Did you study anything at school / college?

Yep, I did. I’ve got a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and a Honours Degree in Business Management from the beautiful Stellenbosch University. So all very corporate and not very digital, but both very helpful in running an online startup of course.

What got you interested in the premium themes market?

I guess initially I wanted to see whether I could do it, whilst I also wanted to add a passive income stream to my earnings (as I was doing freelance client work at the time). Now though, I see WooThemes as a fully fledged online startup and irrespective of the type of product we provide, we’re living the online startup life!

WooThemes is a catchy name. How did you come up with it?

The name was completely Magnus’ idea and he came up with it during the time when “w00t” was really, REALLY popular online. So WooThemes is basically a mashup of three different words i.e. “w00t”, WordPress & themes.

How long did it take you to develop the WooThemes system?

When we launched it for the first time mid-2008, the whole conceptualization & development process took around 3 / 4 months. When we redesigned it as WOO2 in June this year, we probably spent another 2 months redesigning and adding new features / functionality to the website.

Why did you decide to change your name to adii rockstar? Was it a hard decision?

Well, I was born Adriaan Pienaar, which I bet no one internationally would be able to pronounce. So initially I was “Adii – WordPress Rockstar” and when I decided to take a more general branding approach (i.e. not so closely linked to WordPress), I simply shortened it to Adii Rockstar.

And no – I don’t think it was an overly hard decision. One shouldn’t really chop-n-change one’s branding all the time, but if I need to revise my branding and marketing approach in 6 months or 2 years time, then so be it.

What 5 online tools do you use the most?

WordPress, P2, Gmail, Skype & Basecamp.

Did anything inspire you to get into blogging?

I don’t think so actually. Instead I’ve always had something to say and blogging allows me to share those thoughts / ideas with like-minded peeps.

I see you have recently started to VideoBlog. How is this benefiting your blog?

I dunno yet really… The videos are still a pretty new thing and I think I still need to figure out exactly what my blogging approach is at the moment.

As a sidenote… My blogging approach is set for a revamp pretty soon and those who follow me, would’ve noted that I blog on WooThemes + WooCamp much more these days, compared to my personal blog.

Where do you advertise WooThemes?

We sometimes advertise on a handful of sites via BuySellAds and have recently started using the awesome FusionAds. We do however prefer to keep advertising to a minimum and instead use more organic / viral methods to gain traffic to the site.

Do you look up to anyone in your field?

Collis Ta’eed from Envato & Ryan Carson from Carsonified. Both of them are awesome and supremely knowledgeable, which I admire a lot!

What is the next step for WooThemes?

We don’t really do much planning to be honest… Next step is supposedly to release themes on other CMS platforms, but we’ll probably take our time with that and see how it eventually pans out.

What advice would you give to the readers of WebDesignDev?

Online – personal branding is everything.

How did you come up with the name “Just Creative Design”?

Coming up with a name for your business and / or blog is probably one of the hardest tasks an entrepreneur will have to do. Should you name the business after yourself, come up with a fictional name or literally describe the business? For me, I was torn between the three.

I wanted to name the business “Jacob Cass Designs” or “JackCass Designs” which is a pun on my own name and the word Jackass. I wasn’t really happy with these names and after a few weeks of no decisions, I finally decided I didn’t want to name my business after my own name, just in case I wanted to expand some time in the future. So the question was, what do I name my business?

I tried coming up with a fictional name that was somehow associated with my name or initials. Things like Jucy, Jaycii, JayZee, JayCee, Jaci, Jaysee, JayCee, JaySee, JaiSee, Juju, Juca, Joco, Jluc, Jaco, JC, JLBC, etc. I didn’t like any of them. From here, I tried to brainstorm words that started with my initials  J or C. Things like Jolly Creations, Jester Creative, etc. I found that a lot of these domain names were taken which got me very frustrated (but I am thankful for that now). But to cut this long story short, after a lot of brain storming I finally came down to the name “Just Creative Design” and luckily for me the domain name was free. I was extremely happy – the name included my initials and two main keywords (for SEO) associated with my profession. For those interested I talk about the process in more depth on my blog.

What interested you in graphic design, enough to take it up as a career?

It was clear throughout all of my schooling that the artier subjects at school were my favorite (especially if you compare the marks) though it wasn’t really till year 10 (when I was 15) that I really knew about design as a “career”. It wasn’t until two years later, that I really set my eye on design as a full time career. Since then, I haven’t turned back – my life is design and I surround myself in it everyday.

You also have 2 other websites, LogoOfTheDay and LogoDesignerBlog. Is logo design your favorite part of graphic design?

You would be correct there. Logo & identity design is my passion and are certainly my favorite areas of graphic design along with branding and the online marketing world of social media. Though in saying this, I never want to limit myself to just one area of design – sure you can be an expert in one area but I find branching out into other areas is a good way to learn and experience more about the realm that is design.

You have just over 19,000 Twitter followers. How does twitter have an impact on your websites?

Twitter plays a huge role in the exposure and marketing of my websites. The viral nature of Twitter means that an article can be broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people within a matter of minutes. It’s really quite fascinating when you think about it. Though in saying this, try not to use Twitter as a personal broadcast of yourself (leave that to A-List celebrities) – provide value and link to other resourceful sites.

Do to others as you would like done to you, as you will learn, that what goes around, comes around. Please feel free to follow to me on Twitter.

Is there anything that inspires you away from the computer?

Travel. Taking breaks from your work is essential to avoid burn out. It gives you a chance to refresh and get disconnected from this rush, “always on” world we live in today. There is no better way to get inspired than to experience another culture.

Does blogging on Just Creative Design help promote your portfolio?

The portfolio page of my blog is the second most visited page of my whole site, second only to the home page. On average, the portfolio page gets about 1100 visits per day. From that, I would probably have to say yes – blogging is a very good way to promote your portfolio.

All 3 of your websites adopt the same colour scheme. Is there any reason why you chose pink, black and white?

Like any brand, it pays to stay consistent. Having a colour scheme (pink, grey and white) was just one way to tie all three of my sites together. I originally chose the colour pink as a way to reflect my business name “Just Creative Design“. I felt the colour pink gave off a lot of creative energy. The white supporting colour was to show that it is “Just” creative energy – nothing else. This is also supported by the neutral grey colour. I hope that makes sense – it did to me anyway.

Do you have any other projects or ideas that you are developing, launching in the near future?

I’ve just started back at University (last semester) so that will keep me pretty busy, along with client work however I am in the middle of producing a logo design ebook. Whether or not I finish this before I move to New York is another question – the ebook is not a priority at this time.

Have you got any advice, tips or tricks for the readers of WebDesignDev?

When this question comes up, I usually give the same reply… the biggest piece of advice that I would give an upcoming designer comes in a ‘package’ based from the little things that I have learned over my short career as a designer. Don’t undervalue your work. Seek criticism, not praise. Always keep learning & don’t be a static learner… do this by reading books, magazines, blogs and by practicing. Collect & share things. Teach others. Never give up. Keep practicing. Again, keep practicing. For more friendly advice see what other designers have shared on my blog.

Thank you to Andy for this opportunity to be interviewed on WebDesignDev. If your readers have any comments or questions, please do feel free to leave them below. Thanks again.

Did you study anything when you were younger?

I took Art, Design Technology and Computing at GCSE along with my other subjects!

What interests you in the web and graphic design industry?

New trends and design ideas. The fact that I am in one of the fastest moving and growing industries and also making my own mark in my industry.

How did you come up with the name Branded07?

I originally wanted to call my site ‘Branded’ but the domain was obviously taken! And it was the year 2007! I know, pretty un-inspirational!

Branded07 has a very unique and elegant design. What inspired you, how long did the design process take, and why puffins?

The design process went through about 12 different re-designs and took approximately 3/4 year to finally settle on one of the designs. (Far to long I know!) And why Puffins?! Well I have always loved to draw and sketch animals, and in about 11 out of the 12 different branded designs I included some form of animal mascot, 9 out of those 11 were birds. I have always loved the Puffin, so unique, vibrant and subtly fearless, yet quirky and fun. This is the way I wanted to portray my work.

Forget online inspiration. What inspires you away from the PC?

I love taking day trips into the hills or to the beach with my wife and dog, I enjoy the gym and love my city (Newcastle) It holds such a great atmosphere and has so many amazing architectural masterpieces. I also love to play the guitar (but time is my worst enemy for that one!)

Is there anything that annoys you with web design?

Internet Explorer 6! (You have to work in the industry to get that one!) Also badly built websites, not so much badly designed visually, but there is no excuse for bad coding.

Branded07 is not just your portfolio, its a place where you blog and post design tutorials. What is the future for Branded07 and where do you see it heading?

I have recently posted an article about the future of B07. I feel it has served its purpose over the last couple of years and has done me proud! I am planning on re-visiting the design and a possible re-brand of the site is around the corner! I have a few people lined up already who have agreed to act as my visual guinea pigs for testing out some ideas, so this will hopefully start rolling out back end of 2009 ready for 2010!

Have you got any advice for the readers of WebDesignDev?

I think the only piece of advice I could offer is to work as hard as you possibly can. Doing well in the industry does not come easy, and I am still (hopefully) only at the beginning of my journey. The web and digital is ever evolving and you need to be running pretty fast to keep up!

Ps – Even we use BuySellAds! Check out our page, more ad spots coming soon!

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Let’s see… well, I’m 28, happily married, I have a trusty dog, and I live in Boston. I’m from Maine originally, and I once lived in Porto Alegre, Brazil for a year. If I’m not in front of the computer you can usually find me relaxing with my wife and family. I really love to surf, but we just don’t have easy access to good waves here in Boston. Before BuySellAds.com I was Lead Designer and SEO Guru at HubSpot.com (hubspot.com), an internet marketing company. And before HubSpot I was a partner at a Boston based interactive agency Mindfire (mindfire.com). I love startups, and I love trying to build stuff that is actually useful. There’s no greater reward than being able to make a person’s life easier with a software app or interaction.

I understand that you are the founder of BuySellAds.com but what is your role and job within BuySellAds.com?

My job at BSA is to make sure that people are happy, that we continue to grow, and that we are constantly providing value for our users. In terms of actual day-to-day tasks it’s really just about managing the business. I interact with users daily through escalated support cases, coordinate development efforts with our lead engineer, work on development spec’s and design for some projects we have in the works, interface with advertisers directly and create custom proposals, etc. So while the site does run itself pretty well, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to make a users experience *special*. We’re really trying to push the envelope on some new development efforts and we’re not on cruise control by any means. I can’t wait for the day when I can finally go to bed at a normal hour.

What made you start BuySellAds.com?

I started BSA because I was frustrated. I was running two design related sites as a hobby, and selling and buying ads for those sites. The entire buying and selling process took way too long and was really inefficient. A solution like BSA didn’t exist for me (a small to medium sized publisher). Sure, there were ad networks like AdBrite.com, but I thought that I could do it better. I also didn’t have any money at the time, and saw this as an opportunity to make at living at something I am truly passionate about.

How long did it take you to develop BuySellAds.com?

The initial site development took roughly 6 months if I remember correctly. I had been working on it off and on, and not full time, but from initial commitment to the idea until it was essentially ready to launch was roughly 6 months. As simple as the site may appear, the entire payment processing, ad serving, etc, was actually hard to get *right*. That was the first version of BSA. The second version, which was a complete re-write from scratch (crazy, I know), actually only took about 4 months and a decent amount of that time was in making sure that we were able to transition from the old version to the new version while re-architecting the entire system.

How did you go about promoting your ad network at first?

I took a grass-roots approach. I contacted site owners who I had known from running my other two sites. That and I just did good honest business. The initial approach was to just earn peoples trust, make them more money (which was easy because they had awesome websites), and continue to improve the BuySellAds.com site. Keep in mind, all of these people are trusting us with their money, so it’s important that we do this right. The other way we attracted people was by having a reasonable commission structure, no other ad network can boast a 25% commission fee that includes any and ALL related fees (credit card processing fees, PayPal fees, payment fees, etc). I think it also helps to have a personality and be a real person too, which can be rare online sometimes. The thing about BSA is that we actually do care and are trying to create long term relationships with our users. Being a real person online goes a long way these days. We can also make our publishers more money and put higher quality and better targeted ads on their site than most ad networks. Quality is definitely one of our advantages.

Do you think the internet is suffering from the recession?

I think it depends who you talk to. In our case we are young, growing strong, and haven’t noticed any slowdown from the recession. But if you look at someone on a larger scale like DoubleClick or AdSense they’re definitely feeling some pain as evidenced by Google’s Q1 revenues. The internet as a whole, yeah, I’m sure that sales are down in general, but I actually think it’s a good thing. It forces us to really focus and figure out new opportunities. It forces advertisers to get smarter, and ad networks to innovate.

Where do you see BuySellAds.com heading?

Our plan is to keep pushing. There is still a lot of opportunity for us in the web design and development space. Some other verticals in our network have started to grow a little bit, but we’re still focused on the web design and development niche. We’re continuously improving our application, and working on ways to innovate in our space. There are some projects we’ve had in the works since launching version 2 of the app in April, and we’re just now getting close to launching some of these efforts. There is also something particularly interesting that will be launched in a couple sprint’s that people should look out for, too.

What advice would you give bloggers trying to monetize their blog with private advertising?

Do what you do best, write content that drives readership and improves your site. Let people like us at BuySellAds.com do your dirty work and handle your advertising. Any time spent managing advertisers, responding to requests, etc. is time that could be better spent creating new content. We’re at a point now where we can really leverage the reach of our network and provide larger advertisers with decent volume. Chances of them reaching out to you directly isn’t big. Additionally, I have always been a firm believer that you need to build up your readership before you start selling ads. If you start selling ads from day 1 you’re not going to earn their trust and respect as easily if there are no ads on the site. Once you have “proven” yourself to them and earned their reader loyalty, chances are we can then add value to your site by putting quality advertisers on there for you.

How would you recommend publishers add value to their advertisers to encourage them to advertise month after month?

The absolute best way to add value for advertisers is to continue to publish great content that attracts more visitors to your site who might click on their ads. And, remember, it’s not just about clicks, it’s about conversions. So, you want to be sure that you are writing quality articles that attract new readers for your site and not a bunch of stumbles or a bunch of half page loads from being on the Digg front page. I would also recommend that they too check out what their advertisers have to offer. Since I monitor all of the ads that are sold at BSA this is often how I find out about cool new products that I might be interested in using myself. Test out their products, and if you like them, write a review or give them a shout-out or something.

How Did You Get Into Web / Graphic Design?

I started getting into graphic design when my parents bought my brother and I our first dell computer as a christmas present. I was 14. I quickly discovered the website DeviantArt.com signed up for an account and started experimenting with Photoshop creating digital art. I started to get into web design with my band (all 15 year olds have a band right?). I really liked working with HTML, so I kept creating sites.

Did You Study Anything?

I have no formal design education. Before I did this full time, I worked for the family business doing architectural millwork. I learned how to take a project from start to finish, and the basics of architectural drafting. The skills I learned in that industry are surprisingly applicable to the web.

Name 5 Top Applications You Use To Create Your Work?

1) Adobe Photoshop CS4
2) Coda
3) Safari / Firefox
4) Aol Instant Messenger / Apple Mail
5) Xmind

Describe Your Average Working Day?

I start out working at 7am setting up the office for the day. I usually try to get my personal projects done from 7-9am. I then jump into client work from 9-5pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays I leave the office early so I can go do Judo.

What Would You Say Your Best Work Ever Is?

Hahah, sorry I’m never fully happy with any of my work (high standards). I am particularly proud of the book covers I designed for “The Pearlsong Refounding” by Michael D. Warden. You can see (and I recommend you purchase) the books at thepearlsongrefounding.com . My personal blog, JoshTilon.com has received a lot of attention for the design, which was a lot of fun to create.

How Did You Come Up With Your Web Studio Name, Grip Creative?

I play Judo which has a lot of grip fighting / grappling. I also really liked the “edginess” of the two words together.

How Do You Promote Grip Creative? Business Cards, Advertising, etc?

Word of mouth. I do some local networking, but people usually contact me through my website from seeing my work somewhere.

Have You Got Any Advice For WebDesignDev Readers?

Hang in there! Stay as far away from individuals who claim to be great at business and “amazing” salesmen but cannot to anything web related on their own. Only partner with people on projects who are experts in their respective area of the web industry.

Where Would You See Yourself In 5 Years Time?

Not having any outside clients, but being the client through the projects I’m currently working on that would be 20% of the week. Doing what i’m truly passionate about : professional portrait & wedding  photography 80% of the week.

First off, whats the typical day in the life of Alen Pavlovic?

It’s a bit ‘nasty’ lately because I work almost 16 hours a day. I wake up around 9AM, start my ‘machines’ and start to tangle with the projects. I work whole day til around 4AM next day, with just a couple of short breaks in. I have clients from all over the World and those different times zones simply force you to be reachable almost 24/7. I won’t tell what I do during breaks!

How did you get into this field? Did you study anything?

My father is a product designer. I fell in love with the design probably since I could spell that word. After my education I got Project Manager degree, I studied Project Management on Civil Engineering section of Zagreb University, Croatia.

Why did you choose to go into visual identity building?

I love logo design. As simple as it looks, I think it is probably the hardest area of the all graphic design spectrum. When I started my company Artra 11 years ago (1998) that deals with much more areas like interiors or marketing, few of the initial projects were exactly from the field of visual identity development. I had a vision of working outside my country’s borders so I decided to offer that services to the much bigger ‘global’ market.

Do all your clients contact you through your website, or do you do offline promotion?

All my international clients contact me over few of my online portfolios. Sometimes they ask me to provide some additional material but 100% of the collaboration is done over the Internet. That’s really amazing!

What sort of applications / tools do you use to create your work?

Head and hands! Well, usual stuff, nothing really special. I love vector software like Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator, those are the most important ones when it comes to logo design. I’m not a computer geek, the person that people call to fix their computers (although I did help a few times), I really see those things just as tools for finishing the project.

Whats the most challenging part of visual identity building?

The most important part of the whole process is the start! That includes a lot of brainstorming, ideas and concept development. I find that part to be the most challenging one and this is the project phase that I give my best at. Only a great start will lead you to even better finish!

Are there any places you get design inspiration from?

Everywhere! I love nature and I do a lot of outdoor sports. I look. I listen. Few days ago my girl’s dad was talking about a funny crowd of elephants he saw on TV and I just had an moment of inspiration for a really crazy logo. Inspiration is everywhere around us. When it comes to Internet, there’s more and more websites and blogs about graphic design and logos, all of those are really easy to find. I also write an weekly column on one of those, CreativityDen.

How did you come up with the name Type08?

That’s my ‘street name’ I got in 1993. I started to listen to hip hop music in 1989, and few years after that this became my alias. The story is really long and probably boring, but there’s a lot of hidden meanings in that name so I decided to present myself using it. Many people think that it has something to do with 2008, but it’s really 15 years older then that.

How do you go about promoting your online portfolio?

I love minimalism as you can see in my work. And that style applies to all my projects, including web design and my personal portfolio. Projects should talk for themselves, no need to make the site itself more hyped then your work is. So when people visit my folios directly or over some other sites I’m featured on, they recognize that it’s all about the ‘work, work, work’ there!

Do you look up to anyone in your field of work?

There’s a lot of great graphic designers in the World at the moment.

Do you have a favorite piece of work you have created since you started visual identity building?

As for other designers as well, I find it really hard to extract something out that would be ‘my best work ever’. I think that I still didn’t reach that point, and I probably won’t in a next few years. Which is really good and makes me work harder. My fellow designers on Logo Pond think that ‘Shoprest‘ is my best logo so far…

What web design blogs do you read online? Do you have a favorite?

Bookmarked and favorites: Logo Pond, Logo Designer Blog, Re Band, Identity Works, Logo Faves, Logo Moose, Stationery Style, Creativity Den, Graphic Exchange, Logo From Dreams, Design Your Way, Kreative Gaarden, Abduzzedo, Smashing Magazine, Behance Network, Inc Spring, Lovely Package, Packaging World, Step Inside Design, Creattica, Designboom, Logo Lounge and many many many more.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I have a lot of plans with my company. I’ll try to accomplish all of that since I still have enough energy for it. Most of designers are remembered by their best or most important project, and I’m still waiting for that client. I would love to write my own book about design and I’ll do my best to do it in that timeframe. Thank you for this opportunity, I wish your design blog all the best!