PrintedExistence began as one of those projects that embody the expression "necessity is the mother of invention" (which basically means that I needed a website but couldn't afford to hire a designer). I was an aspiring artist wanting to sell my work online. Naturally I didn't know the first thing about Html, but I've never let such minor details stand in my way.

The art stuff didn't really take off. I think in retrospect I just wasn't that good. Web design became an enduring obsession though. People ask me all the time where I learnt, or how I started, and I have to give the standard (if a little disappointing) answer that I simply messed around. There is no 10 step program that will turn you into an expert in a fortnight, it just takes practice. I read tutorials, magazines and eventually one or two books, but mostly I just played, and asked more experienced friends or Google when I got stuck.

From very early on I had an idea that I wanted to offer help and resources for other new designers. The trouble with teaching yourself is that it's hard to know where to start, and if you're not fortunate enough to have a network of design-obsessed friends, you can waste hours just hunting for how to do one small thing. I am eternally grateful for the incredible patience of the people who helped me, and I think it's only fair to pass it on.

My design resources section has grown steadily, but really took off when I discovered Vampirefreaks[dot]com, a gothic alternative community where members can create Html and Css based profiles. Now a big part of my resource section is on Vampirefreaks profile coding.*
* More recently I was asked to make the official layouts site for Vampirefreaks.com, so much of my VF coding has been moved over to there.

To date I have about 2 and a half years experience with Html and Css, and a little under one and a half in Php. Far from considering this relative inexperience a disadvantage I think it is an asset, since I was lucky enough to begin in the Css generation- a time when everybody knows stylesheets are essential and frames are a crime against humanity. Older more experienced designers seem to have more trouble adapting to this, and their designs are perpetually blockier, chunkier things, far removed from the ever more popular contemporary Css look with its fine lines and delicate detail.

I'm the first to admit the value of experience, though, and that I do not know everything (despite my frequent claims to the contrary). People just don't GET my sense of humour, man. I am learning though, and that's the fascination for me. There's always a new language, or a new graphic style to discover. Web design is so vast that you could never quite know it all!