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An Interview with Graphic Designer Fabio Sasso

Fabio Sasso is the talented Brazilian Graphic/Web Designer behind design blog Abduzeedo.com, and one of the creative minds behind design studio, Zee. Fabio is well known for his amazing tutorials and articles, that often showcase amazing Photoshop effects and explain various techniques for creating vibrant designs. I caught up with Fabio to ask him a few questions…

Hi Fabio, let’s start with an introduction. What is your background and what do you do?

I’m a graphic designer, I have a degree in graphic design, however I’ve been working with internet and web design since 1999. That was the beginning of the internet here in Brazil.

You have also established a good web presence with your design blog Abduzeedo, how did the decision to establish this site come about?

I started Abduzeedo in the end of 2006, it’s a quite crazy story because I never planed to have a blog. But one day in the end of 2006 my office was robbed and they took my laptop and my 2 external hard drives where I used to backup my files and keep all my experiments, and inspiration references. So I started abduzeedo for 3 reasons, first and most important, to backup my files. Then to create more networks and then to promote my work, so I could get more work and buy a new laptop again.

Abduzeedo is known for constantly pumping out great design content. Where do you and your fellow authors find your post ideas?

Actually we’re always looking for inspiration, it was the same before the blog, but now we organize them in posts. Of course we had to look for content more often. One thing that has helped a lot is that we’ve been receiving a lot of emails with links to great portfolios and artworks. That makes our lives much easier.

I notice you enjoy experimenting with various visual effects in Photoshop/Fireworks, does this knowledge of digital art also come in handy when designing websites?

When it comes to web I think the most important thing is to understand what the audience wants, and of course for me that’s the content. Web design is much more than the visual part of the site, it’s a clear and optimized code, it’s the usability. I believe the interface has to be transparent. But of course we can spice up the layout with some effects, and then those experiments always come in handy.

As well as being a prominent blogger, you also offer design services through your company, Zee. How is your daily routine split between personal designs and client projects?

I have a great team behind Zee and now with Abduzeedo and that helps me a lot. We try to focus on what we’re the best at. That way we can come up with good works and be happy.

Of course, my routine is quite crazy. I wake up pretty early, 5:30-6am then I keep working unitl midnight. My mornings are always for abduzeedo work while the afternoons for other projects.

Is there any particular application, style of work or technique that you’re currently experimenting with?

In terms of the style, I’m always trying different things, now in terms of technologies and apps, I’ve been playing more and more with HTML 5 and CSS 3 in terms of web design. Also I’ve been helping the guys over at Pixelmator providing some tutorials and learning the tool as well.

Do you have any plans for any new websites or blogs, or any exciting ideas you’re looking to put into practice in the near future?

The new version of Abduzeedo is almost done, we will be releasing it pretty soon. Also we have an iPhone app for those looking for great inspiration like us :)

We have other ideas in mind but it’s too early to talk about them, but our focus is on the design community and ways to make our lives easier and have more fun at what we do.

Finally, please list out any social networks where users can find you and connect.

Twitter: Twitter.com/abduzeedo
Facebook: Facebook.com/abduzeedo
Website: FabioSasso.com
Blog: Abduzeedo.com