Who are you and what do you do?

I’m a thirty-something design and tech junkie, living on Nantucket Island with my wife and two-year-old son. I’ve been blissfully playing with computers and colors since the day I bought a Commodore 64 with my bar mitzvah money.

For the past 12 years I’ve worked as a designer and Creative Director for several Web companies and design agencies. Very recently I launched my own design shop, “Wonderwheel Creative”, employing a distributed network of freelance designers, illustrators, writes, developers and marketing gurus.

I’m very passionate about graphic design and always looking for new ways to help people communicate.

What services/products do you offer?

Wonderwheel specializes in Web design, using Open Source software for content management, e-commerce and even real estate listings. We also offer print services such as ads, brochures and sales collateral; identity work like logos and stationary; and marketing consulting. With every engagement we focus on creating a unique and relevant experience. We’re avid proponents of usability principles and Web standards.

Who/where is your audience?

Our clients are all over the map – Boston, Charlotte, Miami and Nantucket. Right now we’re working with real estate companies, an industrial shrink-wrapping firm, a local service non-profit, a telecom consultancy, a national financial institution and two marketing/PR agencies. We should probably focus on a niche, but we’re having too much fun for that right now.

What is the website?

Please don’t ask. Ok, it’s www.wonderwheelcreative.com, but could you hold off for another month before visiting? I had a day back in December to launch a placeholder and I’ve been busy ever since. Shameful, really. I’m shamed.

Well-Funded or Bootstrapped?

Our boots are entirely strapped.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

As far as Wonderwheel goes, I would like to stay challenged with the clients we take on, growing our portfolio and adding services as we find a need.

I’ve been on Nantucket for almost a year and it’s one of the more beautiful places in the world, so I don’t see a move in the near future. I’d like to get more involved in the community. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a web geek conference on Nantucket. Wouldn’t that be fun? Bleary-eyed, pale web geeks running around in board shorts?

Where were you born - where do you live now?
I was born and raised in the quintessentially New England town of Westford. It’s northwest of Boston, near Concord and Acton. Apple country. Former home of Veryfine, actually.

After college, I lived in Boston for a bit, then Charlotte, NC for 10 years (with a strange, one-year stint in Cranston, RI), and now Nantucket.

PC or Mac?
Regretfully, PC. Like most in my generation, I grew up using Apple computers in school. In my destitute graduate phase I scraped up enough for a PC, but have always carried a torch for my one true love. I think this is the year though. All the MacHeads on Twitter don’t make it easy on me.

Where did you go to school?
Syracuse University. Go Orange! Seriously, who’s idea was it to have a piece of fruit for a mascot? And a tropical fruit in upstate New York no less.

What Social Networks are you on?
LinkedIn, Facebook, Behance, GoodReads, Twitter and little one I made for my extended family on Ning.

Greatest invention ever?

On a tech website, you can’t go wrong by saying the computer was the greatest invention ever, but let’s not forget it’s humble predecessor, the Etch-A-Sketch.

Person you believe has contributed most to the world of technology?
It’s painful to type, but I think Bill Gates deserves this title. Microsoft can’t claim to have made many of the paradigm-changing technological advancements over the last 40 years but they really did bring them to the masses.

Where have you traveled in your life?
Germany, France, and all around North America. My top 3 favorite places:
1.) The westernmost tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington
2.) The Fairy Tale Road, from Bremen to Frankfurt in Germany
3.) Mont St. Michel on the coast of France

Why set up shop on Cape Cod?
It’s a beautiful place to live, with a strong, safe community for raising a family.

5 Websites you go to every day?
I keep up with design and tech via RSS using FeedDemon. According to that, I read posts from TechCrunch, Lifehacker, Webware, Jason Kottke and Mashable the most.

What’s on your iPod right now?
It’s pretty random. Lots of indie pop, a bit of folk-rock and the kiddie mix for those long car rides. Fortunately for us, my son really digs They Might Be Giants and Johnny Cash.

What is on your desktop/screensaver right now?
My desktop is a photo switcher pointing at Flickr’s “Top 250 Most Interesting” and the screensaver drops 3D Legos from the sky a la Tetris. I can’t remember the last time I was away from the computer long enough for it to come on, though.

You are on a deserted island - do you bring a laptop or book?
A laptop would be pretty optimistic. I’d bring a book. Something long, like Lord of the Rings. And The Silmarillion.

Phone call or text message?
Depends on who’s trying to reach me. :)

Feel free to tell us anything else….?
My secret dream is to run a small movie theater someday. I love how you feel when you leave a good movie.

Thank you for your time, Tim!