Friday Vidcast 12-18-09
This weeks Friday Vidcast talks about the importance of designers having a grasp on what it takes to code a site. A lot of us can design and code our work, this is a valuable asset and can help us to better prepare our files for deployment.
This vidcast was sponsored by cherrp
11 Responses to “Friday Vidcast 12-18-09”
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my life in pictures
this is something i’ve been pushing for myself as well. i try to take a chunk of time every few days and study something thats unfamiliar or something i struggle with. having a greater skill-set will no doubt help us land more work. even if we don’t perform those tasks for a client, having a broader range of skills gives us the ability to perform QA/QC when others perform those tasks for us.
Great job in supporting this mentality and practice, especially as the web technologies progress but also in these tough economic times.
I think it’s also important to stay far away from WYSIWYG programs when learning the ropes. These programs will only handicap your ability to learn the fundamentals of standardized code and markup.
“I mean WYSIWYG programs that allow design without code knowledge”
Here! Here!
Rules for designing for web are different than designing a brochure, and designers who don’t bother to learn the difference are doing their clients an injustice! Also, designers who hire developers who aren’t using up to date practices, this is a big problem and if you don’t understand what to look for in GOOD code, then you’re not going to be able to hire a good developer. I see this a lot from large firms, actually — the people in charge of hiring the developers just look at the developers portfolio and judge based on the design, instead of looking at the code!
Ok, Ok, Aaron. I know the designs you have been coding for me aren’t up to par.
But seriously, I totally agree and have been seeing that my designs (although pretty) present problems when coding for people like yourself and other. I def need to step up my game and have been getting into researching more. There are so many resources online that we take for granted.
Much love and thanks for keeping a brother in check.
Pace & Love!
LOL whatever man… That actually hadn’t come into play as far as this vid… but now that you mentioned it! Haha actually it came more from job requirements than anything… and realizing that people are looking for more out of the services they are paying for, and my own learning process about designing code-able work…
Keep doin’ what you are doin’ man… you are rockin’ it
After taking the freelance plunge Aaron your on par with the trend that some work is great, but even more is better. Being up on your coding skills is one way to earn a little more cash.
One thing not to take for granted though is outsourcing the work that is beyond your limits. Your time is best spent being effective at what you are good at, and contracting out that complex widget function (especially if your just starting freelancing & need to use your time as effectively as possible).
I remember when I did freelance I drove deeper into PHP because I wanted to take more control over the final product I gave to my clients.
Good Vid.
Great Video! I couldn’t agree with you more. I know the basics of coding and it’s given me a strong foundation to build websites on. Knowing how to code helps you to minimize the differences between browsers and will keep your website’s bandwidth usage lower. It also makes your design more cohesive. I will be learning PHP and hoping to brush up on my JS more when 2010 rolls around.
Straight up yo. You are right on my friend. Keep in mind though, when you are a specialist in something, people will pay more for your time *because* you are the best in the business. That’s what I’ve noticed with my experience in WordPress and e-commerce, people come to me because they’ve seen my work around and they know there is less of a risk hiring someone who is a proven expert so they are more than willing to fork over extra cash knowing that they will receive high quality results because of it. That’s the beauty of specialization and setting yourself up as an expert in a single area.
But you are totally right, people are looking for the whole kit and kaboodle these days and that’s why I really try to build up a network of awesome designers, coders, and marketers that have skills in certain areas far beyond the limited skills I have. For example, if I needed to design a site with heavy illustration or detailed icons, etc., I know right away it’s not my forte, but I still quote the project and include designers from my network who would crush it on that particular project. Guys like Kyle Steed, Wendell Fernandes, Rogie King, etc. I tap into the talents of others in order to get the absolute best final result for the project. That way my clients (and potential clients) know that I am not trying to be selfish or pocket more cash for myself, but instead am wanting to build the best websites and applications I possibly can with the best talent I can find. Period. And that ultimately makes the clients happier and their ROI greater.
I believe that any designer/UI designer should have a huge understanding as well as some experience coding sites, but I would not necessarily say they should be coding their own design work all the time.
There is a huge difference in quality of code between designers that can code compared to a pure web developer that does code only. If you are doing both design and code on complex projects one side is going to suffer, unless your outstanding at both.
If you take the code from designers and compare it to that of a pure developer, the majority of the time the pure developers code will be written much better than the others.
When you work in the corporate world like I do, you have your specialties, and although I can code if need be I don’t have to write a lick of it because we have have pure web developers that do a much better job and know CSS, PHP and Javascript inside out. I am left to do the design and UI, sometime slice it out and hand it off working side by side with the developers to construct the site and make sure everything comes together properly.
Like Matt says above, know your limits.
Hmmm..I agree understanding html/css and current trends is invaluable especially these days, but as a visual/UI designer I am not going to pretend to code as well as someone who has been doing it for ++ years. Communicating my designs as clearly as possible is my responsibility along with keeping current with design solutions/innovative visual thinking. I see and hear what you are saying that clients are asking for everything, but I do not think it is in a designers best interest to bend and take on so much that the quality of the work suffers. My opinion is to do what you do best and do what you love.