Matt is the Web/Graphic Designer at StudentUniverse. We talked to him about our site and web-design trends. 

Q: Mac or PC?
A: Mac, Mac, Mac!

Q: How would you describe StudentUniverse’s website style?
A: I’d say it’s a lively, modern take on travel sites, with student visitors in mind. We’ve tried to introduce more textures, consistent typography, and improved UI design elements; the purpose of which is to make visitors feel that no matter where they are on the website, it’s clear what to expect upon their next click.

Q: Did you do the logo? What is that?
A: Nope, I did not. The white shape in the icon represents a beam of light, sort of a lighthouse showing the way. the logo’s a number of years old, and in conjunction with our recent site redesign, we freshened it up a bit to reflect our modified branding.

Q: Where do you get design inspiration?
A: When I’m looking for some inspiration I have several rss feeds I’ll turn to. But one site really stands out: Ffffound. It’s a sort of StumbleUpon for art and design. There are a lot of great images there to browse through. A similar site I also use is Design You Trust.

Q: Any favorite websites out there?
A: Sure: Design Float, Web Designer Depot, and CSS Tricks, among others.

Q: What are some web trends that you think we need to look out for in 2012?
A: Probably responsive design, where a website changes depending on the user’s screen resolution. I think we’ll be able to implement some of this throughout our site this year. Certainly more html5 and more progressive enhancements with css3 as more of our site visitors are capable of enjoying such improvements.

Q: Your favorite travel destination?
A: Definitely London. Last time I had to see all the Beatles landmarks. Next time, maybe it’ll be Doctor Who spots.

Q: What’s the best marketing campaign ever?
A: It’s got to be “Where’s the Beef?” for Wendys, right? The campaign started in 1984 (view ad) and just yesterday I saw a new commercial on TV. That type of longevity, as well as the phrase entering our lexicon, have to be indicators of success.