Musings of a Web Designer

A few things have been on my mind for some time and I thought I would share
it with the group in case I might not be alone.



Different Types of Web Designers

--------------------------------

Many Web Designers have enjoyed previous careers prior to becoming a Web
Designer. Today, I'm finding that a lot of employers assume that the best
Web Designers are also Graphic Designers (the two-in-one deal*) and/or
Technology wizards. Just like Accountants and Lawyers are often
specialized, so are Web Designers.



I think it's important for people to recognize that no two Web Designers are
alike and each brings a special skill set and background to a project or
workplace. Sometimes a Web Designer with a graphic design background is
extremely important and at other times it would be more important to choose
a designer who is a specialist in usability and accessibility issues but who
might not be a graphic design wizard. Then again a person focusing on
technology could really help create a solid dynamic foundation for a Web
site.



Some Web Designers might focus on one to a few areas and still others will
be generalists who will focus on "everything" but be a master of none.



A person's prior experience can greatly affect their Web design focus and
interests. I know of Web Designers who have had experience in at least one
or more of the following areas: graphic design, business services,
communications, information architecture, technology, marketing, corporate,
fine art, journalism, illustration, the healing arts, systems administration
and humanities, etc...



This is surely to affect how they approach Web design.



Not all Web Designers are Graphic Designers, Webmasters or Developers.
There are Web Designers who are coming from a business background and will
focus on SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and other
business analysis tools to help you create your Web site while another from
a journalism background might be more concerned about content.



*The Two-In-One-Deal

--------------------

I'm finding it hard to digest that some employers are not recognizing that
they are getting a Two-In-One-Deal, that is to say, the employee or
candidate has trained for one or more careers and now the employer will
benefit from this multi faceted training and experience for the price of
one.



I'm talking about Career skill sets and not just transferable skill sets.
For example hiring an Accountant who had also once trained as a Lawyer and
still has interest in law, so you are getting a Two-In-One-Deal. It seems as
if employers are not recognizing this benefit as they are either paying less
or paying the same. If you are recruiting for a Web Designer with a graphic
design background you might want them to do two jobs - Web design and print
graphics. While the same amount of time is utilized in the workplace, the
experience and education isn't equal to the pay.



I understand that there is more supply than demand in the area of Web Design
and this saddens me when any of us chooses to be paid less than our value
(Never mind, I have and will still do this from time-to-time, because I love
what I do, believe in a project and I need to survive).


Be An Artist and Program While You Are At It.

---------------------------------------------

While I enjoy fairly equal left and right brained thinking, I do find it
hard to leave Web designing tasks and jump to Web programming/developing
tasks - I'm having a feeling I'm not the only one and personally I wouldn't
want to do this more than 10% of the time (which is why I employ a Web
Developer to ease that pain so-to-speak! Grin). So when I see positions
asking for Web Developers who are also Graphic Designers, I wonder if the
employer expects a top quality job in each of those disciplines.



This is not to say that programmers are not artists or that programming is
not an art-form in and of itself, it's to say that I think those types of
people are few and far between but I could be wrong about that.



Also the amount of continual learning and response to current technology and
Web design trends, in either discipline, can be intense - so I'm thinking
one area is sure to suffer.



....


I'm not writing to say whether any of this is incorrect practice, I'm just
sharing an opinion, feeling and observation; And I haven't mused over
solutions to what I see as: complex problems.

Again, I thought I might share some things I have thought about and most of
what I write is opinion. Hopefully there will be other opinions that
balance out these thoughts.


Isabelle

<http://www.is.visisoul.com>

Dreamhost Web hosting - it's truly a dream especially for Web Designers and
Developers!!

<http://www.dreamhost.com/rewards.cgi?bdip> Referral ID: bdip

"Isabelle" <spam (AT) nospam (DOT) com.invalid> wrote:

Different Types of Web Designers

You are using the wrong phrase by using "Web Designers", imo the
disciplines are:

Content
Graphic design
Coding (markup, css, scripting etc)

To which you can add further specialisms as required: backend scripting
specialist, database specialist, user interface specialist etc.

The process of creating web site from scratch should follow this line:

The content is created by the content specialist, it is delivered with
basic markup (paragraphs, headers, lists etc.).

The graphic design is created by the Graphic Designer in the form of a
bitmap.

The coder then merges these 2 components into a working site, he cuts up
the bitmap and uses that to create the design using css, markup is added
to the content where needed to provide handlers for the styling to
attach to.

A key element in this process is to get the Graphic Designer to
understand the medium (the web). This is often a problem if the GD has a
background in printed media.

Combining of any of the 3 major components (Content, Graphic design,
Coding) into one person will usually result in degrading the quality of
the combined disciplines.

Good Coders are poor Graphic Designers.
Good Graphic Designers are poor coders.

--
Spartanicus

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 09:32:01 +0000, Spartanicus <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote:

A key element in this process is to get the Graphic Designer to
understand the medium (the web). This is often a problem if the GD has a
background in printed media.

I'd submit this is the same for the Content writer.

Combining of any of the 3 major components (Content, Graphic design,
Coding) into one person will usually result in degrading the quality of
the combined disciplines.

Good Coders are poor Graphic Designers.
Good Graphic Designers are poor coders.

Generally, but not necessarily. The more competent people looking at the
work, however, the less likely errors creep in. In addition to your 3
people, you might have a fourth who looks at the whole amalgation, and
sees the obvious things 3 specialists can't see.

Neal <neal413 (AT) spamrcn (DOT) com> wrote:

A key element in this process is to get the Graphic Designer to
understand the medium (the web). This is often a problem if the GD has a
background in printed media.

I'd submit this is the same for the Content writer.

Example?

--
Spartanicus

"Spartanicus" <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote

"Isabelle" <spam (AT) nospam (DOT) com.invalid> wrote:

Different Types of Web Designers

You are using the wrong phrase by using "Web Designers", imo the
disciplines are:

Content
Graphic design
Coding (markup, css, scripting etc)

That might be true in your part of the world but in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada - people do not advertise for: Graphic Design, Content or Coding or
rather Graphic Designer, Content Specialist, Coding Specialist as a Job
Title for Web work in their advertisements. They ask for Web Designers and
they usually assume that they are either: Graphic Designers and/or
Programmers (aka Web Developers). What type of Job Titles for Web work are
advertised in your part of the world? And which part of the world would you
be referring to?

Regards,

Isabelle
http://www.is.visisoul.com

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004, Isabelle wrote:

Canada - people do not advertise for: Graphic Design, Content or Coding or
rather Graphic Designer, Content Specialist, Coding Specialist as a Job
Title for Web work in their advertisements. They ask for Web Designers and
they usually assume that they are either: Graphic Designers and/or
Programmers (aka Web Developers).

On the other hand, when did you ever find a personnel/human-resources
or job advertising organisation which really understood technical
jobs? Many's the time I've seen them demanding e.g "at least 5 years
experience" in some product that's only existed for 3 of those 5
years, and suchlike gaffes.

In a way, many of the faults that we see on the web today are a
consequence of exactly the kind of misunderstanding that "Spartanicus"
was pointing to, and this goes as much for the employers as for those
who are recruiting on their behalf.

I'd say Spartanicus's evaluation was on target. Those whose forte
is logical structure, markup, coding tend to be poor at graphic design
(that's me, for example), while those with expertise in graphic design
are rarely good at making a well-engineered web site without the
co-operation of someone with the other kind of expertise. Each has to
recognise their own shortcomings and co-operate with the other
specialities, to get a good result.

Those individuals who are truly talented in all the relevant aspects
are very few and far between, to the extent that I'd say they're
practically irrelevant to the question of how to structure an
effective web design team. But then, this is more in the nature of a
hobby for me, so I can afford to make these kinds of comment from the
sidelines.

all the best

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 16:48:44 +0000, Spartanicus <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote:

Neal <neal413 (AT) spamrcn (DOT) com> wrote:

A key element in this process is to get the Graphic Designer to
understand the medium (the web). This is often a problem if the GD has
a
background in printed media.

I'd submit this is the same for the Content writer.

Example?

Writing content for web vs writing for magazines, books, newspapres, etc.
Content writers need to approach the reading style of the online reader
rather than the print reader. While a book or a paper can be read anytime,
most web users do not save webfiles to read later. The content must be
organized from that point of view.

Also, while a book in audio form is often edited for that application, and
often not by the author but by someone specializing in such editing, the
content writer's text IS the audio version. Care must be taken to make it
easily understandable when spoken aloud as well as when read from the
screen.

Finally, we need not debate the unique content to the web page - alt text,
noscript text, search-engine-friendly titles and descriptions, etc. which
are vital to an accessible and successful webpage.

"Spartanicus" <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote

"Isabelle" <spam (AT) nospam (DOT) com.invalid> wrote:

Different Types of Web Designers

You are using the wrong phrase by using "Web Designers", imo the
disciplines are:

Content
Graphic design
Coding (markup, css, scripting etc)

I'm not so sure I'm using the wrong phrase. I wrote another post quickly
forgetting to address some of the finer points in your response.

To which you can add further specialisms as required: backend scripting
specialist, database specialist, user interface specialist etc.

Yes, I believe specialists of Web design is important but I think that there
can be a Web Designer who also specializes in a particular area. I think
it's dependant upon the size of the organization one will work for.

(snip)

Combining of any of the 3 major components (Content, Graphic design,
Coding) into one person will usually result in degrading the quality of
the combined disciplines.

Indeed, that's what I mentioned in my lengthy post.

Good Coders are poor Graphic Designers.
Good Graphic Designers are poor coders.

There are those that can do both but I think they will appear 3-5 years from
now. When they have had a chance to develop their new career in Web and
even then...

I think someone should write a book for hiring managers and in the interim I
wonder what we can do to alleviate this problem.

Cheers,

Isabelle
http://www.is.visisoul.com

"Alan J. Flavell" <flavell (AT) ph (DOT) gla.ac.uk> wrote

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004, Isabelle wrote:

Canada - people do not advertise for: Graphic Design, Content or Coding
or
rather Graphic Designer, Content Specialist, Coding Specialist as a Job
Title for Web work in their advertisements. They ask for Web Designers
and
they usually assume that they are either: Graphic Designers and/or
Programmers (aka Web Developers).

On the other hand, when did you ever find a personnel/human-resources
or job advertising organisation which really understood technical
jobs? Many's the time I've seen them demanding e.g "at least 5 years
experience" in some product that's only existed for 3 of those 5
years, and suchlike gaffes.

*lol* A friend of mine mentioned this to me. I don't encounter that much
when looking for Web Design positions. I often hear him say, "Wait a
minute, that wasn't even around in 19xx!"

In a way, many of the faults that we see on the web today are a
consequence of exactly the kind of misunderstanding that "Spartanicus"
was pointing to, and this goes as much for the employers as for those
who are recruiting on their behalf.

I'd say Spartanicus's evaluation was on target.

How about mine? *grin*

Those whose forte is logical structure, markup, coding tend to be poor at
graphic design (that's me, for example), while those with expertise in

graphic design

are rarely good at making a well-engineered web site without the
co-operation of someone with the other kind of expertise. Each has to

recognise their own shortcomings and co-operate with the other specialities,
to get a good result.

Did you get a chance to read my post or am I just a poor writer (most likely
the latter! lol)? If it was the former maybe I should break up my thoughts
in different posts next time.

"...So when I see positions asking for Web Developers who are also Graphic
Designers, I wonder if the
employer expects a top quality job in each of those disciplines.

This is not to say that programmers are not artists or that programming is
not an art-form in and of itself, it's to say that I think those types of
people are few and far between but I could be wrong about that.

Also the amount of continual learning and response to current technology and
Web design trends, in either discipline, can be intense - so I'm thinking
one area is sure to suffer."

Those individuals who are truly talented in all the relevant aspects
are very few and far between, to the extent that I'd say they're
practically irrelevant to the question of how to structure an
effective web design team. But then, this is more in the nature of a
hobby for me, so I can afford to make these kinds of comment from the
sidelines.

As I wrote in my post, I agree with this as well. Also some organizations
can not afford a team of Web Designers (if only they could the market would
be better) so they are relying on ONE designer and I wish people would be a
bit more informed that not all Graphic (or Programmers, etc..) Web Designers
make the best choice for a project. I rarely hear anyone talk about these
topics on-line so I felt it important to open up some dialogue.

all the best

To you as well!

Isabelle
http://www.is.visisoul.com

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004, Isabelle wrote:

Did you get a chance to read my post

Sorry, I rolled into this thread late, and responded specifically to
the followup that I was reading.

or am I just a poor writer

I wouldn't say that. I don't always follow a thread back to its
beginning, I'm afraid, and that's what happened this time. Maybe when
I'm retired in a few years, I'll have the luxury of reading everything
that interests me ;-)

As I wrote in my post,

Yes, sorry: now that you twist my arm to read the original posting,
you did seem to have made the point already. I can only offer you my
apologies.