Is it important that web designers need to know how to code?What are the advantages of the web designer who codes? The term "web designer" is a subjective matter. Many believe this person is responsible for doing web layouts in Photoshop while others think of him or her as the one who does the HTML markup.
In the field of web development, there are arguments and opinions whether a web designer should know how to code or this person should just focus on his/her craft by creating quality web design layouts.
Everyone has his or her opinion about it and there are probably a million different scenarios and experiences that might make each theory or opinion true.
When I first started in web design, I really don't know how to code. I was clueless about HTML or CSS. All I knew was to create web page layouts and align elements in Photoshop. Then one day, it hit me: I realized my curiosity had grown stronger as I had seen a lot of articles and blog posts written about how to really get into the code. I began wondering how these geek guys do these beautiful websites.
So I jumped in front of my computer and searched for good tutorials to get started on how to code. To my disappointment, most of the articles I found only offered the basic knowledge such as how to use H1, H2, anchor tags and so on. Then one year later, I found one guy who trained me and turned me into at least a newbie web designer and the rest is history.
This is my own experience; yours might be similar or entirely different. But, admit it, what you don't know is bound to hold you back from learning.
Yes! You heard it right. I know my statement might cause more than a few good and bad reactions. Some of you might look at me now frustrated and angry. Before you pass your judgement, I encourage you to read this and understand as I talk about why I think that web designers should learn how to code.
What's holding web designers back in learning how to code?
Before we dig into the reasons why web designers should learn how to code, let's check first what are the reasons why some web designers just want to focus on designing. Below are the main reasons that hinder a web designer from learning to code.
1. They enjoy graphics more than codes. Some web designers tend to focus on their artwork and illustrations and have more passion on the creative aspect of the website. They love to create stunning web layouts by choosing the right fonts, color, images and icons, but don't want to deal with the coding aspect to make their graphics alive and real.
2. No time to spend for learning. Several web designers find it difficult to learn coding while others can't keep up with a fast pace of development. They think that if they spend time to learn coding, they might be left behind when trending design concepts are being talked about. They believe will not be able to improve their creative skills.
3. They think it's hard. Some web designers think that they would suck at it that's why they became afraid to try. Learning to code is a process just like a flower takes time to bloom.
Why web designers should learn how to code
Now that we know what hinders a web designer from learning to code, let's now jump on why a web designer should learn coding.
1. Flexible roles for each project. If a designer knows how to code, he can easily change roles with a web developer. Developers can be web designers too and if a web designer knows how to code, he can also work on the coding aspect too. Since the two can switch roles, both are making the process more flexible and efficient.
2. Fast and efficient delivery of projects. It would make a lot faster to finish a project if a web designer knows how to code it. For instance, when a web designer creates a mock-up in Photoshop, he can easily cut the images and code the markup. The web developer then can focus more on the complex issues.
3. Efficient technical communication. If a designer knows how to code, he can easily interact with the web developer and talk about codes. In that case, the designer will be able to help the developer with minor bugs and updates on the codes of the site.This will make the team more efficient, saving more time, thus, delivering the projects on time.
4. It's not a rocket science- it can be learned. When I started learning how to code, I was thinking that I was not born for it but later, I found it exciting and enjoying. Learning to code is really not easy but it's also not that hard. Everyone can learn it.
5. The key to the next level. When you're learning how to code, you begin to think logically. This would lead you to learn more coding languages and techniques since you already have an experience on how to code. Eventually, you may learn the skills the web developer has.
Curiosity: Key to Learning
Based on my experience, it all started when I got curious on how to code. Being curious made me search and look for tutorials that led me to learning. I love what Walt Disney once said: "When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do." Exactly true!
The power of curiosity makes everything more enjoyable to learn. Start being curious before it's too late.
courtesy: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/inspiration/web-designer-who-codes/
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