Dan Kratt is the designer behind the hit casual franchise Sally’s Salon/Spa. Sally’s Spa recently hit the #1 spot in the iPh0ne App Store!

How did you get involved in gaming?

After high school, I was always interested in games. Actually, probably since I was 7 years old. I remember going to CA to go to Disney land. My parents promised to buy an NES when we were in the US. I remember being more excited about that than Disneyland!

When it came down to thinking about careers, was really interested in sculpting and math. Initially, I thought I would pursue computer animation. I went to ACAD (Alberta College of Art and Design), and joined the new faculty MADT (Media Arts & Digital Technologies). At the time, the program was still evolving as I was there, but I ended up learning more about the critical thinking behind fine arts.

Then I applied for a job at Orbital Media. They turned me down, but I offered to work for free for 3 months. After the volunteer stint, I was brought in full time. There, I worked my way up from odd jobs to designer. I was a project lead within a year or so.

It was my fine art training that taught me the skills to be a critical thinker/designer. Had I gone with computer animation, I don’t think I would have the skills to be in the design role. It all worked out in the end.

What’s the best part about working at Ph03nix?

Still pretty new here, but everyone is really driven, constantly moving forward. There is a lot of potential in the different avenues Ph03nix is exploring. On a personal note, it seems like I will be able to spend less time in the “guts” of games, building them, and more time actually designing. The pipeline is great, and I don’t feel like I can bring ideas forward and they would be totally out of the question. So it’s a more free atmosphere creatively.

What’s the worst part about working at Ph03nix?

My makeshift plastic desk.

You designed Sally’s Salon/Spa. Real arcade’s best selling games of 2007 and 2008. Also Spa recently hit #1 in the US not only for iPhone games, but iPhone apps overall. How does it feel to be a big part of bringing those games to market?

With Salon, it felt really great because we managed to achieve the seemingly impossible goal we set for ourselves, which was to create a franchise that could stand with the biggest names in the casual industry. With Spa, it was daunting to have to try to do it again. So we were happy to have it hit #1 again, and be the best selling game on Real for 2008.

The App store was the cherry on top! Now at the tender age of 28, I was partially responsible for that mega hit. That creates pressure to make our next game even better. And that pressure is what drives me to succeed.

What’s next for you?

Games, games & more games. Hopefully my input will help TRZZonline be a place people love to go to. We will continue to make casual games, where I can help bring Ph03nix to the next level. The iPhone is exciting to me as well. The frictionless distribution is really appealing. Also, with shorter dev times, ideas can get to market more quickly, and the install base is something you can’t ignore. Also, it’s a great chance to get into a target demographic that is more in line with ourselves!