May 18, 2004 | View Comments (20) | Category: Design
Summary: Why it takes more than just design skills to be successful today.
If you wish to be a successful designer today you also have to be a business thinker as well. Plain and simple. If you job consists of simply creating personal sites then you have nothing to worry about. You can design freely to your heart's content. However, when it comes to business sites, designer's should have a clear understanding of the language of business.
As a designer it is silly to only see yourself as a decorator nowadays. Someone who is simply there to pretty things up. Designers must learn to be critical thinkers. They have to understand how their designs will impact their client's business. Understanding what moves business and drives growth is almost as important as understanding color theory and typography.
One gripe that I had with many of my clients was that they were either late with the site content or never provided the content at all. Over time I have come to learn that as a designer and someone who understands the web, that content becomes part of my responsibilities as well. If you are designing for a client that does not have a website how are they to know what type of content works best for the web?
I am not suggesting that designers become full-fledged content producers for the web, but that they do have the ability to help guide their client towards what content is acceptable and will prove to be successful on the web (this is an area of focus for Business Logs). Over the past couple of years I have come to understand what type of content is successful and what content will be ignored by web users. In 8 months I have created two sites (Whitespace and the CSS Vault) that are well on their way to generating over a million pageviews each in less than a year, with another on its way.
As a designer you must understand both the target audience and what that target audience is looking for. Designing pretty websites no longer cuts it.
Clients are looking for designers who can help generate traffic for their site. I don't know of too many people who would enjoy paying for a site only to find that no one visits it. Designers should be able to come up with a strategy that will allow their clients the greatest chance of success.
Does this mean you have to understand SEO better? Yep. This means you have to understand a lot of other web issues better. Keith talked about how web design is not sexy anymore and believe me, if you could convince a client that you will produce a quality site that generates frequent visitors while providing them with a strategy for growth, they will find what you do to be very sexy. Having to take a site from it beginnings and making it successful is a challenge and that is what makes web design sexy.
Many designers worry about their clients saying they have a 13-year old nephew that can design a page for them (I personally haven't come across this problem). However, how much does the teenager know about producing successful websites? Creating a webpage is completely different than creating a successful web experience for both the audience and the client.
It can be difficult (not impossible) for a single individual to pull in all this experience to create a great website. It's assumed that no matter what site Bowman creates that it will look good, but I wonder how great the Blogger experience would have been without the knowledge and experience of the Adaptive Path team to guide the vision (do not take this as a knock against Bowman).
I am learning the value of teams with Business Logs. The rate that we toss new ideas at each other is astounding and it helps us to keep each other in check. Maybe the 2004 designer is no longer a single person, but a group of individuals who are able to cohesively bring their collective skills together. In any case, stop yourself from simply becoming a decorator.
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Phil, web architect is a specific job title, and most designers and developers don't remotely qualify for it.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
I was just thinking about this, in a bit more specific terms. What does it take to be a successful "Web designer" or whatever in 2004?
I'm not sure I think you need business sense. I mean it depends on where you site. A freelance worker, yes, a corporate worker, maybe not.
But, in general, you make good points. It's really too bad they don't teach you this stuff in school. All they seem to teach are tools and becoming locked into to tools can be a scare proposition.
I'll take solid theory and over tools and technology anyday.
Keith (http://www.7nights.com/asterisk/)
I think today's designer has to think of himself moreso as the marketer for a client. To come up with a successful design doesn't necessarily equate to breaking the box on a new design, but rather demonstrating an understanding of what Don Schultz would term the "marketing triad" of marketer, customers and employees - as seen in a broad sense of affliates, vendors, resellers, partners - and how those pieces work together for your client.
I would go a bit further and say that it's imperative for a designer to understand the industry as well.
The article you referenced in the "thinking big" post also alludes to the marketer role by stating in essence it's up to the web designer to develop a long-term relationship w/a client, looking to solve bigger problems than design only.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
A few graphic design classmates in college took a few business courses in preparation for eventually having their own business some day. Looking back, it was a good idea. It made them better "business people" and in turn, better designers because they knew how to design to keep the business going.
Todd (http://www.monkeyhouselounge.com/loungeact/)
I was a business major, and think that some of the courses should be, since they are apparently not already, incorporated in to any web development program. Just from this post alone, some background into marketing would be beneficial for most students.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
For me the truth of the matter is just as you say it - it's not enough to think website, you have to think 'internet marketing strategy'.
If a company has a site, how does it perform? Where does it fail? What is the competition doing? How many people abandon process 'x', when and why?
You are soo right about content too. The web is not a glossy brochure, but not many people get that.
There is room for the designer, the designer/UI person, designer/UI/etc. person, but there is a nice big niche ripe for for the desinger/developer/marketer person or team (and we're in it!).
Mike P. (http://www.fiftyfoureleven.com/sandbox/weblog/)
For businesses, generating a bucketload of pageviews is great. However, transferring those pageviews into sales is even better.
Someone could set up a store in a mall and get 100,000 "windowviews" on a daily basis. However, if you can't convert those window views into an actual visit into your store, and then into a purchase, and then to continued regular purchases and word-of-mouth referrals, your store with 100,000 daily views will still go out of business in relative short time.
As a business person, I think it's great that you've generated so many pageviews for WS and CSSV, what would really impress me though is to know what your numbers are for your bookstore and how the pageviews equate to sales.
*Note: I know you haven't really marketed the bookstore, so I am presenting this as an example only of what I would expect if you were presenting me with a business proposal.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
It has started getting to me that I am glad I was a marketing major in college. I took all the business courses and got my degree in marketing. But I think it has helped develop my mind and the way I think about things around me, whether its just on life or in business. I usually speak to clients / business partners very well and I feel like I get my point across to them in a proficient manner, something some people in the web field are unable to do. Sometimes this is because they are lacking the social skills or are not confident in how they present themselves. I think some people I come across are pleasently suprised when I introduce myself and start talking to them in a business sense or allowing them to get a taste for my personality because they are probably expecting some geeky kid who has worked on computers his whole life.
I have been doing webdesign / minor web development since 2001-2002, but I really feel like my business background has "up'd" my personality and given me more confidence in how I present myself to others.
With my future Juiced Thoughts blog I am putting together, I am trying to market it, I am trying to create a brand for it, just as the 9rules network has been done. The branding not only includes the visuals, but includes the writing behind it, how elements are presented, and like Mark said, trying to convert those pageviews into possible sales. I plan on selling an e-book on my topic of choice, and I hope that my blog/website experience I have laid out for my visitors will convert those pageviews into sales.
I had bought two domains back when I was figuring out my blog, and that was juicedthoughts.com and freshmindset.com . Juiced Thoughts will be my main website, but I have created a small advertising/branding effect with my freshmindset website. Fresh Mindset.
Anyways, I am glad for my business and marketing background, because I think it prepares my mind for turning webdesign/development into a business solutin versus just knowing how to build a website.
Bryan (http://www.gamecubecheats.info)
Bryan - Absolutely.
One of the biggest gains I received (aside from the education) was being forced to do presentations regularly. When I first started, I dreaded the idea of having to speak in front of a crowd of peers, and pretend I knew what I was talking about.
Now, after having done more presentations than I can remember, I have no problems even speaking to a stranger in an elevator.
Projecting that confidence in telling people good or bad news and speaking on an executive level is key to success for the "2004 designer."
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Mark: I totally agree that if you can convert those eyes into dollars you are doing a successful job. I was thinking that when I wrote the entry, but I think the example in my head that I was going for were just sites that rely on pageviews for online ads and stuff.
Its absolutely no use getting traffic to an ecommerce site like Amazon if no one buys anything. With that said my lil bookstore sales about 2-3 books a day now, which isn't that bad :-) No money in selling books, but its an interesting experiment.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
Paul -
Wouldn't it be beneficial for you to put more marketing effort into your bookstore, attach a blog to it as ya'll outline on the BL site, get the numbers up and use it as a case study for your company?
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
JC, you are right. 'Web Architect' is a job title already. I was just trying to get accross that 'designer' really is too small a job title for the resposibilities that Paul gives to it.
I think we need to broader term for a web designer who can also cover these other needs.
Phil Baines (http://www.wubbleyew.com/blog)
Phil, what about "Super Hero"? I amused myself about a month ago and came up with a quick diagram of a web designer's brain. It's probably missing some additional plugins, but it makes my clients laugh and expresses to them that I'm more than just someone who they've hired to "make things pretty".
eris (http://www.erisfree.com)
"Super Hero" huh, I like that. Todays Web Designers are expected to know and do it all. Why should a company hire a team of specialists when they can get it all with one super hero? I don't suppose you can blame them, a penny saved, but I think times are changing. There have been a number of, IMO, really great sites popping up lately, and these weren't done by one person. Let's face it, the most talented Web Designer can't replace a well qualified team. Companies will relize this, and start spending the money, or be left in the digital dust.
Curtis Harvey (http://www.curtisharvey.com)
I know Mike and Paul will kill me for trotting this out again, but I figure I am taking a "convince one person at a time" track...
Job title: Human Interaction and Performance Improvement Specialist. HIPIS (pronounced hippies).
Or, you can choose a job title from here.
Matthew Oliphant (http://businesslogs.com)
I've always been partial to being called "Your Imperial Majesty" though "Your Holiness" and "Your Malevolence" are also acceptable. :-)
Web Integrator isn't very widely used and seems like a decent description.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
I have been thinking much on this topic lately. I have committed myself to a gameplan for launching my own business full-time rather than on the side of my 50hr/week day job.
The more I research this the less I think the success depends on truly great artistic / design ability alone. Don't get me wrong, you have to be good at what you do, but that's just one aspect.
great diagram, Eris!
In all my planning for this venture, I have put little to no thought into what my new design business site will look like, but I've been concentrating more on the infrastructure, marketing strategies and goal setting that will get the company off the ground and successful.
Designing is easy compared to that stuff.
Great post, Scrivs. Thanks again for opening this conversation about "big picture" stuff.
/cm
telerana (http://telerana.f2o.org)
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#1
I agree on everything you say except the use of the term 'designer'. The 2004 web designer is no longer a designer at all, but a 'Web Architect'.
Don't get me wrong, there still are web designers, and their role is much like a graphic designer for the web. But they are just a small part of a larger team. If, things are done right.
Phil Baines (http://www.wubbleyew.com/blog)