Ian Field-Richards

Who Am I?

I am a designer and digital artist, living in the UK. Currently working for deviantART.com, the world's largest online art community, as the Director of the User Interface Department.

I enjoy the challenges that working for a major social network brings. Working remotely with extremely talented individuals from across the globe always inspires me to push the boundaries of my own technical and design skills. I have learned to respect well engineered code as much as the final interface and user experience.

I get a kick out of seeing my team flourish; there is no better experience as a manager than watching your team members grow.

What do I do?

As Director of the deviantART User Interface Department, I manage a team of highly skilled remote designers. Being a team leader brings its own rewards, but I still remain hands-on in my work too. I love creating simple, elegant web designs and writing the code which powers an intuitive experience. I get just as much satisfaction from meeting targets and deadlines and working within a strict framework.

The User Interface Department delivers a wide range of designs, based on functional briefs and wireframes, including functional specs, mockups and sandbox prototypes for implementation by the engineering development teams. Our work extends not just to deviantART.com but also to the family of products that the company owns.

In a nutshell, if you are looking at deviantART.com, you are seeing our work.

KEY SKILLS

Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills, managing diverse teams and resources across multiple timezones and business cultures
Ability to work under pressure with excellent time management and ability to work to tight deadlines
Specialist User Interface, User Experience and Front End design skills, including design for accessibility and disability compliance.
Management and resource planning through recruitment, training and appraisals of staff
Experience of working in security cleared environments and working with discretion
Technical skills include: HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Photoshop and Illustrator

ACHIEVEMENTS

Personal artwork published in many forms, including Ballistic Publishings “Expose” and “Exotique” books
National Award Winning print designs
Developed innovative solutions for Government, Defence, Security, Aviation and Training industries
Provided interface design consultancy to major public sector clients
Lead designer for deviantART.com Version 6 and 7 (current)
Lead designer for dreamup.com (due to be released Summer 2012)
Lead designer for deviantART muro, an acclaimed HTML5 digital painting tool

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How did I get here?

My first experiences in design were shaped in the fast moving world of bureau design. I was exposed to everything from brochure design through to magazines, glossies and brand campaigns. This then opened the door to a senior position in a national newspaper.

Having cut my teeth in the Print Industry, I then moved into Multimedia and Web design in early 2000. Being part of the emerging web explosion was very exciting and inspirational and taught me a great many things along the way.

For more detailed information, please see my resume.

Personal Work

I've been a published digital artist for over a decade. I tend to gravitate towards the darker side of art, with horror themes running through most of my work.

Most of my work has been created in Photoshop. More recently I have moved over to muro, an application that I am helping to develop. Its simple interface and quick flow is allowing me to explore my personal style in a way I was unable to do before.

You can see samples of my work below, or visit my Extended Portfolio.

What people say about me

Ian is an amazingly talented creative [designer] and leader. I am incredibly thankful to have worked with, and learned from Ian. In my time working with him at deviantART he was always incredibly insightful in not only bettering the project, but also his team. Long collaborative UI chats combined with the conversation of a friend were a common and welcomed event.

His ability to lead while keeping communication lighthearted, open and informal made the generally feared term 'boss' melt away. It was actually a pleasure to report to Ian - he set the bar for the creative lead role I strive for in my future.

Ian's ability to manage a team while simultaneously creating and iterating upon multiple UI tasks of his own is nothing short of incredible! Travis Silverman Creative Director at Callisto.fm

…He is not only very efficient at managing the design team and ensures that their output is of a high standard, but he also has a strong desire to continue raising the bar - whether it is the aesthetic of the site, the innovative user experience, or even the internal processes between design and other teams. He is willing to try new approaches and always encourages others to give their input… Chinmay Lonkar Product Manager, deviantART

Quotes taken from Linkedin

...When it comes to design, he has that vital ability to judge when a design needs to be bold and make a statement and when it needs to fade below the user's awareness and be a subtle guide to their user experience.

He's tireless in his willingness to iterate designs until they meet his exacting standards for user experience, and when a design is settled on, he has the ability to communicate it effectively to all involved parties. Speaking as a developer, I have great appreciation for his ability to produce mock-ups and red-lines that even a design-illiterate can implement... Sam Graham Developer, deviantART

Simply put, Ian is one of the best human beings I've ever had the privilege to work with. He is diligent, responsible, talented, and clever. He is also very comfortable sharing his opinion, which is important for a designer. I've come to depend upon him for his insight and point of view in all matters of UI design, and do so without hesitation. Ryan Ford Creative Director, deviantART

Ian is highly talented and very thoughtful of the work that he completes. He is highly dedicated and goes above and beyond what is requested of him. His work is always delivered in a timely manner. Michael Halpert Product Manager, deviantART

Contact Me

Ian Field-Richards

deviantART.com

muro.deviantart.com

deviantART muro redraw

dreamup.com

darkfolio.com