

Ask HN: Web designer who codes, or designer + front-end coder? - jsdalton

I'm trying to hire a web designer right now, and in my ad I specified that I was looking for someone who had a strong aesthetic design sense AND who knew had to code (HTML, CSS, hopefully a bit of JS, etc.).<p>Most of the responses I've gotten are from designers who can mock up designs in Photoshop but can't / don't really code.<p>Am I being unrealistic in my quest for this person? Should I instead try to find a designer with strong visual skills and pair them up with a front-end coder who can implement their vision?<p>I also have to confess to a personal bias, that a designer who can't code is just a graphic designer pretending to be something they are not -- and that a true web designer who understands the medium will know how to code it up themselves. I'm not sure this bias is valid though.<p>I'm just curious if any of you can share your experiences with web designers in this regard or other opinions you might have on the subject.
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jqueryin
My experience is that you'll find more front end developers that bridge the
gap than designers.

Personally, I'm frustrated that the majority of designers won't pick up such
simple things as XHTML and CSS when developers are expected to know such a
vast array of languages, conventions, and photoshop to boot.

I think you'd have an easier time if you specified you're looking for a
frontend developer with skills in design. Just ask for work samples, I'm sure
they're up to par.

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bgnm2000
I've been designing for 11+ years, as well as learning code
(HTML/CSS/Javascript/JAVA/ROR). I do consider myself a ui designer first, and
a developer second - but that hasn't stopped me from trying to learn as much
as possible so I can build my vision (nothing is more satisfying that
designing what you want, and then making it work - front end and back end).

That said, people like me do exist - more so as entrepreneurs though. I have
met a few designers who know at a minimum HTML & CSS though. I wouldn't even
look at designers who don't know that much.

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proexploit
I wouldn't be confident that a designer who can't code in HTML/CSS would
understand the restrictions of the medium. I've seen a lot of great "website
designs" done in Photoshop that wouldn't make terrible websites due to load
speed, structure, or other unconsidered elements.

I'd say the answer somewhat depends on the specific candidates and your
budget. There's rockstar designer/coders out there and there's good designers
and coders.

Try hiring a front-end coder who does their mockups in Photoshop. That could
narrow out serial wireframers (wireframes are good, just not when used to
build a design) and help you find someone who's the best of both worlds.

Maybe you're also getting a lot of non-coders because of the location you
listed the job as well. Try posting a job here on HN, asking for a referral to
a good designer or a more established "design+coding" marketplace.

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curiousgeorge
> I've seen a lot of great "website designs" done in Photoshop that wouldn't
> make terrible websites due to load speed, structure, or other unconsidered
> elements.

Agree. We've had designers deliver good looking stuff to us that ended up
being unusable because they put a lot of time into delivering what they
thought we needed instead of just reading the instructions. Tech knowledge
helps eliminate communication problems.

The approach that works for me is keeping things simple and only adding
graphic detail when it improves the look of the service. It helps to give
developers examples of existing graphics to work with when you want a certain
look. When you're looking for something very, very specific you can get an
outside designer to put things together. I'd be surprised if you don't get
responses from this post.

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lovitt
I don't think you're being unrealistic, and I think your quest is worthy. I
work with a guy who fits your description: he designs screens and then
implements them in HTML and CSS. And it's awesome. When those skills are in a
single brain, the result is interfaces that feel native to the web (and not
like pretty pictures that were sliced up and made clickable).

But these guys are indeed tough to find. It might be helpful to advertise for
two positions -- web designer and front-end developer -- and in each
description mention the other skills you expect applicants to have. Most
people I think will naturally be stronger in one area than the other, or will
just self-identify with one job title or the other for whatever reason.
Framing the position in a couple of different ways might help you cast a wider
net.

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prgmatic
You're better off finding a skilled developer who also does design rather than
vice-versa -- it will be easier for you to judge his design skills (which are
his secondary) right off the bat from his work samples than it will be to
judge his development skills.

My opinion is biased though, as I am a developer myself. I think intelligent
developers have enough skills to pick up Photoshop/Illustrator and hack
together great designs, granted you give them guidance, inspiration, and a few
examples of styles that you dig.

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faramarz
I think you're right, those people are graphic designers/designers. Don't
expect them to code, they won't know how.

Front-End Developer/Designer better suits the job task.

I started out as a designer and naturally made my foray into to css and html.
Now I rarely even do mock ups in Photoshop.. and just start hand coding the
css.

But if you're looking for killer UI design, Hire a Designer who does nothing
else. You need a specialist for the best work.

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ryandavies
Hire just a designer, than have me do the conversion into HTML/CSS/JS. Soup :)

