How
did you start your career
in the website designing
? Did you have any formal
training?
Abhinav
& Dipankar :
We are into
computers since 1992.
We started using computers
when we were in our home
town Tansen, Palpa at
the age of 13 & 14.
First we were involved
in Graphic Design; we
used to design a rural
magazine called "Gaunle
Deurali" for our
father's organization,
a weekly newsmagazine
called "Satya"
and various design works
like brochures, posters,
cards etc.
We
got interested in World
Wide Web when Internet
came to Nepal in 1995.
In Tansen, we did not
have access to the Internet,
we had only heard about
the Net from the tourists
who came to Tansen and
by reading magazines.
Out of curiosity we designed
a website using Microsoft
Publisher. The web site
which we had named 'Cyber
Club' initially had profiles
of our friends and anyone
interested in making friends
could contact them or
have his/her profile posted.
It also had jokes, songs
and few videos. As we
did not had any means
to publish it online,
we brought it to Kathmandu
in floppy disks in a hope
that we could find a way
to publish it. We were
email subscriber of WorldLink
Communications, and we
used to visit WorldLink
when we came to Kathmandu.
In this visit, we met
Dileep Agrawal, CEO of
WorldLink and showed him
our website. He was very
much impressed with the
concept and the design
and offered to help us
by providing free hosting
space for the web site.
We didn't
publish the website immediately;
we decided to add more
content. At that time,
there were very limited
Nepali web sites; only
travel agencies, hotels
and a few NGOs had web
sites. There was no web
site with entertainment
content. So, we decided
to expand the web site
with content covering
Nepali music artists,
movie actors, actresses,
miss nepal, models, etc.
and present it like an
online magazine. It was
a wishful thinking but
we knew that we had to
work very hard to make
it a reality. We started
working like journalist,
photographer and web designer
as we met music &
movie artists, interviewed
them, gathered profile,
took photos in the day
and designed the website
in the evening. After
a month of hard work,
the site was ready to
be online. And thus Cyber
Nepal, Nepal's first net
magazine, was born.
The
overwhelming response
that we received from
the visitors in Nepal
and abroad and the appreciation
from Nepali media made
us feel that our hard
work had been paid. This
drew us more into the
field of web designing
which we later took it
as our profession. Our
background in graphic
design has been very useful
in web designing. We are
using the same designing
skills; only the medium
is different. We keep
ourselves continuously
updated by learning new
techniques and observing
the contemporary trends
of web design.
Sarobar
:
As I'm also
interested in drawing
and painting; I feel easier
expressing myself with
computer. I have been
influenced by the works
of my two brothers. I
have not taken any formal
design training; I'm learning
and working with my brothers
at present. Working on
web is fun for me. I designed
my first website when
I was 14 years old in
the year 1998.
What
are the main software
that you use for website
design?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
We use PhotoShop
to design the main interface
of the website and to
enhance and manipulate
graphics. We use Dreamweaver
& FrontPage to develop
and manage the web site.
Besides these tools, we
also extensively use ACDSee,
Flash and Freehand.
What
challenges do you all
face as designers? Is
there a conflict between
good art and what your
customers want or between
good design and what is
more customer friendly
website?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
We
believe that every individual
and organization has its
own personality and image
and the website should
be able to project that
image through its look
and feel. This is not
only a challenge but also
a factor that continuously
excites us towards our
work. Whether it's a stylish
and flashy look to suit
pop star Nima Rumba or
a more sober & corporate
look for an INGO like
MS Nepal we are always
looking for ways to suit
the specific project.
We are lucky
to have our designs liked
by most of our clients.
More people are becoming
design conscious these
days; they are now able
to distinguish between
a good and a bad design.
But at times, there are
a few clients who are
not so sure what they
want; but we convince
them how a particular
design can be catalytic
in reaching their goals.
We
believe that your father
is in journalism/mass
media field. How did he
inspire you in your career?
Did you ever view what
you are doing is just
a high-tech way of doing
same thing?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru :
Our
father has always been
an inspiration to us.
He made us interested
in computers from our
very early age and always
motivated us to try out
new things. What he has
been doing is very remarkable;
he is into pro-people
media and rural development.
We are more into commercial
web business; it is our
ultimate wish to take
the Nepali web services
to an International level.
We are currently planning
some new ventures in this
regard. Though we differ
from our father in our
works, we are both using
the power of media and
communications.
Where
do you get your inspirations
for good design and photography?
How do you translate those
inspirations to the websites?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
It has been
very useful to have an
open eye towards everything
around us. We get ideas
from almost anything,
like colors & shapes
of nature, advertisement
in newspaper, a promo
in television, arts and
paintings, etc. We also
keep an eye on the trends
of web design and photography
by visiting various web
sites. The process of
creativity that takes
place inside our mind
unconsciously enables
us to create new design.
When
you three brothers work
in website, does anybody
have a specific role per
se or does everyone do
everything?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
Most of
the times, in the case
of large projects, we
two (Abhinav & Dipankar)
discuss about the concept
and three of us start
working on it handling
separate sections of the
web site. Sometimes in
the case of small projects,
one of us completes the
whole project. However,
in all kinds of projects,
we finalize the initial
design only after we three
fully agree on it.
What
does the future hold for
each of you?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
We plan
to continue working together
since we make a very good
team. We are determined
to develop web sites with
innovative ideas, create
sites with interesting
content, and take our
web business to the International
level.
What
do you suggest the up-and-coming
graphic designers (specifically
web-designers)?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
We have
been in the designing
field for 11 years. Though
we had background of graphic
design, it took us about
two years to be able to
design websites professionally.
We still feel that we
have a lot to learn. We
suggest the new web designers
to let the 'designer'
quality grow inside them,
it may take some time
but it will come after
one learns to observe
and try. It will help
them a lot if they take
a basic training of graphic
design which will give
them an idea about typography,
colors, shapes, lines,
alignment etc. Its a pity
that the training institutes
in the country only teaches
about using the tools
of web design like FrontPage
& Dreamweaver but
there is no course focusing
on the designing aspect
of web design. We are
planning to start an intensive
web designing workshop
highlighting on the designing
aspect. The course will
be useful for those who
already know the tools
of web design but do not
have a background in design.
What
do you see the future
of web business in Nepal?
Abhi,
Dip & Saru:
Since
more and more people are
realizing the potential
of having an online presence;
web business is growing.
Service providers who
are able to offer quality
service, and individuals
and organisations who
will be able to make wise
decisions in their web
ventures; are bound to
reap the fruit. |