NEW YORK BASED Night Agency has been around since the beginning of 2004 and has grown into a formidable independently owned creative digital agency. They now employ over 40 staff with a strong focus on creative and inspirational Flash-based design and branding. We talk to managing partner Darren Paul and discover how they operate, what the future holds and get some sound advice for web design hopefuls.

WD: To kick-off, can you tell us a little about Night Agency and how and when it all got started?

NIGHT AGENCY: Night Agency was started in NYC on 1 January 2004 by myself and my two partners, Scott Cohn and Evan Vogel. The three of us became friends at Syracuse University. After graduation, Evan and I went into business together, and Scott moved to Hong Kong. When he returned, Evan and I invited Scott to join us in starting up a creative company. Evan and I would handle all matter of business and sales, and Scott would be the creative department. This took place over a series of meetings, generally over beers and pub fare, and evolved into incorporation papers and mission statements. Our name comes from the fact that we had all of these meetings and conversations at night.

WD: What was the original vision for Night Agency? And how has the company actually grown beyond its initial expectations?

NA: The original vision for the company was to offer brands the ability to market and promote their products and services in a way that would speak directly to consumers’ wants and needs. We felt that the advertising we were seeing at the time was very disconnected to what people were really looking for. It seemed rote and disingenuous, like it was being created in some ivory tower by a bunch of people who didn’t really understand the realities of the market. Now, over five years later we still continue to follow the same vision: offer brands the services and strategic insight that will inform them what consumers want from their brand and help them to deliver it. The company has grown in triple-digit capacity the last four years in business, despite the current challenges in the marketplace. The company has grown nicely, but we’re nowhere near content with the current state of the business. There are a lot of companies (that we’d really like to work with) that we feel are being totally mismanaged, mishandled and poorly serviced, and we believe there is tremendous opportunity for a company like ours to help them. Our original vision is still intact – and the complexities of the market favour our approach and point of view.

WD: The Night Agency homepage provides instant impact with its full-screen Flash video. What optimisation issues did this present to ensure all users see the page in all its glory?

NA: We are flattered that you like it, but in all truth, we have been trying to update our site for three years now – you know what they say about the cobbler’s kids not having shoes… Full-screen video is a pretty standard option for most of today’s Flash video players. I think we just figured out a little early that you can get decent results from scaling up the dimensions of the video without actually increasing the bandwidth demands. Regardless, there are still many, many people who can’t see our homepage because they’re afraid of any kind of pop-ups, including legitimate software updates. I guess there will always be roadkill on the information superhighway.

WD: Night Agency incorporates a host of services into the brand. How big is the team at the agency and how many are specifically designers and developers and what are their specialist skills?

NA: Today Night Agency is 42 talented and diverse people from around the world working together under one roof. We have seven designers, seven Flash developers, and nine programmers. The skills of our team range from web design to application development, 3D animation, video editing – just about anything you can do on a computer. Most of our team members are capable of dipping into different disciplines if necessary, but generally they are focused on their particular area of expertise. The rest of our staff includes account services folks, strategists, producers, writers, musicians, editors, finance folks and our marketing and media team.

WD: Flash is a key component of much of Night Agency’s work. When taking on a new project, what is the process of taking an idea from concept to design?

NA: Each and every job is completely unique, but the process it follows is one that falls under our creative chaos approach. Due to the uniqueness of each idea and project, ranging from the size and scope to the time we have to do it, we have to actively communicate and determine the best team members to contribute to the project based on availabilities and abilities. Key members of the design/dev/tech/UX/strategy and creative teams meet to discuss the idea, and help to flesh out what it is, and how best to make it. This process is one that we like to believe is never done – by nature of the fluidity of the web, it can constantly be updated and improved. That being said, a site has to launch at some point, and so we work backwards from the date of launch to determine the healthiest timelines as it relates to the different areas of the creative process. Once a team is finally decided upon, members of the team work together to handle the different areas of the assignment. Typically, there is a design lead, a tech lead, a dev lead, and a creative lead all working together on the specific project. The client services team members and producers work closely to support the client’s needs, and to communicate these back and forth to our internal resources.

WD: When the basis of a website has been defined, how much interaction is there between you and the client during the development process?

NA: We work intimately with our clients to ensure their happiness with the products we create. As for interaction, typically there are approval processes built into our timelines. We have constant check-ins to ensure the work throughout the entire process is meeting their needs, as well as keeping to the designated timelines. We’re only as good as our clients are – so we have to credit their courage and vision with much of the work we have been responsible for over the years. So to answer your question – there is a lot of interaction with our clients.

WD: Designing with Flash often involves a lot of hi-resolution imagery, which in turn creates large file sizes. How does this affect the design and development process and what is the trade-off between size and quality?

NA: Balance. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the site is if it doesn’t load and everyone leaves. The trade off takes place in conversations between our designers and developers – with the client sitting at the head of the table. We develop with best practices in mind – and always come back to the end user. If the end user isn’t going to like it – scrap it. You want to strike a perfect balance of quick load times with gorgeous visuals and a great user experience. Our teams handle this with a set of standards, and are constantly looking to find ways to push the boundaries to continue to innovate – without having to wait too long.

WD: Traditionally, Flash is not recognised as the most search-friendly application. How does Night Agency resolve this issue and what other forms of promotion do you use or recommend?

NA: We are a media and technology agnostic company. The business problem dictates the solution, not the to meet the challenge our brand clients are facing. No two programs are the same. As for the search issue – we do build a lot of hybrid sites, where we’ll incorporate Flash for pretty visuals and a cool experience while incorporating HTML etc to bring search qualities into the work. As for what other forms of promotion, we have used everything from display ads, to search, to rich, to social media, billboards, TV – whatever. It all depends on the challenge.

WD: Certain quarters of the web design and development community see Flash as an animation tool rather than a true web design tool. What is Night Agency’s thoughts on this issue?

NA: Flash/ActionScript is too deep to reduce to a particular application. And web-design is so wide open for using different technologies together to provide the best possible experience. The idea that Flash is only for cartoons, or animation-heavy websites, is a radical oversimplification. Flash developers are some of the smartest creative people I’ve ever worked with and are extremely adept at solving problems far beyond how to make a “cool transition”. Long live Flash.

WD: Creative/design agencies are thick on the ground, what sets the Night Agency apart from the competition and how do you sell yourself to prospective clients?

NA: Night Agency is an ideas company for the digital age. We act as the digital agency of record for brands. We are not a web production company, we are a strategic partner to our clients offering the full picture as it relates to their business, not just their digital business. Our creativity, strategic insights, focus on innovation and partner level accessibility make us unique to the world of advertising. We are among the first truly digital businesses able to work with C-level marketers to help them solve major business challenges and needs. We interface solely with brands – not as a resource to the traditional shops to make their work digital. We’re responsible for the strategies and insights, the ideas, the design, development, marketing, media, analytics and so on. We’re end to end – which enables us to offer total accountability to our clients by way of a one-stop shop. Additionally, the partners at Night Agency are accessible and work on the businesses of our clients.

WD: Finally, as an active creative agency in the web design industry, what words of wisdom do you have for those wanting to get into the industry?

NA: It’s an exciting time in web design, and in the creative field in general. If you’re considering getting into the business, I’d encourage you to be as active as possible within the community. Be on time. Be curious. Be courageous. Take risks. Listen to your peers. Ask questions. Work hard. Work for free if you have to for a chance at the table. Follow your instincts and your passions. Be a team player – no one likes to work with assholes. Have an open mind and an open heart, and follow your dreams! Good luck.