Why designers and developers need each other

Since I started learning more about the web and how it functions it has really helped me improve my design quality for the web. At first I had a real hard time understanding size and dimensions in making design decisions when creating a mock up for the web. When started Introduction to Web design class, I really enjoyed learning the code and how it works. Seeing things broken down in basic steps and understanding what the web is capable of doing helped me get a better concept on how to execute web tasks.

I really valued that class that I took first semester senior year. The class really pushed me to think about digital platforms and how to develop for them. When I took the secondary course I got into WordPress and started adapting my styles to multiple WordPress templates. I became fascinated with WordPress after I got through the struggles of understanding PHP and how it works. When responsive design came out it took me some time to understand the purpose behind it and how the framework is structured. My first encounter with responsive framework was with Foundation, and it was a whole new language to me. I had to read through the code to see how CSS properties were being applied and how they interacted with elements on the site. Knowing how divs float and how object change size for a mobile platform helped me want to understand it better in creating new websites.

While continuing to use WordPress as my main platform I have not done many tasks that involve designing a site on many platforms and actually creating mock ups for those different screen sizes. I went in and used GuideGuide, a great guide extension for Photoshop, to help me create a structured design that will work well on mobile. I had trouble at first in being able to break my structure and have something more creative and out of the box. Talking with a developer or someone with a background in IT really can help you understand what can and can’t be done.

Designers shouldn’t be expected to know everything about web development (unless they specialize in a certain area). Having your left and right brains work at the same time can be difficult from both a logical and creative stand point. Designers are very creative and innovative, while coders are more structured and logical. When you’re trying to make a website it is hard to break that balance between the two and when you have someone to explain to you technologies like JavaScript, Joomla, CSS3 and other new advances in HTML5 it helps the creative process in making a digital presentation that is more than the standard site.