Ok it's good to make nice and nifty looking websites but honestly there's not enough joking around. I get bored on most websites.

  Please give us a brief bio of yourself.

Edouard Artus, Born in 1979 in a little French village.

Lived in Australia for 10 years, now currently back in France working as a freelance graphic designer from home for web-agencies or personal clients.

  What do you do for inspiration?

At the moment, nature and fashion magazines for visual inspiration.

Nothing really for inspiration in general.

I don't have methods of finding inspiration or a creative process because they limit as to what you consider as "inspirational", therefore restrict the natural creative process.

  Please list 3 of your favourite sites.

http://www.petoffice.co.jp/catprin/honten/ - Japanese Cat clothing webpage

http://www.globulos.com/ - A flash webgame

http://www.gapingmaws.com/GapingMaws.htm - Picutres of animals yawning

  What do you regard as being your biggest achievement?

Switch-Nose-Slide Varial-Flip out, it's a skateboard trick. I didn't think I was able to do until the other day. And it wasn't even a fluke, I did it a couple of times.

  What software couldn't you live without?

Probably flash. I know it sounds really boring but it's true. I could live without a computer but I couldn't bear having a computer without flash.

  What projects do you have in the pipeline?

The next version of APOKA, it should to be quite unique and fun.

Here's a screen shot

  Who do you rate as being the top 3 design companies?

I'm not sure, in fact I'm not really in the design cycle. I just get calls or mails from people who want to hire me for work and that's about as far as it goes.

  What effect on traffic do your new designs have?

None I think. I don't fall into the category of people who are persuaded that what they do is important or influential.

That's not what my clients expect of me either.

Even if design does matter a little and I'm sure sometimes an original idea can promote a web site's visibility, most of the sites I work on have heavy traffic because of the money invested into assuring their visibility, not by my design. Except for my personal work of course.

  Who is your target audience?

People who like what I do. I don't try to convince anybody in particular. I think that's a trap.

I believe that if I like what I do then it’s likely that other people will also, and that some of those people might be in a position to want or need my skills.

I know that might sound wide and unusual but it works. It’s sort of like a filter.

Even though I get mails from time to time from oddballs who want a fan website on their favorite singer. But once they get the quote I think they understand.

  What area of web design lacks the most?

It’s all too serious and boring. Ok it's good to be corporate, Ok it's good to make nice and nifty looking websites but honestly there's not enough joking around. I get bored on most websites.

  What did your very first site look like? Is it still online?

It was weird but it had a funky intro

This is a screenshot

  Have you written any books, if not do you plan to?

No, interviews are enough for me:-)

  What was the toughest thing you ever did with Flash? How long did you spend on it? Is it still online?

A huge photoshop montage put together in flash.

It was like a map of an imaginary world that you could drag and go to places and interact.

The original file was divided up into slices of 2000x2000 pixels but it never got online because it was too big and heavy.

I've reused the idea though for the next version of Apoka. Imagine the right side of the picture put times 10 in size and detail. That's how what it looked like.

  Do you think Flash is here to stay?

Isn't that a fact?

  What are your views on design/graphic school. Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment?

I don't know much about graphic schools.

There weren't any of those types of schools around when I started web designing.

Schools are great for meeting people and having access to equipment but in no case necessary to get into graphic design.

  When your company was just getting started, what did you find was most effective for getting new clients?

I made a website that won lots of awards and was published in many magazines, portals etc.

Then people sent mails or phoned to see if I was available for work. Easy...

  How have you learned so many Flash/design skills and techniques and can you offer any advice for newbies?

I guess it’s a matter of wanting to progress and not giving up.

I try to optimize my skills. That is forgetting about what's useless and keeping what's useful.

Any one can learn anything but to know what and what not to use to be more efficient is a lot harder.

  What is the most expensive thing you've bought in the last week?

A temporary set of golf clubs off e-bay because my other ones were stolen:-(

  What type of overcoat do you wear when Flashing, basically are you a labels man?

Not really. Most of my clothes come from TK-MAXX. It's got everything I need there and you can browse around and find really good stuff or nothing at all it depends.

  Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?

Not really.

  It's been a privilege, thanks very much.

Thank you too!