The Shrek Model of Web Design
Here is a web design theory : websites are like onions, you see, since websites have layers. And ogres are like onions, since ogres have layers. Websites are designed by web designers. Ergo - web designers are like ogres.
So, let's explore why web designers are like ogres.
Firstly, let's see why we say that websites are like onions, with layers, in the first place - since this is the whole raison d'etre of my argument.
~Websites have an outer layer~
This is the graphical look and feel of the site. This is normally what most people think of when they refer to 'web design'. In order to create this your common, or garden, web design ogre needs to have an artist's eye and a designer's skill with tools such as Photoshop or Fireworks. The graphical web designer needs to have insight into the latest web design styles, He needs to be able to wield shades and shadows and meld them into Web 2.0 flavored onion soup. Preferably soup not made with eyeballs.
~The second layer of a website is the structure~
The structure could be determined through some method such as functional decomposition, where the web designer might start with the main function (home page) and break the site into manageable sub sections so that he ends up with a clear idea of the scope of the site as well as the internal structure. So here your web designer needs to have some knowledge of basic Software Engineering principles. But even more than that, once the main functions of the site have been designed, the functions need to be married to the graphical design in such a way that the system is usable. A knowledge of the principles of good web design and usability (ala Nielson - http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html), and a familiarity with the site http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/ to learn how to avoid making mistakes such as 'mystery meat navigation', is essential.
~The third layer of a website is the dynamic and interactive elements~
Frontpage and Photoshop can only bring you so far. Your web design ogre might find that he simply has to go and kill a couple of nerdy programmers to steal their reference manuals: PHP and MySQL for Dynamic websites, AJAX and PHP - Building responsive Web Applications. And he'd better know that Ruby on Rails is not a gem on a train track.
~Then we get to the content~
The website needs to be filled with good, quality content. Sometimes you are lucky and your client gives you good content. Other times, you'd better start rewriting the techno-speak and corporate waffle and ask your client gently if he can state five benefits of their services. So, a good knowledge of copywriting and a command over the English language will not come in amiss.
So, we have the layers that make a website. The core, though, is the marketing strategy.
~Marketing Strategy~
We all know that it is NOT just a case of 'build it and they will come'. The website needs to be marketed and it can only be marketed if the underlying SEO principles have been kept in mind right from the start - in other words, links are easily followed by humans as well as search engines, all pages have meaningful titles, keywords are gently worked into the content of the pages. Apart from that, someone needs to take the marketing budget allocated to the website (all websites have a marketing budget, right?) and use that marketing budget to get the best ROI for the site - decide on the best Internet Marketing strategies for building links and traffic and then go forth and execute (the strategy, that is).
Now, my question is: Is it fair to expect one person to have all these skills?
Years ago when I studied 'Computer Science' there was basically one job title to aspire for and that was 'Systems Analyst'. If you worked for a really big corporate they might have distinguished between System Analyst and Programmer. (And there was also a career called 'Punch Operator', which strangely enough, has disappeared since today we all are supposed to do our own punching...) And yes, I suppose the 'System Analyst' of that time was supposed to do everything - analyze, build, test, deliver and support the system.
But... tempers fuggit.... 'That was then, this is now.'
Today, there are myriad career paths available for the aspiring math's whiz-kid who sits down for an aptitude test. Anything from Business Analyst to Test Manager to Network Administrator to IT Technician....
And BTW, if you are a COBOL programmer, you are a COBOL programmer. You know COBOL; that is what you do. Nobody would expect you to sort out the DNS entries for the company intranet server.
But the same specialization doesn't seem to have filtered through to the web design arena. I saw a job description just today for a 'web developer' who is supposed to have the following skills: Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash, Swish, .net, C#, MSAccess, SQL design experience, ASP, VB, .net, HTML, DHTML, ASP, XML, CSS, Java script and VB script. And this poor sod is supposed to also maintain networks and troubleshoot Windows servers. And wait for it - this paragon of a web design ogre will be paid what practically constitutes a minimum wage in the IT world. And this is in the corporate world, where they should really know better and where they can actually afford to appoint specialists.
If you are a web design freelancer working for yourself, you'd better be sure that you are well versed in all the skills that go into building the layers of a website...or you'd better start working on a plan to build strategic partnerships with other specialist freelancers. This will allow yourself some freedom to specialize in whichever aspects of web design that you enjoy the most, as well as offer the opportunity to others to do the same.
Christine Anderssen is a web design ogress of multiple talents. You can find her at TM4Y Web Design and Internet Web Hosting for South Africa. After spending 20 years in the corporate IT world she recently started her own Web Design and Development company specializing in custom built Internet solutions for small businesses.Customer Relationship Management Overview
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So, let's explore why web designers are like ogres.
Firstly, let's see why we say that websites are like onions, with layers, in the first place - since this is the whole raison d'etre of my argument.
~Websites have an outer layer~
This is the graphical look and feel of the site. This is normally what most people think of when they refer to 'web design'. In order to create this your common, or garden, web design ogre needs to have an artist's eye and a designer's skill with tools such as Photoshop or Fireworks. The graphical web designer needs to have insight into the latest web design styles, He needs to be able to wield shades and shadows and meld them into Web 2.0 flavored onion soup. Preferably soup not made with eyeballs.
~The second layer of a website is the structure~
The structure could be determined through some method such as functional decomposition, where the web designer might start with the main function (home page) and break the site into manageable sub sections so that he ends up with a clear idea of the scope of the site as well as the internal structure. So here your web designer needs to have some knowledge of basic Software Engineering principles. But even more than that, once the main functions of the site have been designed, the functions need to be married to the graphical design in such a way that the system is usable. A knowledge of the principles of good web design and usability (ala Nielson - http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html), and a familiarity with the site http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/ to learn how to avoid making mistakes such as 'mystery meat navigation', is essential.
~The third layer of a website is the dynamic and interactive elements~
Frontpage and Photoshop can only bring you so far. Your web design ogre might find that he simply has to go and kill a couple of nerdy programmers to steal their reference manuals: PHP and MySQL for Dynamic websites, AJAX and PHP - Building responsive Web Applications. And he'd better know that Ruby on Rails is not a gem on a train track.
~Then we get to the content~
The website needs to be filled with good, quality content. Sometimes you are lucky and your client gives you good content. Other times, you'd better start rewriting the techno-speak and corporate waffle and ask your client gently if he can state five benefits of their services. So, a good knowledge of copywriting and a command over the English language will not come in amiss.
So, we have the layers that make a website. The core, though, is the marketing strategy.
~Marketing Strategy~
We all know that it is NOT just a case of 'build it and they will come'. The website needs to be marketed and it can only be marketed if the underlying SEO principles have been kept in mind right from the start - in other words, links are easily followed by humans as well as search engines, all pages have meaningful titles, keywords are gently worked into the content of the pages. Apart from that, someone needs to take the marketing budget allocated to the website (all websites have a marketing budget, right?) and use that marketing budget to get the best ROI for the site - decide on the best Internet Marketing strategies for building links and traffic and then go forth and execute (the strategy, that is).
Now, my question is: Is it fair to expect one person to have all these skills?
Years ago when I studied 'Computer Science' there was basically one job title to aspire for and that was 'Systems Analyst'. If you worked for a really big corporate they might have distinguished between System Analyst and Programmer. (And there was also a career called 'Punch Operator', which strangely enough, has disappeared since today we all are supposed to do our own punching...) And yes, I suppose the 'System Analyst' of that time was supposed to do everything - analyze, build, test, deliver and support the system.
But... tempers fuggit.... 'That was then, this is now.'
Today, there are myriad career paths available for the aspiring math's whiz-kid who sits down for an aptitude test. Anything from Business Analyst to Test Manager to Network Administrator to IT Technician....
And BTW, if you are a COBOL programmer, you are a COBOL programmer. You know COBOL; that is what you do. Nobody would expect you to sort out the DNS entries for the company intranet server.
But the same specialization doesn't seem to have filtered through to the web design arena. I saw a job description just today for a 'web developer' who is supposed to have the following skills: Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash, Swish, .net, C#, MSAccess, SQL design experience, ASP, VB, .net, HTML, DHTML, ASP, XML, CSS, Java script and VB script. And this poor sod is supposed to also maintain networks and troubleshoot Windows servers. And wait for it - this paragon of a web design ogre will be paid what practically constitutes a minimum wage in the IT world. And this is in the corporate world, where they should really know better and where they can actually afford to appoint specialists.
If you are a web design freelancer working for yourself, you'd better be sure that you are well versed in all the skills that go into building the layers of a website...or you'd better start working on a plan to build strategic partnerships with other specialist freelancers. This will allow yourself some freedom to specialize in whichever aspects of web design that you enjoy the most, as well as offer the opportunity to others to do the same.
Christine Anderssen is a web design ogress of multiple talents. You can find her at TM4Y Web Design and Internet Web Hosting for South Africa. After spending 20 years in the corporate IT world she recently started her own Web Design and Development company specializing in custom built Internet solutions for small businesses.Customer Relationship Management Overview
Business Ebook Internet Internet Marketing Marketing
Motel Inn
2007 Football Schedule
Fountainbleu Hilton
Yachtsman Time Share Resort
Flight Of The Phoenix Plane
Attorney Claim Florida Health Insurance
Discount Crystal Chandelier
Fullest Life Living
0 Intrest Credit Cards
Camera Karaoke System
1 800 Coupon Discount Flower
7 Pack
Apartment Austin Grove
Bali Holiday Villas
Card Christmas Free Gift
Wedding
Zoppini Charms
Lawsuit Maryland Mesothelioma
100 Accurate Psychics
Vegetarian
Hispanic Soccer Players
Construction
Richardson Jewelry Exchange
Company Euronext Extension Hair
Courses In Accounting
Jesus Healing Miracle
Discount Tanning Lotions
Sail Boat Race
Islamic Traditions
Diamond Brothers
Cna Job Description
Jobs Barrie Ontario
Boot Fur Woman
1 Drug Store Online
Fiji Island Kors Michael Perfume
Psychics And Washington
Toyota Of New Bern
Candle Gift Handbag Present Shopping Thanksgiving
Gas Company Rebates
Candid Camera Allen
2008 Calendar October
Apartment Dog Ok Pet Search
Closeup Magic
Control Valve Selection
Radio Frequency Converter
Extreme Sports Game
Caribbean Cruise Navigator Royal Sea
Chew Dog Tooth Toy
World Religion Statistics
Bicuspid Valve
1 Hills Mtv Season
Earring
Today Entertainment News
Park It Wont Stop Snowing Where Your Going
Real38
School
Free Wal Mart Gift Card
Faucet Kitchen Pull Spray
Wedding Reception Location Fort Worth
Chocolate Skateboards
1 History Living Project War World
100 Scene Snow
Swing Trading Course
100 Boy Cut Girl Hair Meet Mp3
Porcelain Clay
Real38
Electric Body Massage
Openings Nursing
Accident Lawyer Orange Truck
Holiday Rental Spain Villa
Compare Carpet Shampooers
Kitchenaide Mixer
Joga Soccer Video
Jeep Cherokee Snow Plow
009 Infocus Lamp Lamp Projector Sp X1
Dish Tv Antenna
Dvd Sing A Long
Poster Story Toy
Care Flower Garden Garden Gardening Rose White
Holidays
0 Gauge Wire
A Bat Baseball Bat
1 Christmas Level Popular Song
Hair
0 Gauge Wire
Hand Painted Christmas Wine Glasses
05 Ford Mustang
Shopping
10 Best Cologne List Man Selling Top
Lighting Pool Swimming Underwater
Hotel And Motel Chicago
Firehouse Casual Living Store
Earring
Xbox Help Live Setup X
Best Cell Cellular Discount Phone Phone Plan Price
0 Apr Visa
Opkomst Customer Relationship Management
Construction
Cheap Kid Bike
Northwest Multiple Listing
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0 Apr Credit Card Offers
posted by foxearth33072 @ 7:28 PM
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