I sat down with Lucas Clements to get a better idea of who this young individual was and ask him some questions on design, inspiration and all things him.

Describe your prime source of inspiration?

Everyday life contributes a lot and same with my children as I see new angles to old problems but if I had to say one source, the ultimate it would have to be music. No other thing on this planet rejuvenates me, builds me up and breaks me down the way music does. I could be designing a piece or coding a web site and be on one path and as soon as the music is right – It can take me to places I have yet to expect…continuously.

Is there a process that you follow when starting a web project or design job?

Why. I ask why it needs to exist. I attempt to get to the underlying reason to why the project has been presented. Numerous questions are asked of the client so as to not waste time or design something that does not meet the expectation of the client. I strive to deliver something that has evolved both creatively and strategically that may have not have been the initial conception. I try to bang off idea in my head for awhile before I open Photoshop. I sketch out wireframes to see if the flow from action to action makes sense to the end goal. When I reach a logical progression is when I try to start doing concept work. What I find most beneficial is when the concept is presented to the client. The initial feedback both verbal and through body language is what tells me what the client is really after. After all, some projects are very ambiguous upon conception. Filtering the latest fad or trend to arrive at what the goal is of the web site has always produced the best results in my experience.

Do you have any role models?

I feel the biggest connections to individuals I have encountered are to people that never felt or concerned themselves with what was going on around them. David Carson (Raygun Magazine), Neville Brody – who worked on the opening credits of Se7en, Giovanni Rabisi for roles that he has taken on and the character structure he always applies to the movies he is in

What would be the COLES notes version of a typical day?

1. I wake (nothing like the errgh errgh errgh of the alarm for a daily heart attack)
2. Get out of bed with a smile – I am a morning person
3. Gather all belongings – mobile office, keys, cds or ipod and out the door
4. Commute – Some people hate it but I like the time it gives me unwired and off the grid
5. Hit the office – plug in and away we go!
6. Commute home – Most days driving home looking forward to seeing my family
7. Get the lowdown on the days events
8. Have some laughs
9. Plug in to see what is ahkin’ or not – sometimes off the grid is calming

What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

Working for my first big corporation, living office space and doing well but I trusted my instinct and knew that at that point in my life, though risky – I decided to leave. My heart wasn’t in it. So my biggest career accomplishment was to know when your heart isn’t there it is time to go which was exactly what I did – Patience and timing.

What made you choose a career in web design?

I went to school for programming and had to retrain my brain from scratch to think that way. It was very difficult and I struggled and spent many nights frustrated at why I did not get it? Then one of the electives was web programming (HTML) with some basic Photoshop.

Instantly i knew that was what I wanted to be involved with, instant results from the code – It was beautiful – the light finally went off. I have not looked back since

If you were not involved in the web where would you focus your attention?

Public Speaking. No question and music – there will always have to be music in my life.

What makes you smile?

Very simple things.

• The sun poking through my bedroom curtains.
• The way my daughters look at me.
• My wife.
• The silence of walking at night and the gravel underneath my feet.
• Coffee pouring.
• The sunset.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Inspiration for me comes in and out predominantly through people. The way they talk, their mannerisms and their subtleties. All of the day to day interactions add to me which means as long as there are people I will be continuously inspired.

Think of a toolbox, now think of the applications that you use that would go in that box. Which ones you packing?

• FireFox – browsing
• Flock – social browsing
• Gmail – Email
• Remember the Milk – To do lists
• Notepad ++ – coding
• Winamp – Music player

Skype – Instant Messaging

Any closing statements?