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What are you?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:12 pm
by Jonah Bron
Hello, world!
This is a poll, asking what you do; Design, Development, or both? Why?
Re: What are you?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:19 pm
by Zoxive
Both, I hate making layouts in photoshop though, but Don't mind converting them to html/css.
PHPyoungster wrote:Why?
Because I haven't found a Designer yet.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 4:57 pm
by Chris Corbyn
I'm almost entirely a backend code guy.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:01 pm
by Ollie Saunders
I'm a web developer.
What is a web designer anyway? I've met web designers that don't know HTML.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:38 pm
by alex.barylski
They are very different worlds...I am absolutely a programmer, through and through but I often find myself forced into quick and dirty design moments.
I don't have the magic touch...my art is in writing clean, simple, effective source code and applications. The last time I worked with a guy who claimed to be both, he ended up IMHO being not very good at either. His Photoshop talents were on par with my own (which are better than nothing -- but no where near eye catching) and his programming skills...well...lets just say he didn't have any, except a working knowledge of how to solve basic problems.

Re: What are you?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:11 pm
by JAB Creations
I am a
Professional Web Designer but only an entry level OOP web developer. I just recently started to figure out MySQL and have been working on converting my very flexible serverside templating system to be OOP with a
lot of help from the good folks on this forum!
A web designer must in the very least be able to write raw standards compliant (X)HTML, not make use of document.write, must not have any JavaScript except in separate includes files which are linked via script elements only within the head element, and comprehend how to properly make use of CSS1 for basic layouts (minus positioning which is CSS2).
If someone says they are a web designer and don't comprehend how to achieve that much then they're just copying and pasting whatever they think might work.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 1:37 am
by matthijs
Mainly a front-end guy. Think you can call that a webdesigner. If you'd ask me to go in photoshop to draw a brilliant complicated graphic, you'll have to be patient because it might take a while. The "real" graphic designers would be better suited for that.
But designing websites is not about creating crafty artwork in photoshop. Even though some people think it is. In some cases I might go to a graphic designer and ask to design something, like a logo or some branding work, or some imagery I can use for a website. However, often when a pure graphic designer is responsible for the total design of the website, the results end up being not so good. It might look nice, but whether it serves the purpose of the site well is doubtful.
I also know enough php to build simple website functionality and small applications. So that also makes me a webdeveloper.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:28 am
by alex.barylski
matthijs wrote:Mainly a front-end guy. Think you can call that a webdesigner. If you'd ask me to go in photoshop to draw a brilliant complicated graphic, you'll have to be patient because it might take a while. The "real" graphic designers would be better suited for that.
But designing websites is not about creating crafty artwork in photoshop. Even though some people think it is. In some cases I might go to a graphic designer and ask to design something, like a logo or some branding work, or some imagery I can use for a website. However, often when a pure graphic designer is responsible for the total design of the website, the results end up being not so good. It might look nice, but whether it serves the purpose of the site well is doubtful.
I also know enough php to build simple website functionality and small applications. So that also makes me a webdeveloper.
There lies the difference between a web designer and a graphics designer.
The latter are typically crafty in photoshop, QuarkXpress and designing nice brochures, Flash, etc...
It takes the culmination of two designer talents to properly design a usable web site...or application.
The difference is, CSS and XHTML can be taught -- design is an art form which I am not sure can be learned. It's like having an ear for music...some people just have "it" and others dont.
Cheers

Re: What are you?
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:36 am
by Scrumpy.Gums
I'm a wannabe for both. Don't think I have the skills to qualify myself for either. How sad is that?
I've always thought of a web designer as someone who graphically designs websites and has little or nothing to do with the coding.

Re: What are you?
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:46 pm
by Jenk
Developer, that happens to dabble with web applications.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:23 pm
by Inkyskin
Although I selected the "both" option, I would consider myself a developer first, and a designer second. Even then, my design is nothing compared to a lot of the pure designers skills... (Although a lot of "designers" are actually pretty pants)
Re: What are you?
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:28 am
by JayBird
My job title is Senior Web Developer, but I am from a design background.
I am well and truly right in the middle of being a Designer and Developer. And enjoy (and some times hate) both aspects equally!
Re: What are you?
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:52 am
by pickle
Both - due to the complete vacuum of web experience at my work.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:31 am
by John Cartwright
Same here, almost,
As of late all I've had to produce is standard html tables for all the outputting, and later on a html guy comes along to pretty them templates up
Best of both worlds.
Re: What are you?
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:19 am
by RobertGonzalez
100% developer. I have all the design skills of a blind epileptic porcupine using his arse to draw with an eyebrow pencil.