This is the celebrated journal of Mr. Simon Collison A.K.A Colly

A potted autobiography

Parping wheezily on one's own trumpet

Hello. I'm Simon—a Nottingham-based web designer, author and speaker. Each day I endeavour to be a better creative director by at least getting to work on time. This often results in failure.

Erskine Design was founded back in 2006, and our clients include magazines, the government, and polar explorers.^[1] In 2009, Erskine was runner-up^[2] in the .Net Magazine Awards Design Agency Of The Year category, which made me happy.

Prior to designing websites, I went to art school and later worked as a visual artist, which helped me to attract bohemian girls. Subsequently, I founded an independent arts org and arts festival,^[3] but that was a ball-ache to be honest.

As an employed designer/developer from 2002 to 2006^[4] I attracted barely any bohemian girls, but learned my trade on numerous web projects for record labels, bands, public sector stuff, artists and illustrators, and so on.^[5]

Fortune has allowed me to write a few books about design and web standards^[6], and speaking about the design process at conferences always excites me. I'll do almost anything for a biscuit and cup of tea, but prefer hard cash and/or beer.

I've lived in places like London and Reykjavík, but have settled back in my beloved Nottingham, where bohemian girls are still abundant. I drive a 33 year old car^[7] and have a stupid cat called Bearface.

This website was born in 2003, and this design is version four, or thereabouts. You can read more about this design if you wish.

Selected Books * denotes co-author

• 2009: CSS Mastery (Second Edition) *
• 2007: Web Standards Creativity *
• 2006: Beginning CSS Web Development
• 2005: Blog Design Solutions *

Selected Interviews

• 2009: Video interview for Ryan Taylor
• 2009: Boagworld podcast interview
• 2009: .Net magazine - profile and interview about Erskine Design
• 2008: EE interview (about the EE 2.0 default site)
• 2008: .Net magazine - Interview about EE and CMS stuff
• 2007: ExpressionEngine interview (about Frieze)
• 2007: .Net magazine interview (440kb scan)
• 2007: Digital Web Magazine interview
• 2006: Web Designer magazine (165kb scan)
• 2006: .Net magazine - Best of British (138kb scan)

Selected Presentations

• 2010: EECI2010 Conference, San Francisco (31 May-2nd June)
• 2010: Future Of Web Design, London (17-19 May)
• 2010: Speak The Web, Liverpool (15 Feb)
• 2009: EECI2009 Conference, Netherlands (video/slides)
• 2009: Future of Web Design tour, Leeds (slides/slides)
• 2009: @Media, London (slides)
• 2009: Future Of Web Apps Tour, Leeds (slides)
• 2007: @Media, London (slides)
• 2007: Future of Web Design, London

Selected Articles

• Ongoing: My articles on ErskineLabs
• 2009: A List Apart: Erskine Redesign
• 2005: 24 Ways: Swooshy Curly Quotes Without Images

Footnotes

1. ↑ Clients include frieze magazine, Frieze Art Fair, National Employer Service, Ben Saunders.
2. ↑ Our good friends Clearleft were the worthy winners.
3. ↑ You Are Here Visual Arts, and You Are Here Festival.
4. ↑ Agenzia Ltd, Nottingham UK. Love, always.
5. ↑ Universal, Poptones, The Libertines, The Beta Band, Jon Burgerman, Lucy Orta to name a few.
6. ↑ Published by Apress and Friends of ED, USA.
7. ↑ Datsun 120y, 1977.

Home

Particulars

• Born in the year 1973
• living in Nottingham
• being Creative Director
• at Erskine Design
• liking Marmite
• but hating chilis

Simon is a troubled genius. Prolonged periods of total brilliance, followed by bluster and fluster, is his trade mark. This makes him totally endearing, as opposed to a pain in the arse.

Mr. Simon Campbell