Granger

I was wondering what you all thought about what it makes to be a good web designer. What are the qualities that you need to be good? How can you separate yourself between being good and great?

Avix

Patience of a saint for one thing... can be so frustrating when you create a fantastic design and they start requesting loads of stupid changes.

Or when you code it then they ask for things that are really bad for usability despite advising against it.

That is assuming you mean a web designer that provides services. In general I think attention to detail, clean valid code, quality unique designs etc.

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Anthony

I'm producing an article hopefully for my blog related directly to this issue, I'll publish the link and article here if that's allowed by the staff.

Either way, it's a large mix of different traits and qualities.

Dependant upon if you're a freelancing web designer or a company employee, different skill sets and responsibilities are relevant.

Super Mod

I agree with you a lot here. One of the problems with me when I do design is that I tend to try and modify everything for hours. I tend to end up with something worse than what I did originally. I definitely need to work on my patience when I do web design.

borsaid

No need for patience if you're the one that pays for the design!

But, to answer Granger's question, I think I can sum it up with one word: Vision

It's something I lack but wish desperately I had. To be able to see a layout, color scheme, images, logo type/design put together nicely. . .. aaaaallll before they even exist? Brilliant. . .

John

What are the qualities of being a good web designer? First of all, you have to know what you're doing and if you're doing it correctly. If people criticize you, take their criticism into consideration and try to improve yourself. If you improve yourself, it's obvious that you're better. Keep doing the same things, ask for help and see if you can improve more and more. Good luck.

Tucker

I completely agree with John on the criticism part. Some web designers take criticism the wrong way and get angry with what the other person has said.

I think web designers should have a sense of what the client is looking for too, if the client gives them bad information, it isn't really the designers fault.

Josie

I'm in agreement, as well. You need to be flexible and willing to accept criticism if you want to succeed. You may think the concept the client wants sucks big time, but if you want to make the money from the job, you'll have to bend to their vision.

I really envy the truly great designers, and there are so many of them out there who don't get the kudos they deserve, who can take a concept and come up with a design idea in a couple of hours. It's a talent that I think you are born with ... can't be forced. Unfortunately, I don't have it. I worked with someone in a company who was so good at design it was enough to make you cry. You'd give her a concept and she'd come up with 2 possible designs within hours, both of which were usually superb and hard to chose between. I'd send her an email for a graphic for the website and get a unique original back in 10 minutes. She was really wasted there and hopefully has gone on to greater things on her own.

Anyway, I digress. Great web designers I think have to already have the talent. A good web designer, on the other hand, can be made. You need to know design basics, but even more important, you need to be able to be flexible to the client's wishes. After all, they're paying the bill. And, yes, I hate it too when a client wants something that is ugly or just won't work, but I'll just talk to them about it once. Then it's their decision.

freeosin

Haha, i have a couple of sites like that now, where i think the idea sucks, and though i have attempted to explain what they should do, they stick to their plan. Kinda makes you not wanna put your name on the design though haha(websites especially). Has anyone else had that problem?

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John Howard
john@sixtysecondtrack.com

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darren

As stated I think that patience has a lot to do with it but also you have to be creative. Of course been handy with programming languages and illustrator/photoshop helps.