Lucky Stars Tattoo is a premier tattoo studio in San Jose, CA. Stylish, scalable and unique layout.

It’s not too often you get to review a Tattoo site, usually they are too crazy or don’t follow any sort of web standards at all (maybe i’m being to over-generalizing…?) This is a really great example of a simple layout and minimal content organization that winds up having a good effect on the user. It has all the trappings of being a Tattoo parlor visually (dark background, lots of skulls/dragons and rock & roll patterns) but I really like the way it’s been organized by the artist, then you can see their work. The normal sub pages are pretty neat too, with the transparent image laying over the main body content. Overall I really like the look & feel of this site, it’s all been executed really well.

Fun illustration is what really makes this site. We’ve used a few scripts as well to enhance the experience. All in all it’s a fun site.

This is just a nice tight little site that has some great illustration and layout. All the elements on this site are really sharp and complete, that’s hard to do on a consistent basis across an entire website and they seem to have pulled it off. I also really like the mouse follow effect down near the footer with the clouds and blimp/logo. Nice touch.

Built on Wordpress and leveraging jQuery for effects, this simple Online Annual Report was designed to make the information from the print document easy to access online.

This design is crazy! I love the look and feel of it, the colors are great and it’s a very clever idea. The re-sizing layout is a cool trick to make the site a bit more interactive. It takes what is a somewhat stale and boring set of content and energizes it with the jquery effects. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not revolutionary or anything, I just think it’s a very appropriate use of the resizing layout technique.

I really like the look of this website, the dark brown background is quite different. That big flower like shape is really beautiful the way it’s executed, I also love that it stays in place as you scale, that’s a nice effect. The typography is also very well done, the layout and type treatment really gives the site a nice rhythm as you scan down the page.

How or where do you find inspiration?
That’s a tough one. There’s very few things I can outright name as “inspiration”. There’s little things here and there in everything I see that worm their way to the surface when I’m working… I’ll be drawing a desk, and I’ll have it turned the way I saw a desk in a Far Side cartoon when I was a kid, or when I’m setting a headline I’m thinking of the tightly-tracked billboard I saw on the turnpike. There’s just little flashes of stuff that have passed through the filter of my brain. Finding inspiration is a matter of looking at a lot of things, and letting them seep into your subconscious to be called back later.

Who is the biggest influence on your work right now?
At this very moment, I’d say it’s Bill Watterson. Not just because I read so much Calvin & Hobbes when I was a kid, but also because I bought that anthology of his, and one of the books fell on my legs and I’m trapped. I’m barely getting any work done.

Where are your “design roots”? Print or Web?
I’d have to say print is really where I’m rooted, though my instincts for composing a message and organizing a layout have definitely been cultivated for webpages rather than a book.

How important is it to know the history of design?
That depends. There’s a lot of underlying principles to design, which a person could discover on their own, or through studying past work. If you’re motivated to find these things out for yourself, then perhaps you don’t need to know anything about the history of design. But if you enjoy history, and are willing to read, then there’s an enormous fountain of knowledge out there for you to tap into.

My own personal preference is to know the history. Having those proven styles and tenets makes it easier for me to work with confidence. After all, design isn’t an art as much as a science.

Serif or Sans?
Serif. Though I used to use Sans more. I don’t know what happened to me. I guess I’ve lost my edge. I can’t remember the last time I used hair gel.

Do you code and design? Are you a “Hybrid”?
Well… I do code, but I wouldn’t say I do it professionally. Or well. All the code I’ve ever learned has only been so that I could deliver illustration, animation, or my own crude form of literature.

What’s your favorite part of the creative process?
Definitely the very very end, adding the details that push a design or illustration across the finish line. It’s the most satisfying feeling in the world.

Starting a project comes a close second – doing all the prep work, like research and roughs, in preparation for the first client review can be very gratifying. But once you put something in front of the client and it stops being your work and starts being theirs, that’s when the creative process loses some of its allure… just a little.

What makes your creative process different from everybody else?
But seriously, I’m not completely sure, mainly because I only know my process. But, I suppose not everyone has the luxury of using illustration to solve design problems, so there’s got to be some difference there. Plus, I stop every half-hour for balloons and pony rides.

What do you see as the single biggest shift in the evolution of design over the past 5 years?
In terms of the web, I’d say there’s much more of an emphasis on usability, and concern over design getting in the way of the message (definitely a positive shift). Five years ago, designers seem concerned with creating environments, atmosphere, and experiences (myself definitely included). They designed with a philosophy of holding the reader’s hand, and made the act of finding information more like a game. I think now the majority of designers understand that their job is to get the user to what they’re looking for as quickly, and as efficiently as possible. Not to say the designer of today can’t spread their artistic wings. They still need to create an atmosphere, and communicate brand – they just need to make sure that it’s not getting in the way.

What’s the difference between User Experience and User Interface design?
Haha – you tell me – remember, I’m an illustrator for a living these days ;)

What makes one a web design professional?
I’d say they’d have to have a good understanding of html, and probably some familiarity with javascript, just so they understand their options when designing an interaction. Excellent photoshop skills, of course. Beyond technical skill, they need to understand hierarchy, contrast, proximity… all your essential elements and principles of design.

In terms of being professional, what might be most important is to be flexible. When you get the opportunity to learn something new, take it. When the client or a colleague puts an obstacle in your way, bend and twist your design to find a way to make things work. Professionals take lemons and make lemonade sandwiches.

What are designers/developers doing right (or wrong) in the web 2.0 world?
I’d say, shifting their focus on communicating as clearly and easy as possible is what they’re doing right. Wrong? I’d say concentrating on the latest coding trick, or mimicking the fashionable design style… the “tools”… instead of the message itself.

What’s your favorite flavor of design or development programs/languages?
I use photoshop almost exclusively for graphics, except for hand-drawn stuff, for which I use my hand. For coding, I use BBedit. And also my hands. But with less smearing.

What is your favorite book?
“Why Elephants Have Big Ears: Understanding Patterns of Life on Earth” by Chris Lavers. I prefer non-fiction. This particular book explores the reasons behind so many of natures odd evolutionary developments. It helped me get over my fear of a King Kong sized ape grabbing me from my fabulous Manhattan penthouse as I prepare for bed.

What is your favorite movie?
I still heartily say Godfather, Part II. Many hold that Part I is better. It doesn’t matter really. It’s like choosing between Silver and Gold, or Pepperoni or Sausage Pizza, or the part of the roller coaster where you go down the hill versus the part where you go through the loop.

Who is your favorite musical artist (or What musical artist are you listening to the most right now?)
There’s three things I don’t ever talk about publicly: Religion, Politics, and Music. It helps me avoid being stabbed in an argument.

Kevin Cornell is an illustrator and designer who regularly blogs and posts illustrations on his website bearskinrug.co.uk since February 2000. Kevin isn’t actually British but you can read his own words on the subject:

“So that makes me a Yank. Which unfortunately means I can’t be knighted. And just as unfortunately, America has no equivalent honor — except maybe appearing on the cover of Time magazine. But I suspect I may only make it as far as Sun-Poisoning Quarterly.”