The Designer and the Developer
Author of this post: Scott Gledhill | About Blog Authors »In the corporate world, we don’t always get to do the fun jobs like we may have done in previous workplaces, during our university days or simply when working on side projects at home on your own time.
Sometimes the task of creating a website is broken down into smaller parts that contribute to a bigger machine. Designers may simply design mockups in Photoshop and pass them on to HTML developers who slice and dice these creations into working websites. This can create an efficient system for large projects and for dealing with hectic deadlines. It can also create some interesting situations between designers and developers who work on a project together that are unique to the corporate environment.
Often developers and designers will know little of each other’s day-to-day struggles and inspirations. I find there are certain things you can do on larger projects to ensure that things between developers and designers go smoothly when working together on a project:
Before Starting
• Set boundaries: Identify what design and development mean to each of you, so that when you come to the grey areas there will be no confusion over who does what.
• Discuss potential problems: Discussing potential development and design issues of the website from each perspective can clear up early communication errors and prevent some problems from happening in the first place
• Discuss project goals: When I start a new project I might want to learn something new while coding a website. This may impact the design workflow, or may just inspire people to think about their own goals. It can be a positive way of starting a project.
Designing for HTML
• Gradients can be hazardous: It doesn’t have to be all flat web-safe colors in your designs but gradients can cause a lot of work for developers. Use them wisely.
• Rounded corners: Perhaps even more hazardous than the gradient, rounded corners are very trendy and can really add a modern feel to websites when used sparingly. However, they can be another headache-inducing design element for the web developer when not used sparingly.
• Pixel perfection: Designers may use a grid to line elements up to pixel-perfect alignment, but a developer has to work with multiple browsers, operating systems and consoles, so the alignment may vary.
• Understand the Medium: Fonts may be different on each operating system, images may be turned off, and email newsletters may show text only. Designing for failure can make or break some projects.
• Compromise: Sometimes you won’t get your way; it’s the nature of working in a collaborative environment. The positives are worth losing some of the smaller battles.
• Listen to your developer: A developer will usually understand how designs may vary in different browsers, how some formatting is not easily achieve with CSS, and other intricacies of web development that cannot be seen from a design in Photoshop. Listen when your developer sounds concerned.
Developing for Design
• Don’t say no to everything: Developers tend to be more conservative than designers on some projects. Try to give the designer some room to play.
• CSS means good design is possible: Try to retain the web designer’s layouts as accurately as possible when working with them on a project. CSS enables complex HTML layouts, and it’s a good feeling for the designer to see a design work out as they had planned it.
• Don’t alter designs without discussion: If you are going to change a design on your own, at least inform the designer or set ground rules at the start of the project so everyone knows what to expect. Common courtesy allows for a better project environment.
• Compromise: Sometimes you won’t get your way; it’s the nature of working in a collaborative environment. The positives are worth losing some of the smaller battles.
• Listen to your designer: Some design elements are essential, some colors are not picked randomly, and some fonts are more readable at small sizes. Your designer understands the subtlety of design, so listen to them when they feel something is important.
Once the project is finished.
• Discuss the results: Once the website is up and running, it’s always good to sit down and discuss how the project went. If you have to work together again you can really help each other out by understanding what worked and what didn’t during the whole process.
• Advice: You are each experts in your own discipline, so if possible it’s always good to advise on what each of you can do better next time to help out the other. This doesn’t always work for everyone, as you have to feel comfortable with each other enough to talk like this, but it’s very beneficial and you’ll learn a lot from it.
August 14th, 2007 at 3:28 am
Top instructions and I know for my business we will have to follow this more closely…
August 15th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
[...] In the last of my series of guest posts on Notes on Design, I discuss relationships that often occur between the designer and the developer at some large organisations where you these might not be the same people all of the time. Head on over and have a read… [...]
August 18th, 2007 at 9:42 am
One thing I’d add for designers: tiny text is not cool, especially not for body text. While it might look nice, it’s horrible to read. While there’s no specific rule about how big is “big enough”, I’d suggest as a baseline “at least 30% bigger than the average designer seems to think is big enough” :)
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:07 am
As someone who is both a designer and a developer, I can attest to the truthfulness and correctness of these tips. But I would add one more.
Work together to try to find a compromise. Often times from a developer standpoint a certain design element may not seem possible, while from a designer standpoint a developer’s assertion may not seem reasonable. The truth is that if you work together, you may find a way to actually make that design element or developer assertion work, or you may even find something that works even better.
Working together and listening carefully and objectively will, with time, make for a better team as each side learns a little more about the processes and requirements of the other. When a designer learns a little more about what can and can’t be done, he/she will begin producing better designs, while the reverse is also true.
Always remember, there is no room in a successful venture for an us against them mentality. The mentality should be one of team work.
September 1st, 2007 at 4:29 am
let me add one more. STAY CURRENT.
this product of art and science, this medium we call the web changes by the hour. designers HAVE to look for that pop and sizzle that sells a web site, developers HAVE to find methods to get that message into scripts. As a developer, one colleague of mine keeps a journal of designs, or web pages he admires. as a developer I write notes about them. what I can do, how i think it might work, what I need to learn. weather permitting, we meet once a quarter to review. the deal is dinner for four for every new page I can bring to life.
I can hear the squishing of boiling grey matter now. “didn’t they hire you to perform that task?..” “aren’t you responsible for your education?”.. “why should the designer pay..” Truth of the matter is that we both get something from this. the wives get a dinner out, I get to focus my efforts, make bold promises, and reach a little higher, he gets his ART closer his wishes, and we both advance our careers. you didn’t think the company really cared about your career did you? even if you own the company, each project demands more of the ho-hum, push this boulder uphill, get it done spirit from us NOT, i repeat NOT to be a beacon for your career.
October 13th, 2007 at 11:44 am
[...] Designers and developers often seem to speak different languages to one another. This article gives some great tips on how to communicate effectively and hopefully make your project work. [...]
October 13th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
[...] Designers and developers often seem to speak different languages to one another. This article gives some great tips on how to communicate effectively and hopefully make your project work. [...]
October 13th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
[...] Tim Berry wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptDesigners and developers often seem to speak different languages to one another. This article gives some great tips on how to communicate effectively and hopefully make your project work. […] [...]
October 13th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Great article. Designers for today’s web need to think like developers as well (and vice versa) in order to stay afloat. I don’t believe anyone who considers themselves a designer can get away with no knowledge of XHTML & CSS standards as well as the various common client side dev tools out there, such as jQuery and Prototype. The line between designer & developer has certainly been blurred in the last few years. And that’s a good thing.
February 18th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Do not be quick to offer big discounts to secure a web site design job….
The web site design industry is one of the most competitive around. Try to advertise for web design services and you are up against a host of competitive suppliers, one cheaper than the other….
April 18th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
PLR Articles - Monthly Private Label Articles…
Private label rights articles is another form of outsourcing your articles writing to other…