Re: FN-FORUM: So, exactly what is web design? was: Full-time designer needed

date posted 29th February 2004 10:22

I have to say that I have the design ability of Jimmy Smith, aged 5 and a
half....:-)

Seriously, I appreciate that my visual flair is pretty poor so I've always
tended to work with people who do the artistic stuff, and then who'll
hopefully let me get to grips with how to make it happen. Sometiems, I'll
turn to a designer and say 'Beyond my ability or beyond this budget - either
way we perhaps need to rethink my involvement or your design!' I appreciate
that this is probably anathema to many, but it works in a business setting.
Fortunately, it doesn't happen TOO often...:-)

I think that because I started in IT in the early 1980s when actually
getting data back that was the same as you put in was held as being pretty
advanced stuff, my attitude to teh GUI has always been one of accuracy, ease
of use and navigation, clarity and then prettiness. I apprecaite that
developers of all types who've come in to the game more recently probably
have a more 'aesthetic' sense.

The first pages I ever wrote were done in the early 1990s, when Mosaic was
hi-tech and the image tag was a new fangled thing...:-) Back then I believe
we did say 'developing web pages' because designing was probably seen as a
rather advanced phrase for what you could do with one font on a grey
background...:-) Seriously, I'd be interested to know when the 'designer'
role appeared.

I prefer Web Systems Developer to describe what I do 'cos it covers a
multitude of sins.

Joe