Be warned rant coming (awoga and other warning sounds / lights should be considered going on)…..
I have about had it up to my pixels with the rash of so called ‘web designers’ whose only knowledge of code is what programs like Photoshop or Fireworks spew out. Let me make this very clear for those people, it’s really not hard to get your minds around:
‘just because you can hit a button to create code DOES NOT make you a web designer’. It makes you a button pusher.
Now, don’t throw things at my head thinking I am saying it’s one of the evil web sins to use such exporting. If you are doing it for your own site and not claiming you are a web designer then fair dos, I may not like the code they often produce but what you do in your back yard is your own call. This isn’t aimed at the amateur, it’s aimed at the cowboys that proclaim they are web designers like it’s some kudos title and then vomit out code through one button pressing. Those that pitch for web designer jobs but don’t know anymore about web design than I do about garden design. I kill plants (I’ve been banned from having plants due to planticide) and they are killing websites.
Sliced by rage
It has gotten to the point if I see one more spur wearing wannabes work with the tell tale comment in the code of sliced by [insert code button pushing of choice here], I think I am going to go to said person’s door and ask them if they also do plumbing as they obviously know about as much about that as they do about web design. Yes, there is a school of thought that proclaims you don’t have to know code to be a web designer - I disagree. Just like being a good designer of anything you have to know what you are designing in. Even the most basic amateurs I know online are doing their best to get to grips with code - so why do we still have yee ha spur wearing muppets putting button pushed sites online offering button pushing code?
Quality on one medium != quality on all
From what I see one of the biggest problems is designers in other mediums thinking they can instantly work on the web and/or people seeing pound signs about the web. It’s easy money, any fool can do it.. right? Oh where to start in spewing back venom at those thoughts… I don’t proclaim I can design houses, I don’t proclaim I can design kitchens, I don’t proclaim I can design furniture. Why? Well, to start I don’t know about any of these things so unless you are really the possessor of such a swollen head you find door ways a problem, why don’t you just admit you don’t know and stop taking jobs away from those of us that do. If you want to do web design then at least have the balls to learn something about the medium. Yes, you may get one or two clients - maybe more if they are unlucky enough to not know what repulsions you are creating. Wow they look pretty don’t they… if you use a 10mb sonic the hedgehog zooped up super duper internet connection and only using one browser (just don’t tell them they can use more than one - that would give the secret away wouldn’t it). Your client is happy, that’s great. Let them see a proper web designer and I think you will find them less happy. Oh that’s right, we shouldn’t tell them that as that would expose you for the fraud you are! As they say in the west country… “get off me land”.
Spreading the word
The big problem is clients don’t know the difference. Why should they? It’s us the web designers who actually slave away getting sites to work without tables, to standards and chip away at our brains to get them working on as many browsers as we can; that should point these people out. I think every web designer out there who doesn’t push a button and proclaim “website” has come across these fakes. If we are honest being a web designer is a hard career - you can easily stress out yourself just by trying to validate a website. We’ve all worked hard to get where we are so why should we stand by and let these people take our work? It’s hard enough to make a career in the over crowded field without having to educate clients and loose contracts to button pushing idiots who attach the title of web designer as they think it’s ‘cool’. Usually I may add for much more money than the actual hard working web designers charge - odd but true in several cases I’ve found recently.
Enough ranting, do you have a solution?
Ok, you got me on that… I don’t really have a solution to this and believe me my blood pressure wishes I did. I guess it comes down to educating those you have reach of and gradually the word will spread - it just seems to be taking a bit too long for my sanity. There are times I think ‘phew’ it’s getting there and then bamn! a client comes to me with something from the button monkeys. Yes, the client is coming to someone that actually can do the job - that sort of isn’t the point. I may be getting the work but surely it should be before NOT after the event. The client is not getting a good deal out of this as they usually have to pay twice. I feel sorry for the client every-time I get this that someone has taken advantage of them in this way. Yes, saying you can do something and obviously not doing to any standard is taking advantage. There is no real solution, sadly. All you can do is educate those you come into contact with and as a proper web designer stand by your values - however frustrating that may be.
What about designers who can’t code worth a hill of beans but still design stuff for the web?
I use the ‘click a button’ slicing tool in photoshop to get my design out there so then I can have my design visually while I save my pennies to be able to pay the $$$ cost of having someone code my design.
Am I ever going to claim that I am able to code? No.
But I definitely design things for the web.
I agree with you, but to a point I feel like you’re lumping everyone who can’t code into a big basket of losers.