We think of our clients as our sales force. As a result, almost all of our new business comes via referrals.

Please give us a brief bio of yourself.

There are 3 founding partners of OFC:

Josh Barnes, Brandon Blangger and Brian Keenan

What do you do for inspiration?

We think being constantly absorbed in your design work eventually leads to stagnation. So, we strive for balance in our lives.

Please list 3 of your favourite sites.

A lot of what we love comes from the same list of usual suspects. But if we must list a few:

google.com. Because the value of the features and tools delivered via the iGoogle interface can’t be denied.

http://themorningnews.org. Because they offer a great range of stories.

http://youparklikeanasshole.com. Because someone needs to stick up for the rest of us.

What do you regard as being your biggest achievement?

When we started the business we got off to a very fast start due to lots of referrals.

In planning to launch the business we joked that we had better be prepared to not eat for about 9 months. But we were busy right out of the gate and haven’t had to market ourselves yet.

What software could you not live without?

PowerPoint… Psyche! (Unless you’re into performing brain surgery with mittens on.)

What projects do you have in the pipeline?

There are two new projects that we’re particularly excited about because both make use of all three of our core capabilities: brand identity, interactive and print.

The first client is a commercial flooring company located in Southern California and the second is a door manufacturer in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Both see growth through reaching higher-end markets via architects and designers. Floors and doors.

What effect on traffic do your new designs have?

According to this morning’s read of Google Analytics, very positive.

Who is your target audience?

It’s pretty simple for us: Our target audience is anyone who truly understands the integral role design should play in achieving their organization’s goals.

We’ve been very lucky to work for a variety of great people in different industries including manufacturing, entertainment, government, real estate, creative services and healthcare (to name just a few).

What area of web design lacks the most?

We’ve had many clients tell us that their former design partners failed to appreciate the bigger picture branding, marketing and communications needs of their businesses because they were too narrowly focused on the design of the website or specific piece they were creating.

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

The year was 1981. The site was http://impireialstardestroyer.com (misspelling and all). It’s really bad though.

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

We haven’t written any and currently don’t have any plans to. But now that you mention it that would be pretty cool.

Do you think Flash is here to stay?

Watch any movie set in the future and you’ll see that the world expects the design community to give it slick, highly customized graphic experiences.

If Adobe can continue to provide the necessary support and info creative firms need to sell their clients Flash-based solutions while reducing some of the barrier reasons against employing the technology (accessibility mainly), then we think Flash will stick around for the long haul. And if they don’t, some future competitor will.

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

School offers a safe harbor for students to practice problem solving free of the practical considerations and blazing pace of the professional world.

We would always recommend it.

But there are great people who succeed by learning as they work, despite not having a “formal” education. We would never rule anyone out solely because they didn’t have a degree for the job they were seeking.

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

We think of our clients as our sales force. As a result, almost all of our new business comes via referrals.

We approach every one as if our company’s existence depends on the client being ecstatic and the solution being the next best thing we ever created. We try very hard to maintain this approach.

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

Josh bought a house last week, so he wins here. Brandon and I had some sushi though.

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

We think answering this question may be some sort of admission of guilt in the state we live in. We’ll check though.

Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?

Be a good person and do good work. That simple equation has worked for us.

It has been a privilege, thanks very much.

The pleasure is all ours.

Openfield Creative