Style Contest Judge: Joelle Reeder

Since we've wrapped up our interview series with the winners of The Style Contest, we're spending time with each of the contest judges. Today we're speaking with Joelle Reeder of Moxie Design Studios. Check back every week for a new interview.

Q: Tell us about your design background. What motivated you to get into design?

I’ve always been a creative type –- it runs in my family. As a kid I spent a lot of time with a sketch book in hand and at one point had set my sights on becoming an animator. Then I discovered singing and my art kind of got shelved. When I stumbled onto the internet in the mid-90’s, I started tinkering with my own websites. In 2000, I met an English designer, Gavin Twigger, who I worked under at two different companies in Dallas. He's a great mentor and a very good friend. He really encouraged me to believe in myself and to develop my skills. I think it's important to continue grow as a designer and a person because you can learn so much from others.

Q: What was your favorite theme from The Style Contest, and why?

It was actually winning entry, The Late Show by Liz Lubowitz. And though these didn’t win, some other concepts that stood out for me were Mood Rings by Krystal Balduc and Cartoon by Agus Riady (I’m a sucker for bold, fun colors), Tropical Dream by Carolyn Smith (soft, pretty and clean) and the simplicity of Star Crash by Mario Carboni

Q: What did you think of the overall winner, The Late Show? Why was it the best design out of all the category winners?

As I mentioned, this turned out to be my favorite of the styles submitted. At first glance, it’s fun and the overall feel is clean and put-together. For me, the devil is in the details and I really like how she mixes different subtle textures and gradients to give a fairly basic layout more depth and interest. There’s enough contrast in the text so, despite the black background, its easy to read. I also appreciated that Liz took the time to provide 4 different layouts (1 column, 2 column left, 2 column right and 3 column) and that the code is clean and resizes well on all fronts. Plus, it’s cute and makes me want movie-theater popcorn! Mmmm…

Q: Tell us about your current design work and projects.

We’ve been very busy this year! We recently launched a site for Crista Flanagan, who is a series regular on MADtv. On the stove right now is the redesign of three completely different but equally cool sites: a Panamanian personal chef, a fun financial investment site (no, really!) and a super-hub of fashion and shopping trends. Coming this month, the launch of a new e-commerce shop which provides fun, hip fashion and accessories for bachelorettes and new brides. *pants*

Q: Where do you find design inspiration?

I get inspired by thinking of words that correspond to the overall look, feel and purpose we want the site to convey (i.e., retro, bold, soothing, clean, fresh, etc.). I use those words to look up photos on flickr or find websites or images in Google. If I find things that inspire me, I print them out and stick them on my bulletin board or I bookmark them.

I get inspired by little mundane things I see around, too, like wrapping paper prints and Home Depot paint palettes and whatnot. I often find myself snapping photos with my phone and emailing them to myself to print and stick on my board for later reference. I also buy greeting cards like I’m going to open my own store (there are so many cool designs out there!). This serves two purposes: creative inspiration and I’m never without a card for someone’s birthday. :)

Don't forget to check out all of the great Style Contest designs for Movable Type, TypePad, and LiveJournal which are now archived at The Style Archive.