SubscribeI hate when people try to tell other people what they should know, because they’re the supreme consult on the subject.
Case in Point:
http://www.graphicrating.com/2009/05/03/you-are-not-a-designer-if/
You are not a Designer IF:
1. you don’t know what a PIXEL is
2. you don’t know what a mockup is
3. you don’t know what RGB or CMYK is and stands for
4. you don’t know what screen real estate is
5. you only design and never code
6. you don’t know the difference between vector and raster
7. you have only heard about Photoshop
8. you can’t name an alternative to Photoshop
9. you know some cool Photoshop filters
10. you know only a way of selection in Photoshop
11. you don’t know what DPI stands for
12. you don’t know what image formats are
13. you know only JPG and GIF
14. you know some cool effects in Front Page
15. you don’t know what a DTD is
16. you use only HTML Transitional DTD
17. you don’t know the difference between HTML and XHTML
18. you don’t know what CSS is
19. you are inclined of using inline CSS
20. you don’t know anything about typography
21. you don’t know how what a serif is
22. you’ve never heard about W3C
23. you know to code only in Dreamweaver
24. you test your web pages only in Internet Explorer
25. you don’t read web design blogs
26. you don’t use wireframes
27. you have a Mac. ( you are not necessarily a designer if you own a mac )
28. you have no knowledge of design history ( although this is something that can be learned between projects)
I’m sorry, I must have missed the memo where Andy Gongea became the person that defines what a ‘newbie’ or ‘mature’ web designer is. It seems pretty immature and idiotic to put together a list like this and tout your own prowess on a subject in this manner. If this was constructed to in some way show how mature of a designer he is, he’s fallen flat on his face and exposed himself to be a pompous, newbie asshole.
I mean, really, where do you see people doing shit like this? It usually falls under two categories:
- You’re so good you can brag about it because no one can contest your views.
- You’re a novice and try to mask your flaws by bragging about inconsequential crap that matters not to the crowd you’re professing your own ability.
Either way, you’re a total ass, because not any one person knows everything, and any time you start bragging about what you know and others should, you might be better off looking in the mirror to see where you can better yourself (or apply your insanely amazing talents in a more productive environment, such as educating others that don’t quite make the grade in your eyes). To be entirely fair, you can say the same thing about me. Sure, I’m spitting venom, but I’m trying to educate this douche nozzle on what he shouldn’t do, in an entertaining way. It may not be politically correct or prim and proper, since I’m just bashing this guy without knowing his full intent, but I think the conclusion of his blog clears up any ambiguity, and lets me have a clear conscience saying this stuff.
My reason for this post was to better define the thin line between a web designer wannabe (newbie) and a mature web designer. Please share your ideas, things that I forgot to put on this list.
Here’s something to add to the list: 29. I’m a douche bag and don’t really know anything about designing, or what makes a good designer.
Here’s the main point of this rant; when there’s someone like this getting work, http://joshstj.undertwinskies.com/portfolio.shtml, who’s to say what he’s doing is wrong or immature? It may not strike me as something I’d like to make or slap my name on, but if he’s making a living doing it, and more importantly making people happy with his work, he is a mature designer. He’s reached the goal that many of us strive for, which may or may not be standards compliance, knowing what the hell a DTD is or not using an elite editor like Notepad to code our sites; we all want to make money and help people make a presence on the web. If all of those converge, you’ve reached maturity, it doesn’t take a list of trivial shit to proclaim you have arrived.
