

The Employable Web Designer - riklomas
http://www.andyrutledge.com/the-employable-web-designer.php

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martythemaniak
I'm curious if most web designers that people here interact with do HTML and
CSS.

At my last job I worked (on a small team) with a programmer who happened to
have a knack for design, so after we discussed how the UI would look/function,
he would do the detailed design and CSS/HTML implementation, giving me the
classes/elements to use in my code.

At my current job (larger team), there is a FT designer just does mockups in
Photoshop, and its up to me to implement the CSS/HTML and make sure it works
in all browsers. As a developer I find that a pretty big waste of my time.

I say this, since if I am ever in a position to hire a web designers, I'd make
working with the tools of the trade (HTML, CSS) a must-have requirement. It'd
be OK if they don't know major browser quirks and need some help, but they
should be able to do the majority of the design themselves.

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ajross
I've always assumed that's just a HR thing. Finding graphics designers is
comparatively easy. Finding ones that know the technologies well enough to be
productive in them is much harder. Likewise finding web developers is easy,
but ones with a design sense much harder.

Unless you're a "rock star" employer (Spolsky, 37signals, etc...) who can
choose from an enormous pool of candidates, you're going to have an easier
time staffing teams of unitasking employees than you are finding generalists.
It's not that either side "can't" learn the techniques of the other, it's that
in practice they don't, so the ones that do are hard to find.

You go to release with the team you have, not the team you want, basically.

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radley
With all due respect, many of the required traits listed take years to develop
and are never expected from entry-level designers.

It's an interesting wish list. Almost 37Signals-ish in attitude.

Link bait?

