Tell us about your design practice or areas you specialize in.

My focus for the past 4 years has been on small business and start up focused web site design and development. Specifically I build custom websites on the WordPress open source platform with an eye to maintaining the latest web standards and implementing the latest innovations. These include responsive design, HTML5 boilerplate, ARIA roles for accessibility, web typography and CSS3 techniques to reduce page loads. I also focus on projects that will allow me to both design the site and build the site. I find that this gives me the greatest amount of control and satisfaction over the final product.

How did you become a conference organizer?

When I started learning how to program and really dive into topics like UX and UI Planning, I stumbled upon a lot of really great looking workshops and conferences. Just none that were close to me, or at least not ones that focused on the web and stayed small enough to a useful learning experience for me. So since none came here, I decided to organize my own. Ironically, as the organizer, I don't actually get to attend!

What is the mission of the Interlink Conference?

Reflecting on the intersection of web design, code, and content is essential to honing our craft and building a better web. Providing a forum for practitioners to share their knowledge with one another, Interlink educates specialists on the progress of our industry & empowers them to push it forward.

Who should attend and how can they get the most from the conference?

It's my belief that anyone who is focused on the web as a discipline and as a specialty, has a lot to gain from enriching and deepening their understanding of all adjacent specialties. Websites are a integrated combination of content, design and development and our skills, or at least our understanding of the skills that contribute to the creation of a successful web solution, should be just as integrated. Just because we have a chosen focus, doesn't mean we should ignore all the other specialties that we contribute alongside. 

Is there anything unexpected or surprising that happens during these events?

There's a lot of opportunity for discussion both amongst the attendees and between the speakers and the attendees. I try very hard to shift Interlink away from anything that resembles a teacher/student paradigm and try to focus the tone and format to encourage a discussion between peers within a larger trade. There will several extra events this year, like last year, where there will be ample opportunity for this, as well a new Q&A format that I think everyone will find very rich and interactive.

What can we look forward to at the Interlink Conference?

Be prepared to be challenged. Most of the talks will push us to keep improving, to keep looking for ways to become a master of this craft. This will be accomplished through story telling, the sharing of experiences both successful and failures, and deliberately provocative stances on a topic. It's my hope throw this discussion and cage rattling we can continue to move forward and grow as a more self aware industry.

What are you most excited about for this year's event?

The Dodgeball event! It's a lot of fun to put on some sneakers and just throw some balls at each other. Makes you feel like a kid again which I think we need to be reminded up from time to time. Maintaining that innocence and excitement about the world around us makes us better designers and better builders.

What myths about design would you like to set straight? 

There's two in particular. One, that web design is just another kind of graphic design. To be a web designer in today's industry, to be effective and relevant, is to be deeply knowledgeable in areas of UI and UX strategy, how content plays into your design and what makes good content, and how your designs can and can't be rendered or achieved through the development process. Graphic design is a part of what a web designer does, but it's not the whole picture. The second, is that all the planning, strategy and building of a website is not part of the design process. Design is not just aesthetics or brand, it's all of it. It all comes together to create a website, and it's all part of designing a website for use in the wild by real people.

Where is your favourite place to escape?

I love to escape into movies. Something about the story telling, the excitement, the tragedy, the art of it all has always captivated me.

What practices, rituals or habits contribute to your design work?

I'm quite methodical about my work and my schedule. I have specific days for specific types of work. I work better in the morning for creative things without the pressure of the end of the day to distract. I like my rituals, my morning coffee, and my routine. I'm a big believer in a balanced life and a balanced approach to work.

What has been one of your biggest "ah-ha!" moments in life?

The day I finally grasped CSS positioning. That's the biggest hurdle for anyone trying to learn CSS, how the positioning of elements work and how they relate to one another. 

Describe a moment in your life when you felt that you'd never be the same after.

The birth of my children affected me profoundly. Watching life I helped create take it's first breath was surreal and life altering in ways I'm even still trying to grapple with.

Find out more information about the Interlink Conference and to purchase tickets visit interlinkconference.com and follow them on twitter at @interlinkconf

Interlink Conference is from June 6-7, 2012 at UBC Robson Square. 

Interview by : Angela Hot and Nikole Japuncic