Posted on February 27th, 2007 by JJS.
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Sure, you could sit the average person in front of a computer, show them around Photoshop, and they could eventually come up with some kind of web design. However, you’d never even dream about using that design on your website, would you?
Like many other forms of art, web design not only requires creativity, but it requires a good knowledge of your craft. What good is a web designer that can man handle Photoshop if they have no sense of spacing? Not much, but I might hire them to write a Photoshop tutorial or two.
What separates the average designer from the good one? Here’s your answer, in a convenient list!
- Good designers aren’t afraid to take risks - Don’t worry, no one is going to send a hitman after you because you didn’t use a header, two column, footer approach. I can’t count how many times that I’ve received a sketch outlining how my client wanted his site laid out, strayed from the sketch, and the client still loved it. You’re the designer. If you have an idea, tell your client the idea, show him how it can be implemented. Chances are they’ll like it (provided it’s not a crappy idea)! Oh, and to anyone hiring someone for web design work: Design sketches are great and all, but leave the designer room for creativity. You’d be surprised what they might come up with. We’re not as stupid as you might think.
- They can think like a coder - Having knowledge of not only design, but coding (front-end and back-end) is something every good web designer should look to obtain. Once you’ve been to the other side, there’s no turning back.
- They get into the audience’s shoes - What does your target audience want to see? Surely, if a user visits a site looking for a great cooking recipe, and is confronted with a 400 pixel high super-shiny-cool flash intro, he won’t stay around very long. Good designers can think like the audience; they know what their audience is looking for and how to deliver it.
- Only light doses of inspiration - Let’s face it. We’ve all used a CSS gallery as a source for inspiration at one time or another. There’s a (not so) fine line between inspiration and being overly inspired. Here’s a rule of thumb: if you just print-screened a site to ‘use as inspiration’, you went a little too far. A good designer can gather ideas from a source, and use them effectively in their own way. Inspiration is a great thing, but don’t overdo it.
- Balance between readability and aesthetics - Sure, your design looks amazing. But can you read the content? It’s often forgotten that there’s someone else on the other end of the site you just created; someone who is there for the content, not the sweet looking navigation. A good designer acknowledges this, and designs accordingly.
- A good taste in color - With all these new color picking websites coming out, this isn’t so important to the average designer. However, a good designer shouldn’t need to use the sites. Knowing basic color theory, being able to pick a color palette that works, and knowing why certain colors work and some don’t, are all essential to being a good designer.
- In moderation - Everything should be regulated, and it’s no different in design. Overuse of effects and elements gets boring and can just look flat-out horrible. The good designer knows when enough is enough.
Being a good designer isn’t just about making something that looks pretty. It’s much more than that. Being a good designer is being able to present information in a readable, aethetically pleasing manner. It’s knowing who’s on the other end. It’s knowing what your client wants, and balancing that with what they need. Above all, it’s having the ability to get the message across.
I hope you enjoyed this list, keep checking back for more updates!
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Like What You Read? Show Some Love - Digg it!
February 27th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Very interesting article. You’ve hit several majors points that everyone should consider when making a website. Knowledge and presentation is everything.
February 27th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
“They can think like a coder”
Being a coder myself this is the one thing i appreciate most and so far your the only designer that seems to have this appreciation for the code side of the design.
Being a good designer means creating visually appealing designs, being a GREAT designer means making the design practical to code up and use.
Good article, looking forward to what comes next.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
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March 6th, 2007 at 6:22 am
I do inspire a little bit, but I would have to over inspire. I only ever print screen pages for the colors, and I probably scrap 90% of the designs I do.
April 1st, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Great article with lots of good points.
April 20th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
“Here’s a rule of thumb: if you just print-screened a site to ‘use as inspiration’, you went a little too far.”
I disagree with this entirely. In fact, if I see a nice detail on a site, I’ll screenshot that detail and file it in a separate iPhoto library that I keep for just search a purpose. We’re all solving the same problems over and over and over. If we don’t allow ourselves to learn from the various ways others have effectively solved a problem, we’re doing ourselves and our clients a great disservice.
August 5th, 2007 at 12:08 am
[…] Quote from designersmind.com Being a good designer isn’t just about making something that looks pretty. It’s much more than that. Being a good designer is being able to present information in a readable, aethetically pleasing manner. It’s knowing who’s on the other end. It’s knowing what your client wants, and balancing that with what they need. Above all, it’s having the ability to get the message across. designersmind.com […]