As MacHeist is underway, I thought I’d share with you guys a little peek into its design process.

As John Casasanta, Scott Meinzer and I began to finalize details on Heist a couple months ago, we realized that what we were going for (spy themed, campy stories, etc.) would require an extremely capable web designer with a distinctive style. This had to look different from all the forums and blogs out there. It had to look amazing. And it had to be designed fast.

So my first pick for the project was Adam Betts, who I had worked with previously on the original design for MacThemes. What he had created for MacThemes, in my opinion, was fresh nearly three years ago, and is still fresh today. And the amazing thing was, he had come up with the general visual idea and details in a matter of days. So, after a few days of chatting with him, I convinced him to join the project, and he got to work.

Below are a few snapshots from the process over roughly two weeks (click for full size):

Notice something? Adam had the fundamental pieces of the design nailed from the beginning. And from there, it was a matter of relatively minor changes. (Combo code entry, site background, etc.)

Of course the design job isn’t over quite yet… but I think it’s safe to say that people are loving what Adam came up with. Major props to him.

Voila, the final product

What we’ve been calling “Act 2″ after My Dream App has just begun, and it’s called MacHeist. Thousands of you signed up with interest in the event, and over the next few days, you’ll be receiving spiffy invite tickets by mail. (It’s a closed event for now.)

And for the rest of you… well, if you’d like a taste of what Heist will be about, I encourage you to check out this post on TUAW. We call it a wild monkey chase. See, unlike most wild goose chases, this one involves a monkey, and actually ends somewhere cool. (Plus I think you’ll agree. It’s pretty hilarious seeing people’s reactions to over a dozen monkeys mysteriously popping up all over the Mac web.)

Enjoy, and hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you soon inside MacHeist! And Digg this!