Should web designers know how to code?
Do web designers who code have more advantages that the ones that don’t do it?
A ‘web designer’ is a wide term, and it all depends on how people perceive this profession: for some of them, it is the guy who makes the amazing Photoshop or Sketch designs, while for others it is the one in charge of HTML markup.
Image source: Vincent Tantardini
Designers who are familiar with coding (better yet, those who really know how to do it) are known to be the ‘unicorns’ of the design world. The reason is that they are rare and precious, and posses an incredible set of skills which enables them to take over a variety of complex tasks.
The so-called unicorns are more expensive than straight developers/designers, but are still very popular due to their incredible set of specializations. No wonder – a client will certainly pay the price in order to avoid the recruitment efforts for establishing a team. Besides, choosing a developer/designer hybrid to take over the entire project will still be cheaper than hiring an entire team.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest advantages of designers who code:
They present a package of consolidated services to their clients
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Remember that hiring a developer to turn your design into a functional website can cost a lot. By providing coding skills, you’re also helping clients, who are now free from looking for a proper coder and communicating with one.
Clients will appreciate that you can offer more skills, and are much more likely to work with you in future.
They offer SEO-compliant design
While discussing common coding standards, we should definitely mention SEO. There has been a lot of discussion about it; and it turned to be the ultimate goal of many websites, rather than a modern, special business feature. Translated in designer terms, it means that a designer is supposed and expected to know it.
Those of you, who are capable of making SEO compliant designs, could add coding on their list of services without any dilemma. One thing is for sure: the SEO badge will increase the price of your services!
They communicate effectively
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Being familiar with the basic coding nuances will enable you to communicate better with web developers. You’ll be able to differentiate between elements that are coded, and those that aren’t; and to prioritize your activities in an efficient coding timeframe.
Developers use a specific techno-jargon which can be a real nightmare to understand. Trying to learn coding, or even making a code of your own, will help you familiarize with the technology that is being applied. That’s how you’ll get to understand what developers are saying, and to participate in their conversation.
Speaking the ‘language’ will also help you to communicate with other developers or to sound really professional while discussing the implementation of the project with clients.
They are incredibly creative
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Not many people associate coding with creativity. But think about it: if developers were not creative, how would they come up with all those amazing websites, complex games, or entertaining apps? Coding is, in fact, like music: it requires a special language that only professionals understand.
It means you have to be creative, and to apply the language in a manner that will lead you to interesting and intriguing results. Basically, creativity is so obviously present in coding, that it opens an entirely new set of design possibilities.
They produce the best prototypes
Interactive prototypes are the most effective way to present your design ideas both to the colleagues and the clients. A creative prototype inspires life to your ideas, and makes all of their brilliance visible. In fact, a proper prototype ‘tells’ the story of your entire design project.
Using a website prototype is much better than static mockups-thanks to prototypes, a website simply comes to life, and it explains people how the design process actually functions. It is the materialization of your design, one that clients can try even before the final project is presented.
They deliver projects in a fast and efficient way
A designer who knows how to code rarely fails to finish a project in time. For instance, he created Photoshop mockups, and cuts images and codes the markup accordingly. That leaves a lot of space for developers to deal with more complex issues.
They know their limits
Image source: Graham Erwin
Coding designers will tell you exactly whether something can or cannot be done. They will also be clear about the complexity of clients’ requirements, explaining them whether something is really worth of doing, or whether there is a more appropriate technology solution that could lead to the desired results.
They present information in a clear and accessible way
Proper coding and proper SEO will always lead to better accessibility. It is a designer’s task to display information in a clear and concise manner, so that it will be visually attractive and easy to navigate. Without proper coding, navigation can really be a nightmare, especially if you’re trying to access the website through your mobile devices.
Learning how to develop accessibility codes is a strong plus for every designer’s portfolio. It is the skill that helps designers understand all considerations that need to be taken into account when designing an easily accessible website.
They understand the medium they are working in
Designers who can estimate the qualities of different database queries are able to make the appropriate response to time tradeoffs. They will estimate easily which idea they could implement, since they have a clear overview on what is easy or difficult to code. At the same time, it would mean they are able to make well-informed decisions; and to understand the role of their medium.
They have a greater control over their work
Designers are artists. As such, they strive to have absolute control over their work, and to see it absolutely translated in a website. Unfortunately, not being aware of the coding procedure could lead them to create something that is not entirely applicable (for instance, adjusting a PSD to CSS and HTML doesn’t represent a 1-for-1 procedure).
That’s why it is essential for a designer to know how to develop a website, and to observe the entire flow and benefits of his product. In such way, they will be ready to respond to every problem; and to implement whatever change/modification they clients are requesting.
Final thoughts
Web designers are supposed to have CSS/HTML knowledge, so that they could create web interfaces that function flawlessly. They are not necessarily required to write CSS/HTML themselves, but simply to know how their markups work. The least that is expected from them is to understand how web layouts are being converted into functional websites.
