Mike - Web Designer

How long have you been part of the team at Shape?

Wow, come to think about it... I've been working at shape just over 5 years now, time really does fly! I graduated from Salford University in May 2015 and was offered a job here shortly before I left.

What's your favourite aspect about working at Shape?

I love the diversity of the projects we get here at Shape, I love coming into work every day and not knowing what project or what type of client it may be.. I don't know of any other job which is like this. I love the fact that we're a small studio, we all have our own little way of adding our own skills to every project and I think that shows with the websites we produce

We have a great atmosphere here in the studio and we all enjoy similar things so we all have things in common which helps.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I like to do lots of different things outside of work, I either socialise with friends or family or ride my bike. Most of the time I will ride my bike, I train 5 to 6 days a week with an average training week being between 15 and 20 hours, this is to ensure I can beat Tom and Jason when we're out on bike rides in the week after work 😜

So, you like Cycling, are you any good?

I spend a lot of time on my bike, I have been a competitive cyclist for around 9 or 10 year now and I love the whole aspect of racing my bike.. I am a very competitive person and bike racing allows me to challenge myself against the best riders in the country. I think amongst other things, the best part about riding a bike is it gets me out into the countryside in the evenings and weekends, roads less traveled and this allows me to wind down from the stresses of working for a busy Manchester design studio

Which project was most satisfying for you to work on?

If I had to choose one project, it would be one which we have just pushed live Anna Eshwood... It's quite a complicated website with lots different templates.. I love working on the big projects which take a lot of time and planning.

Have you always wanted to be a web designer?

When I was in school I was very active, I loved playing football and getting outside but my grades were much higher in Art & Design so my tutors advised I take that route. After leaving school I knew I wanted to do something creative and Graphic Design allowed me to do that. I never really thought about a being a web designer until I started University in 2014, I was on Jason and Andy's web design course and I loved every minute of it.. and here I am today!

What websites do you use to find inspiration?

I tend to use a select few websites for inspiration.. it all depends on the project but as a general rule I like to use Awwwards to look at competitors, Dribbble for elements and Instagram as a last resort, and if I'm really struggling, I venture onto sites like SiteInspire, WebCreme and httpster.... On that note I'd like to add that I don't usually like to get too many references when starting a project... I always find it would hinder my creativity and I would end up going down the same route as them, even if I didn't mean to.