

Crossing the chasm between design and code - chriseidhof
http://chriseidhof.tumblr.com/post/9993172124/crossing-the-chasm-between-design-and-code

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blauwbilgorgel
>> The designer doesn’t always know what’s technically possible, what’s simple
or what’s a good idea.

Print designers coming to the web, often have problems with this. Using fonts
that won't render clearly, justifying columns, tiny gray text on white, a
background that stops repeating after 1600px (the size of their monitor).
Fixed width designs wider than 1200pixels. Very uneconomic gradients.

For someone who calls herself/himself a web designer these problems should be
non-existent. If you don't know the medium for which you design and its
limitations, you are making a flyer in Photoshop, not a webdesign.

Beautiful functional web design follows from real content and interacting with
the page like a user. A web designer who doesn't venture beyond Photoshop will
likely produce very one-dimensional designs.

A front-end developer should know a lot about design. Not as a suggestion, but
as a given. To do a design justice, you have to translate it with care. I see
the need for overlap more for back-end developers and front-end developers.
Back-end needs to understand valid HTML and front-end needs to work with a
template engine and do data requests.

For web designers and front end engineers, a full overlap should be a given,
and it isn't that rare to find one who can do both. Now back-end vs. web
design is a chasm too wide to cross, realistically.

~~~
randomdata
_Now back-end vs. web design is a chasm too wide to cross, realistically._

Why is that?

I have worked professionally as both a designer and developer, and find many
parallels between two. In my opinion, my very best programming work has been
code built from my interface designs. The design process allows me to have an
intimate understanding of the application flow before I write a single line of
code. I find working from the designs of others never allows that same level
of understanding, leading to a codebase that takes longer to make great
(which, in business speak: longer = more expensive).

Thinking back, I started on my path to designer at around the age of five, and
started learning to program around the age of ten, so I have _a lot_ of
experience in both fields. Perhaps someone who doesn't start until college
simply doesn't have enough time to become proficient in both?

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blauwbilgorgel
I think time plays a large part, yes. I also think it is a left-right brain
divide between maths and creativity.

I think people want to be good at what they do. The best designers can either
"waste time" on becoming novice programmers, or they can perfect their core
craft. If they spread too thin, they might soon stop becoming the best.

I guess it also depends on the role you play in a company or start-up. If you
can help out other teams and communicate, that is very useful for a start-up
or small business, but not something I think is appreciated in some larger
companies: You get judged and hired on one core role and are expected to do
that very well. If a big company needs design, they likely hire a full-time
designer, not ask that DBA with a keen eye.

I am sure there are a few hack-of-all-trades that mastered full webstack
programming, data analysis, community management, marketing, SEO, usability,
copy-writing, design etc.. But I also feel it is unrealistic to expect one to
be able to switch to the other, regardless of their individual talents and
expertise.

~~~
randomdata
_I also think it is a left-right brain divide between maths and creativity._

I remain skeptical of that. Perhaps my brain is just mis-wired, but I find
that there is no real divide. What I do find sometimes is that my ability on
each side comes and go in waves. That turns out to be the perfect fit for
software development: When I struggle with logic problems, I can jump and work
on the design problems and vice verse. That way I can stay at peak performance
all the time.

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g-garron
Good post Chris. And if you have to hire one, which one do you prefer. Some
days ago, I've posted this: <http://garron.me/blog/designer-vs-coder-
hiring.html>

