Wannabes and sellouts. I really do not like sellouts. I believe that certain principles have to be adhered to no matter what. If you take on a specific assignment (for money) then you will do your very best to complete it. And you will largely follow the unwritten practises in that particular field. Not so much in methods and ethics but in esthetics. A painter never stops painting until he feels he is done. A gardener doesn’t leave roses without pruning and so forth. You have a sort of professional pride.
I guess it’s no use beating around the bush here and time to get to the point. That introduction was really awkward anyway.
My insight into professional webdesign is limited. But that which I have seen and heard so far startles me. Behold the inefficiency. The indifference. The nonachievement.
It feels kind of typical for a relatively new frontier like the wired world. It’s a gold rush for scammers and hacks that want to make a fast buck. And I’m not so much questioning the design either as much as the pretence. And not to forget the attitude. With a little humility, anyone’s shortcomings can be accepted and loved. But these people are far from humble and thus virtually impossible to come to terms with.
Common flaws:
Overcharging. the oldest scam in the book. Webmasters who get paid for work they do not do or hosting companies that prey on people’s naivete. It’s like those tourist shops in Spain where you can buy a can of air to bring back home with you.
Straight eye for the queer guy. Or whatever. Some people are just better suited because of training / experience. It’s not a trait. Traits are vaporware overall. But it’s just as stupid to hire a design clod as it is to populate an armoured regiment with ballet dancers.
Power to the people. Letting the average joe blo build a site just because the site will be about him is a crappy idea. We have division of labour these days. And for a good reason. Let people participate on your own terms but never run the project.
Joint efforts. Having a group of people get together to do this one thing is folly. It’s like trying to read minds. Creative work is not a group project. Brainstorming is. Use people wisely. It’s reasonable to have someone do the things you cannot but having an overlap is a really bad idea.
Nonparticipants. Allowing someone else dictate crucial parts of the site. Someone that has got no clue about design and the technology, what can be done and what cannot. The act of “design” is “the act of working out the form of something”. Not being a lackey that does someone else’s bidding. That being said, you obviously have to listen to the customer, but both should realize that that customer is rarely right. That other proverb on the subject is total bogus. If the customer was so right in the first place he wouldn’t come to you. And you both know it.
Filed under Uncategorized by Björn Hallberg 4 years, 2 months ago | 216 views
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