Conclusion
What does it really feel like to be a designer in this
industry today?
Well, let me ask you, what was the most rewarding aspect of
the last project you finished? My guess is that the answers will be
incredibly varied, from solving a particularly difcult interaction
design problem, through to some really well constructed CSS.
Modern web design is a discipline that spans a huge range
of skills. Often though, the wider the span, the thinner the
knowledge. That needs to change.
Graphic design has such a rich, and useful history. For example,
elements of modern typography and typesetting have evolved
over hundreds of years. Having at least a basic understanding of
this heritage of the craft is going to arm you with some of the right
tools to make a diference in your daily work.
The craft of graphic design has changed little in the past fifty
years. We’re still communicators. We still use colour, image,
type, illustrations and layout to tell the story for our clients or
customers. Language is still the vehicle for communication on the
web. We still use research to inform our decisions. One of the few
things that are diferent is the delivery medium: the web. And with
that diference comes one fundamental change.
We don’t control the content, the users do. The data is theirs to
do with as they wish.
Graphic designers have long been in control. We take the brief
from the client. We control how that message is conveyed. We
control the type, the imagery and the production. We spend a long
time getting it just right. Then along comes the web and gives all of
that control to the user.
