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Stefan Hartwig Interview

Jun 12, 09:37 AM by Marko

Stefan Hartwig interview


Interview with Stefan Hartwig at electricpulp.com

Marko: Heya Stefan !
Stefan: Hello there.

Marko: For our reader’s could you tell something about yourself? (year old and other stuff)
Stefan: I’m 30 years old, married, two boys (6 and 7). I’m a partner at Electric Pulp, but I can’t take all the credit. The other guys (and our whole team) help make us the web machine that we are. We’re based in Sioux Falls, SD, which helps us get more work done, since there isn’t much to do up here.

Marko: How are you doing these days?
Stefan: We’re doing well. We’ve got some great new clients coming aboard, we recently rolled out feedrinse.com (an RSS filtering application), and our team is really clicking right now. Things are good.

Marko: When did you first encounter a keyboard or computer?
Stefan: My first computer experience was with a Commodore 64. I actually still have it around and recently thought it would be pretty funny to boot it up and see what happens. You gotta love a computer that asks you to “Press play on tape.”

Marko: What is your favorite art work /website!?
Stefan: At Electric Pulp, we’re inspired by sites that don’t waste a lot of time with excessive bells and whistles. In our eyes, a good site concentrates on usability and on creating results. Personally, I’m inspired by good design in general: architecture, music, furniture, fashion, t-shirts, sculpture, fine art, typefaces, interactive, print….you name it, it can be inspiring.

Marko: When you launched electricpulp.com are you happy with the result of the site?
Stefan: We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback throughout the design community, so we’re pretty excited about it. You know how it is though. You think it’s solid, but you never know how people will react to it. The copywriting is a huge improvement over the previous version, so that’s probably the biggest step forward. It’s a work in progress though, just like most sites. You should see the to-do list on that baby.

Marko: What do you do in your spare time?
Stefan: Poker, film, hanging with family and friends (not necessarily in that order). We try to travel whenever we can.

Marko: Do you have a favorite drink? How much of it do you drink?
Stefan: Diet Coke, Coffee, Vodka/Cranberry, depending on the venue. I can put the Diet Coke away with the best of ‘em, though.

Marko: Would you care to give us a brief overview of what a typical day is like for Stefan Hartwig?
Stefan: Take the kids to school, get in to the office, wear a few different hats (designer hat, helping to run the business hat, a.kurtz hat….oops. I’m off topic.). There’s usually about 10-20 projects going on at any one time, so things can get a little frenetic, but you get used to it. There’s usually a nightshift involved as well.

Marko: I am always wondering how people such as yourself go about getting work? How do you do it?
Stefan: We concentrate on keeping our clients happy and getting them the results that they’re looking for. This, along with our site, generates word of mouth and referrals.

Marko: Who are some of your biggest influences?
Stefan: I’ve always watched the good people at Second Story, and I’m a big fan of Jim Coudal as well. They have the right blend of simple, clean design and great content. Outside of the web, I look up to people who are individuals. Free thinkers. Entrepreneurs. People who take risks because they know they’re right.

Marko: Is your background in design? What was the progression into web development and design like?
Stefan: Yup, for the most part. I was a musician originally, but I quickly changed my focus in school when I realized I wouldn’t be able to get where I wanted to be while starving to death.

Marko: If you were not a designer/programmer what would you be?
Stefan: At this point, I can’t imagine working for the man, so I’d have to assume that I’d have a business of some sort. Honestly, business is just as fascinating as design.

Marko: How do you like our site mcville.net?
Stefan: It’s quite nice. The simple navigation is a huge improvement over the previous version.

Marko: If you could change something on the site what would it be?
Stefan: Maybe this would be a great place to put your stake in the ground and bring back the tag.

Marko: What kind of music do you fancy?
Stefan: Interpol, Radiohead, Bloc Party, The Killers, Spoon, People In Planes, The Raconteurs, etc. Music is amazing. I couldn’t live without it.

Marko: What’s your favorite food?
Stefan: That’s almost impossible to answer. We might want to move on to the next question…

Marko: Where do you get out on Saturday’s?
Stefan: A nice restaurant, a neighborhood bar. I like to get up to Minneapolis as much as possible.

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some relaxing question to follow
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Marko: Chinese or Thai (food)?
Stefan: Both please. I eat a lot of Chinese food, but Thai is a nice change of pace from time to time.

Marko: Coke or Pepsi?
Stefan: Diet Coke, specifically.

Marko: html or css?
Stefan: I’m going to break the rules and say both, since you need ‘em both to get the job done.

Marko: Do you watch television? If so, do you have a favorite show?
Stefan: HBO has a lot of great programming, but it’s painful waiting between seasons. I’m looking forward to Deadwood and The Wire.

Marko: What would we find in your favorites bookmarks-bar?
Stefan: Normally, I’d say folders. Lots of folders. But now I’m a Ma.gnolia/del.icio.us/blinklist user, and as a result, my accounts are ready to explode with different sites that I come across with something unique and thoughtful.

Marko: What inspires you? This doesn’t have to be design related.
Stefan: It’s possible that I’ve beaten this topic to death in this interview, but inspiration can come from anywhere.

Marko: Thank again for having this interview Stefan, Cheers!
Stefan: Thanks for the opportunity. It was fun.

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