designers was gone for a few months. They ended up liking the work I was doing. You could say I am self-taught, but that isn’t the reality of it. I was really fortunate to have some great mentors along the way that taught me a lot and guided me towards the fundamentals of graphic design. Without them I don’t think I would have the mindset I needed to be a designer. I did end up taking some courses in typography and print production. Jumping in the deep end and getting experience, as well as finding mentors, was everything.

What do you do for a living? Do you have a full-time job, do you freelance?

I work for Universal Mind as a Senior UX Designer in our Michigan UX studio. We create applications for companies like Verizon and Adobe (and many others). The projects are always about solving very interesting problems through design. Many times there are not things out there you can refer to as a benchmark. Everyone from design to development is really great at what they do. It pushes me to grow everyday. At the same time they don’t take themselves too seriously (a.k.a. no big egos) and are easy to work with.

What I love about my job is I can come into the office and collaborate with the team, or work at home for the week to just crank on some work. It’s a very flexible environment.

What do you specialize in?

My sweet spot is interaction design. I have been moving away from designing websites in the past few years. I focus on design for desktop software, web apps, and I’m also doing more work for devices like the iPad.

I work with the team to create the front end of the application. We call it the design framework. I also work on the more IA piece of projects to sketch out the structure and screens, as well as wireframe. I love this part because you are laying the foundation of the design and quickly figuring out what works and what doesn’t in quick iterations with the team.

Print or web? Why?

Print. If you look at the trends, every web/digital designer wants to be a print designer. Although, not literally. We’re just pushing the designs behind our flat, smooth screens to have some sort of life and become much more tactile. Look at the use of faux surfaces, added texture to elements, and the infamous letterpress effect.

Now with tablet devices we’re seeing the surge of published materials like the Wired magazine app being designed to mimic print magazine layouts. The art directed posts and articles for blogs also do the same thing for websites. It’s natural that as digital designers we would take inspiration from this more established form of design.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere. The creative side of my mind is always on. I stash away ideas for later use. I try to have a notebook handy to capture ideas if I can. For some reason when I do work that doesn’t require much thought, like mowing the lawn, my mind starts generating tons of ideas for designs or articles I’m working on.

As for pure design inspiration, I find a lot of it in looking at handcrafted work and vintage illustrations. One of my favorite blogs right now is A Journey Round My Skull. Some really cool stuff there.

Who’s your favorite designer? Typographer?

I know it’s almost a cliché at this point, but Paul Rand. It’s not necessarily from his design sensibility alone. It’s from his design thinking. Every time I’ve seen a video of him talking about design, or read anything he has written, it is very poetic. I can only aspire to have that same clarity and be able to articulate my thoughts about something so encompassing as design.

My favorite typographer is quite easy. My big ass logo would not be what it is without the work of Alejandro Paul. His type foundry Sudtipos has some nice work. Another foundry I really like is Hoefler & Frere-Jones.

How do you start a new project? Do you sketch?

If I am starting a project with the team, we whiteboard, and use a lot of sticky notes. If it is just something I am working on without anyone else I try to start with sketches. I still have a bad habit of wanting to just start designing in Fireworks, but I find it is much more efficient if don’t. I can find and discount solutions that seem great in my head because once you start to build out the screens or workflow you quickly find what works. Better to do that in 20 minutes on a sketchpad, rather than an hour or more on the computer.

What’s your favorite type of project to do?

I love projects that are starting from scratch and where I’m not just brought in to fix something that is near the end. Design isn’t meant to cover up problems; it’s meant to solve them. That also has to do with how people think about design. If they only see it as a veneer, then they will never get a value out of it. If they see design as a balance of things that are visible and invisible, then the project can really be successful.

I see many cases that people bring the designer in after the software or website is functional. When you leave design out of a product it does not equal an absence of design, it means an intentional creation of poor design. Surface level touch ups can’t cover up a poor experience under the hood.

Can you do any development? Is your HTML pretty?

Well… I wouldn’t say I am a developer by any means. I try to structure my HTML and CSS as good as I am able to. It is very important for me to have valid code. Although I forgot to do that the last time I updated and was blaming other things. I really only code and maintain my personal site and CMS. It’s a better world for that.

What’s something you think you do well? What’s something you need improvement in?

Design for both. There is this point where you know that you suck at certain parts of design and are good at others. I think you can only get there through experience. I don’t think that there will ever be a point where I get to the top of the design mountain and say I’ve conquered it. It is this constant in your career where you get to the top of one mountain only to find there is an entire range of mountains you couldn’t see before. At that point you have to choose which one to conquer next. You also realize you’ll never be able to physically climb all of them.

Where did you come up with the Finch identity? Why such a big logo? Are you compensating?

I came up with the identity while I was researching typefaces for a while and came across a few that worked. Once I put the Finch name on the page using Candy Script, I knew it was right.

When I was working on the last version of the site in late 2008 I was trying to be more graphic and design the site with a bold, print feel. I wanted something like you would find on the intro page for a feature article in a magazine. For the heck of it I made the logo huge and dropped it on the page. I knew it would either be misunderstood or that people would like it. Either way it caused a reaction, which I think is a good thing.

Mac or PC?

Mac for sure.

Is Scrivs whiny? (Don’t worry, he’s too mean to read my blog, he’ll never know what you really think of him)

I think Scrivs (Drawar) is a good guy and is working hard at building a great community. I don’t think he is whiny, maybe more wimpy. He needs to really stand up to some of these other design community blogs and tell them to get out of the way.

Tell us something no one online knows about

I’ll give you two as promised:

1) The name Finch is not just some random thing. A long time ago someone said they would type my name in an email and “F, Inch” would come up and not show the rest of my last name. So she started calling me Finch. I decided it would be a good identity for my design work.

2) I used to be a postman. Maybe more postboy at the time. Anyway, I worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier for a bit during college.

For the ladies in the design/dev world, are you single?

I think the interest in this question will have passed after seeing my picture. If you must know, I am taken. However, if you are reading this and your name is Shakira, then I am very single.

The Readers

Any questions for Finch?