A small but potent web design company, BrainSpark Media is the coincidental and effective fusion of two neighbors in the same business. Based in Denver, "BSM" represents the success of small, client-oriented media outlets who can offer up a creative edge. In this month's Designer Spotlight, George Gastis, co-founder of BrainSpark Media, answers our questions about being creative and being in business.

First things first... how did BrainSpark come to be?

It all started with a cordial discussion in the alley behind my house with my neighbor, Wes Bryant-King. As we talked while hauling our trash to the dumpster, we realized we were in the same business with very similar backgrounds. At the time, I had recently left my last employer and begun working as an independent web producer / PM with a humble but challenging client list. Similarly, my neighbor had been operating a small web design company for a few years and we quickly found we had some things in common, both success stories and business challenges.

We began collaborating on projects and within a short time he was my primary client and I was running most of his projects as a PM contractor. As larger opportunities presented themselves we quickly realized the potential of joining forces. On a long car ride home from landing a large new client together, we decided to make the move and merged our businesses to form BrainSpark Media. That was in September 2005 and the rest is recent history...

The name itself was the result of one long night filled with Google research and red wine. Creativity at its finest!

How did you first become interested in graphic/web design?

Wes is one of those rare people who has both technical and design expertise. I on the other hand am a life-long designer-wanna-be. My journey here came by way of customer service, project management and operational roles within various design and print shops early on, then later with agencies and web design companies. Art was a hobby for me and when I was encouraged to pursue this in college I scoffed at the formality of an art degree but managed to make some spending money illustrating posters, t-shirts and related promotional materials both in high-school and throughout college.

What was your first experience or job in the field of design?

I first interned with a large agency in Chicago for a summer between my junior and senior years in college. I loved the agency environment with the exception of wearing a suit and tie everyday (different times). My first "real" job was working in a design production department, also in Chicago, producing comic books for Marvel, DC and Image Comics. I landed with a similar company when I moved to Denver and continued down the path of project management in the design/print environment. The print world was changing and I saw what was happening in the early days of the internet boom. My next move was managing a team of designers and developers for a web development company here in Denver. After a few more stops along the way with competitors, I went off on my own and began contracting as a PM for interactive projects.

How big is your team?

Not very, by design. We are 5 employees and 10-ish counting steady partners we often engage for project work. From day one, both Wes and I have felt that once you reach a certain size you lose sight of what made you start your own business. As our marketing materials openly state, "We are lean and mean, with no plot to take over the world." This is still our philosophy today and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon.

What were the company's biggest turning points to becoming an award-winning agency?

Landing that first one or two high-profile projects and building a portfolio that continues to draw the attention of the type of clients we aim to work with and for. Once you get a few under your belt, momentum picks up, but you still have to keep doing the things that got you there. No room or time for complacency. What's cutting-edge or contemporary today may be yesterday's news in little time given the pace of technology. So, part two of that answer is replicating this process over and over as we take on new clients and projects in the future.

What is the biggest day to day challenge for BrainSpark/your team?

A good system for traffic / PM management. We've tried them all and still grumpy. Maybe we'll roll our own?

Take us through your design and development process: how does is start, how does it end?

We believe that web sites shouldn't be created from a formula. Each client and project is unique in some way, and while we leverage our expertise and experience, we adapt that to client needs, rather than trying to force a client and their project to fit preconceived notions or rigid approaches.

Methodology should be sensibly applied. Too much process can get in the way, while too little will doom a project. Our approach adheres to industry standards without competing with project objectives or overloading client resources. It has been designed to be flexible and scalable in order to accommodate a wide array of project sizes and types, yet remain effective in maximizing the potential for project success.

The economy is suffering, business costs are high, and everyone is running around thinking the sky is falling. How will a changing economic environment affect the web-based design industry?

Yeah, it has become a bit silly but the optimist in me thinks it can only get better. Unfortunately, stability may be a few years away but conversely our business has experienced a positive growth path in parallel with the waning economy. Perhaps the Web being the primary medium for communications to many makes it the last item to get wacked in the budget. We'll proceed as we have been, looking for new ways to build upon existing relationships as we develop new business opportunities that appeal to us based on the criteria we've established over time.

Has BrainSpark felt the squeeze?

Certainly in day-to-day costs of operating our business. Everything costs more and gas prices are painful for any business commuter. Fortunately, many of us bike to work when schedules allow. It's an easy way to steal some exercise in the work day and a small dose of satisfaction gained stickin' it to the man.

Every year, websites do more and more for the businesses that operate them. What do you see as the next big thing that every client is going to expect for THEIR website?

More multimedia; bigger, faster and higher quality as bandwidth continues to become more accessible. Video, audio, television, sporting events, etc...like it or not this seems to be where we're headed.

Personally, I find it very exciting but not exactly how I want to watch my favorite sports teams or TV shows unless I'm stuck in an airport somewhere.

In the experience of your company, what has been the most important factor in winning over big projects? That is, why do you think your clients picked BrainSpark instead of one of the myriad other talented media outlets in Colorado?

People and relationships. Nearly every single customer we've worked with came to us by way of a past/existing relationship or professional experience. I was always a believer in maintaining bridges, but this philosophy proves its worth when you start and operate your own company. It goes without saying but when you work hard and operate with integrity, sooner or later relationships of the past will come full circle in some shape or form. Months or years may pass, but it's truly a small world.

It may come in the form of a promising referral, a new client, partner or employee but building and maintaining strong professional relationships keeps us going in so many ways. I'm absolutely certain that has been a strong weight factor for the majority of clients that have selected BSM over a competitor.

How much time does BrainSpark devote to new projects, versus project maintenance?

It tends to fluctuate a bit, but overall I'd project that we typically have a 75 / 25 % split, respectively.

With the proliferation of Content Management Systems (CMS) becoming more widespread, the situation poses an interesting question: in your experience, does the sale of higher priced or monthly-fee CMS systems to clients offset the general loss of project maintenance revenues (i.e., clients pay for a CMS system, but then don't need to pay for most website updates)?

What's that recently overused saying "six in one, half dozen in the other"? We really have a mix of both scenarios and we walk through this decision process with every prospect we court.

Some websites warrant full content control, while others really don't. Most fall somewhere in between. BrainSpark has developed an enterprise-level CMS platform, as well as isolated tools for managing select content bits where required. It really comes down to frequency; how often does it change (e.g. daily or weekly) and when does it need to change (e.g. 24 x 7 or every Sunday).

The other factor that weighs heavily in these decisions is design and IA integrity. Most of our clients put a great deal of time and dollars into nailing the visual design, messaging and content presentation. Handing the cockpit over to an overzealous content editor can sometimes be dangerous. Many realize this and choose a maintenance plan that allows BSM to manage updates upon request. Otherwise good training and documentation is a must. A major step in delivering any CMS tool is educating clients so they become advocates themselves and can sustain the design, content and corporate standards going forward.

If you had to choose between having a high number of one time clients or having a smaller number of clients with whom you worked closely and consistently over time, which would be preferable?

The latter, without question. This exact point has become the guiding principle for us in recent years and it took the better part of our careers to have this epiphany. Volume is good, but we've found that partnering with the right people who share our vision, standards and understanding for technology, is where our real focus must be. Success, whatever that means to any of us, typically follows.

Somewhat counter-intuitive but this philosophy has guided our steady but manageable growth as a young company during challenging economic times. We really feel like we've matured as a company and business owners, despite the state of things today.

What are the most important skills going to be for up coming designers in the next 5 years?

More Flash and other forms of rich/multimedia. Mad CSS skills go a long way but most importantly a well-rounded appreciation and understanding of the principles that guide the design process itself; usability, accessibility, content design and presentation, the list goes on but these are but a few of my favorites. Standardization of the web will continue, yet so many companies have not yet grasped this philosophy. That too, seems to be changing for the better.

What is BrainSpark's design philosophy?

Simply put it's all about the user experience. Always, no exceptions, regardless of who they are or how they interact with anything we put out there on behalf of our customers.

LAST question... From how far away could you hear the crowd roaring at Obama's recent speech for the DNC??!!

Inches. I WAS THERE!!!