Matt is the founder of Envex Labs and works as a Media Developer. We had a chance to talk with Matt about what he loves to do. The Interview follows….
Hey Matt, Please introduce yourself to our readers…
Hey, my name is Matt Vickers and i’m a media developer working at Vantage Studios Inc in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I run my personal site, Envex Labs, where you can find most of my works as well as articles and quick tips on web development.
What is it that you do?
I’m a media developer so I handle a few different areas in my field. I work at a full service design studio so I get to work with web design and development as well as motion graphics and video editing.
How did you get into coding, designing, and the Deck creation business?
I had dabbled in web design during high school, nothing huge just personal projects and trying to learn the ropes. I got into video editing near the end of high school so I decided to take Digital Multimedia Technology at a local college as they offered web design and development as well as video editing. I wasn’t very interested in web development until the end of college when I had to re-take the web development course. Things started to click and I moved my focus away from motion graphics and onto web development. Making decks had always been a hobby for me, so a friend of mine and I decided to make a few and if people wanted to buy them. If a few sold great, if not we still had some fun. Does buying a few myself count as sales?!
What is your favorite part of your job and why?
Everyday is something new. New projects bring new challenges and i usually get to learn something new each day. It keeps everything exciting.
What is the typical process from initial thought to the complete product?
When it comes to business work, the lead designer (Billy Kiely) at Vantage Studios Inc will come up with a layout that is handed off to me. Thats when i step in and do some php/html/css magic. Usually, the project will be handed off to the client for feedback. Once the feedback is received we make any changes and wrap up the project.
When it comes to personal work I like to take a “run before you walk” approach and dive head first into working. I don’t have any guidelines to follow, so a project will usually go through about 4 or 5 stages before I end up finishing it. I also have a really bad habit of over-working personal projects. I think i have about 10 – 12 versions of my personal site that are half done.
Where do you find inspiration?
All over the web really. There are so many great designers/developers out there that I can’t really pinpoint one source of inspiration. It changes on a day to day basis, i’m always looking around for anything that catches my eye. One artist that i absolutly love and have been following for years is David Lanham (www.dlanham.com) His art is sick and he works at the Icon Factory (iconfactory.com) whichs puts out some amazing products.
What is your favorite product or project you have been apart of?
I have a couple internal projects on the go at Vantage that are at the top of my list. We are striving for an innovative product so i get to work with the most current technology and unseen challenges allow me to learn new things almost daily. A common theme about me is i really like to learn, so anything that gives me the oppourtunity to learn something new, i jump right on. These internal projects let me do that.
What Macintosh Application could you not live without?
Definatly Coda.
What would you say to people interested in getting into your type of business?
Always be interested in learning. The web is changing every day and you need to keep up with the most current methods or you’re going to fall behind. New languages are created, standards are changing and you need to keep efficient. Read books, read articles, contribute to a community, just make yourself active in whatever field you choose. It’ll only benefit you in the end.
Coke or Pepsi?
Pepsi.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!
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Categories: Interviews, The Feed
