Back in November, I ticked off a bucket list item when I had the chance to interview web design legend (and my friend), Jeffrey Zeldman.

For those who don’t know, I had the pleasure of working with Jeffrey for a decade as the managing editor of A List Apart. Those were good years, perhaps some of the best in my professional career, and I often miss the amazing team there.

I was able to talk Jeff into contributing an interview for a series I’ve been working on this last year for AIGA in which we explored designers who have left the corporate world to start up their own agency or studio. Each piece looked into the pros and cons of starting your own studio, risk, and some the beneficial experience garnered by each designer along the way.

My goal in every interview I conduct is to dig into the deeper areas—unearthing the gems and mining these places of in-depth experience.

Jeff was at the top of my list for this year’s interviews, especially for this series. You see Jeffrey has the unique experience of having started not one successful studio, but two. He walked away from the wildly successful Happy Cog Studios just over a year ago to start studio.zeldman where he could be more involved in the front line design and development of his client’s projects. Something you don’t hear of too often. In terms of the interview, he didn’t disappoint in the slightest. Jeff’s responses were in-depth, thoughtful and full of amazing advice for new business owners and designers contemplating striking out on their own.

My goal in every interview I conduct is to dig into the deeper areas—unearthing the gems and mining these places of in-depth experience. Bringing those experiences to the surface, cataloging them and sharing them ensures that this collective knowledge can benefit the community as a whole.

Read the interview, Focusing on a Flexible Future: A Talk with Jeffrey Zeldman, over on the AIGA Portland website.