About Me

Name: Scott Walker
Occupation: Senior Web Designer, ESPN.com
Experience: 13 years
Clients: Alonzo Mourning Charities, South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee, Macys, AT&T, Hasbro, SportsIllustrated.com

Q: How did you get started in web design?
A: Good question. I attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida and graduated with a Business Administration degree with a plan to take over the advertising industry. I always had a love of art and illustration, and I figured advertising was a perfect mix of marketing and art. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that marketing wasn't exactly advertising (laughing). But, I was able to design a few corporate presentations and really learned a lot about computer graphics and visual design early on in my career and that gave me a great head start for my future in web design.

Q: What was the first site you designed?
A: Burdines Florida (now Macy's). I had no idea what I was doing, but my boss and good friend Mike Simmons walked me through the design process and the clients were very patient and made everything extremely easy. It turned out great, but it isn't a site I would ever show anyone today (laughing). It was a huge learning experience, though.

Q: How did the Alonzo Mourning site come about?
A: I'm a huge sports fan. A couple of years into my job at The Miami Herald, I found out that sales was going to go after a couple of sports accounts -- Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, etc. I let everyone know that I was very interested in working on a couple of the sites when things were finalized. The first site that came in was Zo's Summer Groove. It was their second event, and they wanted to utilize the internet to get the word out. Alonzo participated throughout the entire process and it turned out great.

Q: What were some of the highlights during your time at SI.com?
A: The online swimsuit edition comes to mind (laughing). Tough job. No one ever believes me, but the swimsuit project was always such a fire drill that after the first couple of years, I didn't really look forward to it. But, it's definitely one of the more ... interesting projects I've had the pleasure of being a part of. Was that 'politically correct' enough? One of the things that I took from my experiences at CNN was what it was like to work in a company where everything you worked on went in front of millions of eyes and I learned how to be a professional in a corporate setting. There was a lot of fun, but when it was time to work, everyone knew that the lights were on and it was showtime.

Q: I've heard you describe AT&T as 'Web Design on Acid'. What did you mean?
AT&T designs 3- to 5-page advertising sites for small businesses. In order to be a productive member of the design team, you're expected to turn 3 or 4 sites around in a week. Very fast-paced environment. I was there for 18 months and it really took a toll on me mentally and creatively. At times, your work was only as good as the envelope you chose from the project bin. I like to see positives in most situations, and I can definitely say that I worked with a great group of designers. I did the best work I could do every day, but my pace and style wasn't a good fit there.

Q: Tell me about The Orlando Sentinel.
A: Great people. I gained a lot of confidence working in Orlando. People listened to what I had to say, and were interested in my opinions on the internet. I was given a lot of freedom to try things creatively that I hadn't been able to do before. I was the only web designer on the Creative Services team. I learned a lot about myself and about design from the print designers and copywriters. Again, a great group of people to work with. The change of pace from Atlanta to Orlando did me a lot of good too. Overall, I found my voice at the Sentinel.

Q: But, you were only there for a little over a year. 14 months, right? Why?
A: I was looking for a little more of a challenge. It happens sometimes in this business. You get in a bit of a rut and you start looking around for different opportunities. I started logging on to Monster.com and a couple of other job boards and applied for a job at ESPN.com and after a couple of interviews, I was hired. One of the best decisions I've ever made. I stayed up the night before my interview in the hopes that I wouldn't be bouncing off the walls once I walked onto campus (Laughs). Didn't work.

Q: What is ESPN like?
A: I've been a fan of ESPN and SportsCenter for a long time. I always dreamed about what it would be like to work here. I can honestly say it's been a wonderful experience. I get an inside look at what the sports fans across the world watch on television and view online every day. It's a unique place. It's challenging, fun, hectic. People are passionate about sports and very passionate about what they do, and it shows. I still pinch myself when I get to work every morning.

Featured Projects

01

Len Bias E-ticket

Graphics and CSS for a great article on the tragic death of basketball star Len Bias.

02

KirstenBabich.com

Official site for model/actress Kirsten Babich, which features a photo gallery and video clips.

03

Kareem E-ticket

Audio slideshow read by NBA Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

04

SaraRamirez.com

Redesign proposal for SaraRamirez.com, the official site for actress Sara Ramirez.