Interview: Cindy Li

Personal website: http://cindyli.com/

For start of this interview - can you tell us more about yourself - career, life, news, other stuff?…

I grew up in Jacksonville, FL for most of my life but my family immigrated from Taiwan. My first computer was an Apple IIGs with an Imagewriter printer. I loved that machine and I’ve been an Apple lover ever since. I worked at AOL in Dulles, VA for almost 9 years which in dog years is a lifetime ;). I recently joined Nclud.com (a web design firm in DC but I’m based in San Francisco) as an Art Director/ Consultant/Partner. I drove cross country this past year from Virginia when I moved to San Francisco in my VW Beetle.

When did you start designing, and what was the main reason for that?

I started “designing” in high school. I wanted a career in art and entered contests in high school to test myself. I was always good at drawing and I knew I could do something with that ability. My family tried to convince me to be a pharmacist at one point and that was the last thing I wanted to do with my life.

What is the most interesting thing that you work on, in this moment?

Hmm, tricky one because I’ve had to sign a lot of paperwork (non-disclosure documents) I can’t talk about those ;) I’ve been feeling like a design spy agent or I’ve been watching too many Alias episodes. Although I have been having fun working on illustrations for ma.gnolia.com’s logo.

Which part of your career or project would you call “the best of me”?

Well the most personal would be my blog. I worked for AOL most of my career, it was always very corporate. My site allowed me to play with the colors of the rainbow and my only requirements were my own.

What do you think about women in web design in general?

I think we still have a long way to go to make a name for ourselves. We’re getting there but the men still seem to be the focus of most conferences I’ve attended.

Do you have your favorite female colleague or a designer whose work you admire?

That would be Veerle Pieters, she’s one of my best friends and she’s been a great encouragement to me.

When did you launched your website/blog and what is the most important thing that you accomplished with it?

I launched my site in June 2006. I gave myself the deadline to be before @media 2006 in London. My original blog (designrabbit.com) was filled with all my live blogging of SXSW interactive conference in 2006. During the redesign I switched the blogging to cindyli.com and moved my portfolio to designrabbit.com. My redesign gave me a way to showcase my personality.

What are your daily reads and favorite bookmarks?

Faves are flickr.com and twitter.com - i find about the world and everything worth knowing about from the tweets of my friends.

What are the most interesting things that your readers and visitors don’t know about you?

I had a dark period in my life a few years ago where I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I wasn’t inspired and exhausted but I went to the 2005 SXSW interactive conference in Austin, TX to see if I could find something that could help; that event opened many doors for me. My most popular blog post is how to change out my VW Beetle headlights and I keep getting emails asking me how to change out hoses, and diagnose other car ailments; something i can promise i know nothing about.

What is your main inspiration?

Life and just experiencing as much as I can. A trait of being a good designer is placing yourself into someone else’s point of view. Researching, experiencing life is the best source of inspiration.

Who is your favorite artist?

Growing up I would have told you Claude Monet, a painting I did in college ended up in a textbook because of my love for impressionism.

Is there anything that you don’t like about your job?

Making friends all over the world is great but the downside is not being able to ring them and have dinner that night.

Can you tell us something about your hobbies and things that you do in you spare time?

I like to take photos, LOTS of photos. You can find me on flickr most of the time either posting or checking up on what is going on in my friends’ lives. I love to travel and help out at conferences/geek events.
I love having friends over for Hello Kitty waffles (brunch) and just catching up with them.

What kind of music do you prefer?

Depends on what kind of mood I am in. Silly danceable songs, 80s music. I love Big Band and that’s because of my swing dancing (I haven’t done that lately though).

What is your favorite travel destination?

Anywhere my friends and family are. I moved to San Francisco last year and the time zone difference hit me a bit harder than I expected.

Do you have any message for people at the beginning of their career in designing?

It takes time. Dedication to your career or what you are passionate about will always get you far. Things do not happen overnight although sometimes via the internet it seems that way. Some sacrifices may be made (i.e. free time) but only you can decide what is worth it. Give back to the community when you can, there is always someone else that can use your help. Surround yourself with things you love that will inspire you. Stay positive and believe in yourself, and yes I know that sounds really cheesy.

What do you think about cssprincess.com?

Its a great place to feature the female community, keep it up.