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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Design Spike owner makes most of her role in marketplace

Laura Bracken is the principal of Design Spike Inc., a Web design firm in downtown Spokane. (Jesse Tinsley)
Michael Guilfoil Correspondent

Laura Bracken’s traditional side manifests itself in her taste for Victorian furniture and films from the ’30s, particularly madcap “Thin Man” capers featuring Nick and Nora Charles and their fox terrier, Asta.

Bracken also loves football, which she credits with inspiring her company name: Design Spike Inc.

“I wanted to have the word ‘design’ in it, because that’s primarily what I do,” she said. “And ‘spike’ came one day when I was watching a football game and noticed someone wearing cleats, which most players don’t wear anymore. And I said, ‘Look at the spikes on his shoes!’ and that’s where it came from: Design Spike Inc.”

In the relatively young field of Web development, Bracken qualifies as an old-timer, having taught herself basic Web page design skills 17 years ago. Today her clients range from doctors to doggy day care, and from real-estate agents to religious groups.

During a recent interview, she discussed her niche in the rapidly growing virtual marketplace.

S-R: Do you consider yourself more an artist or a technical person?

Bracken: More a technical person – a graphic designer. But my background is in English. I have a master’s degree in 20th century lit. So actually I consider myself a writer.

S-R: How did you gravitate to Web design?

Bracken: When I first moved to Spokane in ’95, the Web was just becoming commercial, and a friend encouraged me to look into Web design. He offered me free Internet access and hard-drive space until I figured out how to make it work. I no longer do any programming, but I used to do all my own back when HTML was simple. (HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, the predominant markup language for Web pages.)

S-R: Can someone be a self-taught programmer today?

Bracken: You could in HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets, a language used in formatting Web documents.) There are some great tutorials out there. But in terms of actual programming, you almost need a college degree. Both my programmers have degrees in computer science.

S-R: How has Web design evolved since you started in 1995?

Bracken: Tremendously. It’s gone from mostly Microsoft products to more open-source products, which are free. Clever people out there are developing wonderful ideas that everybody can use if they know how. Since I’m not of that ilk – I’m more left brain than right – I don’t think I could do it by myself anymore.

S-R: How young are some Web designers?

Bracken: There are people out there doing it who are 9 or 10 years old. The design is not the difficult part. That’s just putting on a pretty face. It’s everything behind it that you don’t see.

S-R: How much impact have smartphones had on Web design?

Bracken: A lot. We’re moving into something called responsive design, where Web pages flex to the size of an iPad or a phone screen.

S-R: How will that influence design?

Bracken: Web pages won’t be based on big pictures and big designs. As the medium shrinks, elements that are side (elements) automatically rearrange underneath each other.

S-R: How many people in Spokane offer professional Web design?

Bracken: I know 15 or 20 businesses that do it. There is a ton of talented companies out there, and hundreds of people who do it out of their home.

S-R: What distinguishes Design Spike from its competitors?

Bracken: We’ve been in business longer than a lot of other Web houses, so we have a really good feel for it. And our employees have worked together a long time, so we’re like family. That makes it easier to communicate what clients want.

S-R: How much of your business is Web design?

Bracken: Probably 85 percent.

S-R: Are other parts of your business growing?

Bracken: We’re doing more social media. For Pig Out in the Park, one of my co-workers took pictures of all the music and food and people, and put them on Twitter and Facebook. That helped bring a million people to the website, which is the whole idea – to get people more involved so they want to come to an event.

S-R: Are those who don’t use social media going to be out of the loop?

Bracken: More businesses are using social media as part of their marketing, but in some ways I think it’s like the elephant in the room. People will always go to websites first and social media second. Even I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve blocked off my Facebook page to all but my friends. I have strong opinions – especially during an election year, where everybody has an opinion – and I don’t want to offend anybody.

S-R: When someone is shopping for a Web designer, how do they find the best fit?

Bracken: Look at designers’ work and talk to their clients to see if there’s a good relationship there. We pick up a lot of clients with beautifully designed websites who didn’t get the backup programming to support it.

S-R: What questions do you ask clients before you begin designing their site?

Bracken: We do a discovery phase to find out where they’re going and who they want to bring in. That helps dictate the design.

S-R: What can clients bring to this discovery phase to enhance the result?

Bracken: Demographics, logos, previous designs, past marketing campaigns, and new ideas or directions they’d like to explore.

S-R: Does the design process start with a template or blank canvas?

Bracken: A blank canvas. There are beautiful templates out there and a lot of people use them, but everything we design is custom. Some of ours may look similar, because I’m the primary designer. But they’re not the same.

S-R: What should a great website accomplish?

Bracken: I believe everybody should get a full return on their investment, no matter what it costs them.

S-R: How much do you charge to design and program websites?

Bracken: Anywhere from around $2,500 – what we call a single-page website or brochure website – to $50,000.

S-R: Is there a website you’re particularly proud of?

Bracken: Some I’m proud of because of the programming behind them. InCyte Pathology ( www.incytepathology.com) is really nice. So is House of Hose ( www.spokanehose.com). But my favorite to look at is one we’re doing now for First Night ( www.firstnightspokane.org).

S-R: This business is constantly evolving. Is that intimidating?

Bracken: Yes, but that’s why I leave the technical stuff to my two young programmers. They love research, and in their world it’s hip to be cool, so they’re always coming up with new ideas. I like blending the old with the new, and you see that in my designs.

Spokane freelance writer Michael Guilfoil can be reached via email at mguilfoil@comcast.net