We take an in-depth look at a site that brings creative forces together in the real world while unifying some cool design techniques on the web...

As ever, we at Web Designer pride ourselves on dedicating this section of the mag to the forces that are taking the web world by storm. In recent issues, we’ve covered sites that are part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon and ones that are responsible for some of the more breathtaking site designs out there.
So this month, we thought we’d combine the two and catch up with a recently revamped depthCORE.com that provides a fantastic art and design community for nurturing creative talent across the globe.
To find out how it all came about, we speak with creative director Justin Maller before catching up with technical director Brian D Smith. So without further ado, read on to find out how the latest version of this stunning site got its wings.

JM: Justin Maller, creative director

Web Designer: First, how would you describe depthCORE and the work you do to anyone who perhaps hasn’t been fortunate to discover it yet?
JM: depthCORE is an international art collective that I founded in 2002. It’s comprised of over 100 independent artists, designers, musicians, photographers and animators located all over the world, bound together by the common goal of producing world-class digital creations. Although it was generally abstract in style to begin with, the overall aesthetic of the site has diversified over the last five years, to the point where there’s no longer a single idiom that encompasses the breadth of work available from our group. Suffice to say, we’ve made it our mission to satisfy our appetite for original and innovative compositions, by creating them together in a pack-style, family-based atmosphere. The binding link between our disparate and far-flung artists is as important as the final exhibition.

WD: How does the team, or general depthCORE collective, fit together in terms of the staff behind it and the general day-to-day duties of actually running it?
JM: depthCORE is very minimalist in terms of staff. Brian D Smith covers the entire website – from design to coding to maintenance. This is a massive workload that I wouldn’t believe was possible for one man if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s been holding it down for nearly four years! Christopher Mytton and Kevin Stacey are our two back end wizards, who come in from time to time to handle the heavier technical stuff and some of the scarier coding jobs. Then there’s me, the creative director. My job is to manage our artists, conceive and manage releases, handle recruitment, forge creative and business relationships, conceptualise changes and upgrades to the website, write and distribute our PR materials and occasionally make the odd piece of art.
Other than us, there are the 100 odd artists who have various levels of involvement. Some artists simply make art, some take a more active role in being ambassadors for the site, whereas others like Eric Sin and Keith Alban have a slightly more arduous workload as they assist with the day-to-day moderation of the site and the music direction respectively.

WD: The site (www.depthcore.com) has only recently returned to the web after a significant revamp. What was the main motivation behind that redesign and where did the style concept for the new look come from?
JM: The site underwent a fairly serious redesign when we launched our sixth version in October. The main reasons behind this rather drastic makeover, was the need to create a more dynamic website, so that our users have more than simply our exhibitions to draw them to the site. The upgrade is certainly not a cosmetic one. We now offer several new features that make being part of the depthCORE community an experience that’s as rewarding as it is inspirational. Our custombuilt Workshop Creative Development tool is but one example of the new features we have implemented in order to make the site more interactive. We strive to foster a community based on the principles of artistic development and constructive criticism. We’ve built it around the principle that the site is now a constructive environment made for artists, by artists.

WD: It’s clear your members see depthCORE as a vital creative hub. In light of this, did you have any fears about the site being ‘under reconstruction’ for the period of redesign – and how long did that redevelopment take from start to finish?
JM: Every single day that the site was down, was like a sucker punch to the stomach for both Brian and I, we were desperate to get it back online as soon as possible. Our downtime certainly stretched out longer than we wanted it to, but it was completely inescapable – while we moved servers it was simply not feasible to keep the site online. Sporadic downtime is a reality for any site as large and rapidly expanding as ours and although we absolutely detest it, we’re powerless to completely eliminate it. The redevelopment took place over a number of months and was obviously rapidly accelerated when the site went offline. We were forced to delay the release of a few features that were set for launch and considering that not all of these planned features have been implemented, it’s fair to say that the site is still in a state of development.

WD: Were there any particular improvements or enhancements, perhaps in terms of general site functionality or capabilities that were necessary for the new site to fulfil – and did these present any particular problems?
JM: We wanted to offer our users a set of tools to develop their creative pursuits and the biggest problem this presented was in terms of conceptualising a site that could fulfil this objective in a unique and effective way. How could we create a range of features that would be different from those currently on offer from other websites? I believe that in the new workshop, we have forged a creative apparatus that’s centred on critique-based development, as opposed to the popularity-based exhibitionism that plagues other communities. This range of services is set for a major overhaul when we release the second wave of public and subscriber-based features in the next month or so. I can honestly say that some of the things we’ll be offering are unlike anything else available on any other website and I’m truly psyched to see the reception from our burgeoning community.

WD: With yourself based in Melbourne, Australia and your technical director/webmaster Brian based in Dallas, USA, how did the partnership work in uniting both the concept side of the redesign with the actual technical execution?
JM: It helps that Brian is 75 per cent sorcerer! We have an amazing collaborative relationship, whereby I will simply write out a set of dreams and he will make them into beautiful websites. I have yet to come across a limit to his visual or technical talent, or his amazing ability to precisely recreate exactly what I’ve envisaged. We keep things as minimal as possible – occasional VOIP conversations and a barrage of back and forth emails with the occasional .doc attachment for the denser concepts.

WD: Were there any moments when you said to Brian “let’s do this” only to be told that it wasn’t feasible or perhaps possible?
JM: Never. That’s the simple truth!

WD: What would you consider the most successful parts of the new site to be, based on your own connection with the project and any subsequent feedback you may have had from fans or members?
JM: The best addition to the new site is the wonderful and positive community that has sprung up within it. The workshop has been a resounding success, as has our new sparkling clean forum. We had some rather serious troll infestations in previous incarnations of our forums, but these have been thoroughly exterminated and I’m pleasantly surprised by just how friendly, helpful and creative these new forums are. The user pages are beautiful, as is the message centre and the journal system, but the real joy I derive from the site is watching people join, submit and create.

WD: Are there any hints you can give us about potential updates or improvements we might look forward to from depthCORE in the future?
JM: We have a myriad of features set to launch. Out of pure necessity we’ve been forced to include some paid services, but I can assure you that what we have planned will more than justify the paltry amount required to upgrade. In terms of what they are, you’ll just have to stay tuned, but expect great things!


After a sterling leg from Justin, depthCORE. com’s technical director Brian D Smith has barely settled down with a cuppa before we urge him to take the batton from his colleague, as we continue the barrage of questions. Here goes…

BS: Brian D Smith, technical director

WD: How did you originally become involved with depthCORE and indeed become technical director behind the initiative?
BS: When depthCORE first came about, it was very appealing because it revolved around a subject that I took great interest in. To see where my own work stood, compared to the work showcased on depthCORE was brilliant. I was not just amazed, but compelled to be a part of what I thought was to be the most influential force of the digital abstract genre. I eventually won the admins over with my long-fought application adventure and joined the ranks in early 2003.
Two of the three original co-founders – Kevin Stacey and Dagan Dewar – unofficially left depthCORE to pursue other endeavours. The three founders came to me one day and asked if I could take over the vacant administrative responsibilities with Justin Maller. It was quite a surprise, at first. I was unsure what I did differently, but apparently I did something right to be chosen to undertake such a big responsibility. I was also made to realise depthCORE was having a dilemma on another subject. The programming infrastructure was failing and Kevin and Dagan didn’t have time to keep depthCORE afloat and maintained. I was told what needed to be done and fixed – every detail was outlined, the technical bits were very confusing.
Being as young as I was at the time, all I could think about was the value in the opportunity, so I did what I could to hold onto it! I learned PHP, I learned how to write HTML and I exposed myself to a different kind of world. Being an artist at heart, the technicalities of programming gave me critical mental stress! But I’m not complaining as all of it was definitely worth it, because it brought me to where I am with depthCORE today.

WD: What key technical roles did you oversee during the recent redesign of the depthCORE.com website and how did this fit alongside Justin Maller’s ideas or visions for what the new site should be? Were there any conflicts?
BS: I assumed every technical role: programming, designing, testing – it was all me for the most part. However, Justin and I equally work hand-in-hand. What I do well technically, Justin does well qualitatively. There’s only so much my own mind can handle, especially when having to take care of most things technical. Justin is great at formulating ideas and breaking them down to steps that make sense. The things he comes up with fit alongside my roles tremendously, because it results in less-strenuous programming and more successful outcomes in the end. I can’t do what I do without a different kind of brain power to complement my work.

WD: How long did the redevelopment cycle for www.depthcore.com last in terms of the practical design, programming, building and so on? Also, how many people were involved in the whole of the redesign process?
BS: The redevelopment was at the forefront of all of our minds at depthCORE for a long time. Discussion began very early on and finally fruition started to happen around mid-July 2006. The development went on and off all the way until October 2006 when we finally released it to the public. While I was the only one involved in the process of making the website, I can’t take credit for the entire thing. Some of the code and logic behind certain features were contributed over time by Kevin Stacey, who briefly returned to work in tandem with me on the more heavy code. Developing time was certainly saved by recycling the old.

WD: What core technologies underpin the site as it stands now, what development tools were utilised to realise it and why were they necessarily chosen?
BS: It’s no secret that we use PHP and MySQL for just about everything. DepthCORE was originally made in PHP and so that’s what I learned to help maintain the website and eventually reprogram it.
As far as development tools, I used Adobe Dreamweaver MX2004. Mainly because, I love its WYSIWYG capabilities and the text-editor in it isn’t too shabby either. There’s also something known as WOS (Web-server On a Stick) that allows you to emulate a server from a USB stick drive. I can have PHP, MySQL and Apache all running off my portable 1GB USB stick, so from any computer I can load up a fully functioning work-inprogress of depthCORE.
It was especially useful for me since I attend college full-time and work part-time – I would seize free moments to work on depthCORE whenever I could. Not to mention, development is a lot easier when you can go at the speed of your USB stick’s read and write.

WD: Were there any stages or certain periods of the redevelopment that spring to mind as being the most challenging and why?
BS: The CSS stage was an incredible challenge because I had to break free of my normal habits. Since we have the reputation we do, we’re expected to be wonderful at everything. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy to anticipate critical response about everything. One of the things I had to consider was following the so-called ‘standards’, especially with this Web 2.0 concept floating around lately. To be quite honest, I’m not an expert and it’s not in my bloodstream yet to be habitual about following page after page of bullet points from the W3C. This redesign of depthCORE would be the first time I actually attempted an all-CSS website and it’s so far quite experimental. There’s still a lot to fix and tweak, but it’s a learning process as I go. I make sure I grab every second of experience I can get from what I feel are perfect development environments.

WD: What parts of the new site give you the most pride looking at them now that it’s up there live and kicking, and why?
BS: The part where visitors can register a public member account and interact with depthCORE artists more than they could before. We’ve essentially localised all the depthCORE artists in one area so that users can get more personal with the artists and expand their creative horizons comfortably through depthCORE’s turf rather than somewhere else. Our artists are scattered around the world wide web, but the base is depthCORE. It only makes sense that we create a dynamic opportunity to strengthen depthCORE’s founding visions and goals. It’s quite enlightening and gives me great pride to know that Justin and I can create this and make it happen. It’s 2007, and we’re still breathing and releasing!