Increasing numbers of young people are getting into web design. As awareness goes up many young people will get the chance to learn basic web design skills at school - if they haven't already at home. Its becoming so easy to make a basic home page now through templates, web publishing functions in word processors and online tutorials that its not necessary to even know any html or coding at all.
As people progress in web design the numbers of people who take to it thin out, as with any past time, and those who manage make a career out of it are able to do so because they have proven to have a particular talent for it, either through coding ability or creative ability. And almost without exception these people love doing it. Web designer is one of those jobs that people use as an example of work that you can live off and also enjoy, but as any serious websigner will tell ou apart from a very lucky few this is simply not the case.
A good web designer can create great sites, original sites, efficient sites, stylish sites. Unfortunately the fact that they can do these things does not mean that they get to. If you are not self employed then you will be limited by the style and strategies of your employer, but much more seriously you are at the whim of the paying client. Web design is not cheap, and as such clients like to feel they are getting exactly what they want. The fact that many don't actually know what they want doesn't deter them, and the need to have some input, to disagree and have something changed whether it needs changing or not in order to clarify who has the power means the designer is rarely allowed to come up with a great design and keep it great.
If a client wants neon coloured glowing buttons and a pink border then that is what they get. They are paying their thousands to get what they want, not a decent site. Designers can try and influence them but the client as in any paying business gets the final say. A designers portfolio can often be filled with sites they don't personally like and are definately not proud of. The fact that they love web design simply makes the situation worse because it can prove a very painful process to create something horrible when you know you could create something great.
The point of this little rant is merely to declare that which isn't said enough in the world of web design, that somethings gone very wrong in the way that business is done, that web design needs to be repackaged as a total experience, where designers are used as specialist consultants rather than guided worker monkeys, after all they are oin the proffession becasue they have the creative edge that the majority do not.
[RANT of the day!] Web design - an unwelcome reality
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Mordib
- King of Beggars
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memetic
- Jade Tiger
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I think the concept of "client veto" is a reality that will never fade from such professions as this, graphic design, game design, etc. Sure a designer can recommend those neon buttons are gonna be crap, but that's all they can do.
I think it's an improvement on the mid to late 90s where it was quite the opposite and "web design" was pretty much a sham, IMO. Anyone could pick up a book on HTML and charge people to do web pages when the web designer usually had no background or concept in graphic design, resulting in many ugly and poorly laid out webpages the world over. At least the competition is better these days and, thus, the standard too.
I think it's an improvement on the mid to late 90s where it was quite the opposite and "web design" was pretty much a sham, IMO. Anyone could pick up a book on HTML and charge people to do web pages when the web designer usually had no background or concept in graphic design, resulting in many ugly and poorly laid out webpages the world over. At least the competition is better these days and, thus, the standard too.
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Mordib
- King of Beggars
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good post ICE, it does indeed appear that the appearance of sites is proving more important that the practicality of the sites.
I don't find the excessive use of flash a problem when the main purpose of the site is to visually impress, but for sites that are aimed at providing lots of info or some other practical use then all those things you mention are essential.
in terms of the ALT text descriptions, there needs to be more collaboration between the makers of the technology used to make the sites and the people that make the technology that allow blind/handicapped people to use the site. at the moment its just a bunch of people complaining and another bunch ignoring them...
m.
I don't find the excessive use of flash a problem when the main purpose of the site is to visually impress, but for sites that are aimed at providing lots of info or some other practical use then all those things you mention are essential.
in terms of the ALT text descriptions, there needs to be more collaboration between the makers of the technology used to make the sites and the people that make the technology that allow blind/handicapped people to use the site. at the moment its just a bunch of people complaining and another bunch ignoring them...
m.
