Leeds, April 1st, 2020

With offices in Leeds and London in the UK, Cefar is a digital agency that redefines digital experiences from the ground up.

The agency creates 21st-century proof websites that are grounded in solid data, built on bulletproof architecture, driven by the latest insights, and executed with exceptional design.

A key part of their work is based on development and that’s where Stefan Hibbitt comes in. After graduating from Creative Media Technology, Hibbitt joined Cefar as a junior developer and since then he has worked at the agency alongside a team of experts. In an interview with TIA, Hibbitt described what his role involves.

What it means to you working as developer at a digital agency?

Everything. It sounds sad but it’s the truth. If I wasn’t a developer, I don’t know what I would do. I was in the shower the other night and was thinking how I’d like to develop the temperature dial with a custom icon depending where you spin it as a little project.

What are the common misconceptions people usually have about your role?

The main misconception of a developer is that we all have a billion screens and we all know each other.

Can you describe your career path before arriving at Cefar?

Before arriving at Cefar I graduated with a first in Creative Media Technology. This course covered a variety of different areas that are used within digital agencies.

During my time at university I worked at a digital agency to gain experience ‘for the real world’ which in hindsight was almost as beneficial as the course itself. Once I had graduated Cefar offered me a position as a Junior Front-End developer. The rest is history.

What differentiates Cefar from other digital agencies?

I can’t compare exactly, but I feel that at Cefar we push the client in the early meetings to try get the best for their project. We join their journey of their project.

At what stage does your work begin?

The work begins that moment you join; it doesn’t stop from there. If you’ve got the correct development mindset you should always be thinking about projects. You eat, drink and sleep your projects as a developer.

What are the steps you follow in every project?

Rules are a must for me. I always like to spend time planning and asking questions before I start any project. If you have to ask a huge question later during the project, you haven’t planned properly. This can lead to issues; I don’t like issues.

Which metrics do you track to evaluate results?

Tracking goals and results is again a key aspect of development. The main metric I track is time. In the industry time is everything, clients generally want the project done in the least amount of time, you need to find that sweet spot where the quality of work isn’t compromised because you’re panicking about the deadline. It goes back to that old saying ‘Work smarter, not harder’ and the results will show. Not only for you, but the client.

Would you consider analysing data or information a strength?

I leave the analysing to the other guys, I did A-Level Maths, but some of the trends and analysis’ I’ve seen on their screens, I’ll pass.

Do you use data to improve the design, the development of the project or both?

The data we receive can have a big impact on the project itself. As a front-end developer, looking at target/current audience browser usage version is a prime example. This has a huge impact on the development time. From this we can work out do we need to cater for the specific audience. We want to make those still using Windows XP happy, right?

How do you keep up to date?

There are a few sites I go on to and briefly look. I’m constantly comparing on Codepen to see how others have done similar things, peer work comparison and feedback is key in this industry. Surprisingly I also use Twitter and Instagram. Although these are generally used for ranting about politics or posting pictures of dogs, they’re pretty good for threads of conversation on development ideas.

What piece of advice would you give to a recent graduate seeking to start in the industry?

My main tip for a new graduate would be to not over think your CV, if you’re going for a development role it’s what on the paper that matters, now how it looks (make it look reasonable please). I’d also say do as much as you can in the sense of side projects, don’t just rely on your University work to get you your first full time role.

Thanks Stefan!

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