Coding IS Part of Web Design

studioJMC — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 13:33:51 +0000

My recent post, 50 Common Web Design Mistakes elicited this comment from Wild over at Digg:

These are programming mistakes. Not DESIGN mistakes.

Maybe I sound a bit arrogant, but their [sic]is a difference between a web designer and a web programmer. Its [sic] one the industry needs to understand as it leads to a lot of confusion when it comes to hiring people.

I suppose, if my definition of web design was limited to arranging pixels, I might agree with him but there is more to web design than making pretty pictures on a monitor. According to (who else) Wikipedia, design

…normally requires a designer [to consider] aesthetic, functional, and many other aspects of an object or process…

It’s the “functional, and many other aspects” of web design that people like Wild ignore. In this area I grudgingly give credit to the “experience design” movement for recognizing that the ultimate purpose of design is not to create a printed piece of paper, an attractive arrangement of pixels or an imposing building. The purpose of design is to create an interaction with, or experience for, the end-user using those created objects (real and virtual).

So, in my world, misused HTML tags, typos, broken links, etc. are just as much design errors as choosing the wrong shade of magenta. They are design errors because they negatively affect the end user’s experience.

Wild’s error is to equate design with the creation of work that looks great in static portfolios and awards magazines while ignoring the fact that websites (and even printed pieces) actually need to FUNCTION in a dynamic environment. In reality, the true web design process includes not only the visual look of the pages but also elements such as page titles, valid coding and even “off-page” factors that affect the user experience.

Worse yet, Wild appears to believe that coding skills are valued by employers seeking web designers because of “confusion when it comes to hiring people.” Perhaps, once this confusion is cleared up, Wild and like-minded designers will take their rightful place at the forefront of web development but, in the mean time, I’d recommend learning HTML and CSS along with the history of typography.

The truth is most web designers are not coming from traditional design backgrounds. Instead they are Design Refugees who have migrated to design from other professions including (dare I say it) programming. Even those coming to web design from traditional design careers are likely to be self-taught coders.

The reason is obvious. Given a choice between a beautiful but broken website and an attractive and functional one, most companies choose functional (at least the second time around). Why pay a web “designer” who can’t tell his tag from a hole in the ground to create a design that the “programmers” might not be able to implement and will likely change anyway?

This is not to denigrate traditional graphic design. Design school basics like typography and color theory SHOULD be part of web design. But the fact is that print designers and design schools have been slow to recognize the importance of the web. They view it as a poor stepchild to “real” design rather than its future.

This is unfortunate because the next generation of web designers is being trained now and most design programs are woefully unprepared for the task. They are churning out graduates who can design attractive web pages but can’t design functional web sites. On the other hand, the Design Refugees who understand the workings of HTML, CSS and other web technologies but might not know the difference between Bodoni and Bologna are creating functional (and often very attractive) web sites and getting the design jobs.

Wild can blame it on “confusion” but, in my book, he’s the one who is confused.

Open Letter to Design Students

studioJMC — Mon, 28 May 2007 21:38:00 +0000

Note: Most of you won’t be going on to an exciting career in graphic design (of course I’m not talking about you, just the students around you).

First a bit of background

During my senior year studying architecture at the University of Illinois, one of my professors informed the class that less than 10% of us would wind up as practicing architects. In spite of our protestations he was, of course, correct. Within a year of graduating, I was back in school taking art (and the occasional design) classes. And, the few classmates I’m still in touch with aren’t practicing architects either. They’re working for contractors, managing construction projects and more but they aren’t designing buildings.

In retrospect the reasons are obvious:

The licensing procedure for architects includes several years of involuntary servitude under a licensed architect.
The competition for positions that actually allow for creative expression is intense.
Many students choose to pursue careers in related fields such as interior design, store planning or the construction industry.
Many students lack the talent and drive needed to succeed in the field
The education we were offered didn’t adequately prepare us for the “real world.”

As I gaze at your expectant faces…

Today, when I face the young students who populate my web design classes, I’m reminded of my old professor’s warning. Most of won’t end up as designers. The reasons, for the most part, are those I’ve already mentioned (although thankfully there is currently no licensing requirement for designers).

There’s not much that can be done about the competition, the lure of less creative but more lucrative professions, or the lack of talent and drive (although I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if I flunked a few of you).

However, there is something that can be done to address the problem that our design education programs are not preparing you for a career in the “real world.” This is especially critical since the computer and Internet revolutions mean that you’ll have even more competition from people entering the design professions through paths that bypass a traditional design education.

The modern day Académie

Twenty years ago your professors were scoffing at desktop publishing and went happily about their business cutting and pasting. Today the typesetters have disappeared and every designer has a computer on his desktop.

A few years later, they were laughing at websites that looked like “they were designed by a programmer.” Today some of those same programmers are creating sites that are damned attractive as well as being functional, easy to use and packed with worthwhile information. Your professors’ websites, if they have them, might be damned attractive but that’s probably all they are.

The fact is that, while design educators were busy debating questions such as the role of computers in design education; the world was passing them by. Today, while magazines are dying and Bill Gates is proclaiming, “Reading is going to go completely online,” graphic design education is still focused on ink on paper (even if it is from a digital printer). That’s not really surprising since most of your professors came of age before the digital revolution and know less about the computers on their desks than you do.

Sadly with a few exceptions, today’s old guard of design education is the modern day equivalent of the French Académie of the late nineteenth century which derided the “new” painting of Cezanne, Monet, Gaugin and the other impressionist. While engaged in teaching you “pure” design, they are in fact failing to prepare you and your classmates for careers in the “new” media.

What you can do

Your only hope is to quit being a passive recipient of information and take charge of your education. After all, you are children of the digital age. You probably have a better grasp of the opportunities the future presents than your instructors. Create a list of the skills you want to acquire and pursue them relentlessly in class and out. Remember you aren’t limited to the art department. You can also find relevant classes in the computer department, the journalism school and elsewhere. Find a professor (not necessarily a design professor) that you can work with and pursue an independent study program. Collaborate with your fellow students (a programmer might benefit from your design suggestions and teach you a little code at the same time). Take a job that will offer you the chance to learn while working (maybe the student newspaper) or turn your assignments into real projects by finding a (paying or pro-bono) client whose willing who’s willing to let you learn on the job.

What you need to know

You’ll need to create your own skill list based upon your goals but here’s a few suggestions to get your started:

Design skills: All that stuff about kerning, white space, color theory, etc., etc. is really pretty valuable. And your old-school professors probably have a lot to offer in this area.

Applications: If your looking for a design job in today’s market you should know your way around Adobe’s Creative Suite. That means proficiency with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver. You should plan on being an ace in at least one of them (it’s always helpful if you can show a potential boss a thing or two they don’t already know). Adding Flash to the list will be a real plus.

Jargon: Just like the design world, the computer world has its own special language. You need to become fluent in both.

Communications: Design is ultimately about communication. Unfortunately you won’t be operating in a totally (or even primarily) visual world, so learn to write well.

But wait there’s more

If you plan to work on websites (and they’re hard to avoid these days)

Coding: You’ll need an understanding of HTML and a familiarity with some form of scripting (JavaScript, PHP or ASP) will be handy.

Domains: You should be able to register a domain and set up hosting for the domain with a service provider.

Servers: You’ll need to be able to send files to a server using the ftp (File Transfer Protocol) function built into Dreamweaver. And, if you’re going to get serious, you need a basic understanding of server operation, for instance using a stand-alone ftp program to transfer files and change file permissions on the server. It will help if you know why you might want to change file permissions.

Sounds like a lot of work

Well, they’re always looking for help at McDonalds.

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