Chris Spooner is a self-employed Web designer who has a passion for all things creative. He specializes in logo design and branding, website design, illustration and some print design. Spooner shares tips, tutorials and design inspirations at his Line25 Web Design Blog.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
I've always been a creative person and followed the artistic topics throughout school and university, so it was natural for me to head into the creative industry. I simply came across the career of graphic design one day and aimed toward it ever since.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
Art and design were always my best subjects at school so I followed these right up to college level. I then [took] a multimedia design course before finishing up with a B.A. in art and design. All these artistic topics really helped build up my core knowledge of the basic principles of art, which help tremendously in design.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
During my education in university, we covered many of the types of specialisms used in the industry. These included print design, Web design, audio and video editing and typography.

How did your education help you in your career?
It helped by giving me a head start in that I had the backup of a qualification to help land me a job. The course work I produced also gave me something to fill my portfolio out with in the early days.

What was your career path like in this field? 
I landed my first full-time job as a graphic/Web designer at a small three-man company (including me). I worked there for two years before I decided to head into the world of self-employment. Along the way I have freelanced for other big companies in their offices, but generally I haven't really worked up through positions like in the corporate world.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
A passion for the subject is super important. If you're not passionate about design, it can become difficult to produce work on demand.

What do you do on a typical workday?
I tend to concentrate on just one or two projects a day. I'll spend a few hours on each before heading out for a break by taking the dog for a walk.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field?
I'm perfectly happy where I am at the moment. Being self-employed is one of the best things ever. I love being able to balance work life and personal life, so I'm not [interested in] joining a large company or hiring employees myself.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Someone who's a creative person would fit well into the position of designer, but you also need to be able to take criticism on your work and be able to convince clients that your ideas will result in a more successful project.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
I always advise people to just have fun designing stuff. Simply creating things just for fun can really help boost your exposure and land you exciting design projects.