Hacker News Reader

Comment by jinushaun | Hacker News Reader

I disagree. Just to be clear, we're talking web design here in HTML/CSS, not actual programming in JavaScript or Ruby. HTML/CSS creates designs, just like pencils create sketches and paint brushes create painting. Sure, it's hard, but watercolor and oil painting is also hard and has to be learned. Web design is no different.

IMO, in a team, creating the HTML and CSS is a responsibility of the designer. The developers are too busy doing real coding. At least, that's how it works in the design agencies I know personally. It's always a designer that creates the markup, whether a lowly design intern or a production artist. Maybe enterprise and tech startups are different, but that's how it works in the design agencies.

View on HN

I agree with you, what's next after this? designers that can't use photoshop because it is not part of their intelligence type? HTML/CSS is the designers medium and they have to learn how to use it just as a painter needs to learn how to use paintbrushes or a film director needs to learn how to use a camera.

Don't worry, there's nothing "after this". "Designers should code" exists only in the web design field. It's fair to suggest that "Designers that can code are better", but it's not a must in any way. That's the point. :)

I think its fair to say that if you're a designer and you can't code and your work doesn't look like this http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Rembrandt... , It's likely you're just a untalented designer who also can't code.

It's not fair, sorry. ;) I met plenty of designers that can't code, and they are doing great working in pair with developers. :)

Probably you never met amazing designers that can't even put a "." at the end of their sentences.

People are different, with different mind, and intelligences. Forcing such a designer to "code" is just going to destroy his skillset, that otherwise would be of great use in a good and collaborative team. :)

If someone has to be forced to learn/use the underlying medium then there's nothing to destroy, they don't have the skillset to to do the job to begin with and they should probably just stick to doing print layout.

Having worked with designers ranging in skills from pure photoshop all the way to writes app code in addition to markup, CSS and javascript, in my experience a designer that doesn't have a solid understanding of raw markup, CSS and javascript is a liability.

I worked with lots of excellent designers that aren't able to write a single line of code. And still paired in a good team with a developer, they did marvels. :)

So what you're saying is it's cool for someone to only learn half their job if you've got other warm bodies available to cover for them. Eh.

Taken to an extreme this is similar to you saying I'd make an excellent plumber if I could drive the truck and had a couple of helpers that actually knew how to do plumbing.

You can't tell me with a straight face that a designer that doesn't have a solid grasp of the underlying principles of how front end code works isn't going to (at least occasionally) end up cranking out the worst sort of pie-in-the-sky speculative horseshit that's a rugged nightmare to mimic on the web, and every time they do they end up taking a big ass bite out of the project budget when the rest of the team is scrambling around trying to sort out the cross browser issues with the hot mess of a design comp they've just been handed.

I'll pass, thanks.

That's a nice metaphor, but no, we aren't saying that you are doing a job, and actually you don't know how do to it and you have someone else doing that for you. The plumber metaphor is flawed.

I can tell you, because it happen every day. It happens to me every day. And if you don't believe me, just read around the comments from people, here and on the article page, that do exactly that.

By the way, there are also comments of people saying that designer must think a bit over what's technically possible, to innovate. Figures. ;)

The problem however isn't in agreeing or not, but in not being so sure that your point of view is the right one.

And I'm talking with a straight face, yes. :)

That's where we disagree. HTML and CSS are part of the designer skillset, not the developer skillset.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com