Are You a Web Designer or a Web Decorator?

Jens Meiert, August 24, 2007 / March 2, 2008.

This entry is filed under Web Development, Usability, Design.

This bothers me for a long time yet, it came up when I thought about art and design, and it broke out when Roger recently asked whether we are designers or developers: Our industry is very creative in coming up with new and/or weird job titles, but the most obvious one is missing, namely “Web Decorator”.

“Web Decorator” actually is not a weird job title, it is almost a canonical title of an apocryphal job, assuming that there still are more crucial things to do than decorating. From my experience, it should – or at least could – be the job title for most so called web designers, yet for some developers when they’re doing design stuff or stuffing code.

How to Tell Whether You Are a Web Designer – or Not

Here a two things that basically make sure you’re not just a decorator:

Your designs work.

You care for usability and you do (attend) tests. Form really follows function. As a last resort, you know that there is such a thing like usability testing, and you promised yourself that you’ll focus on it, using the right methodology, sure.
For you, design is not a matter of taste.

You know the reasons why you cannot use certain color combinations even if you “like” them, for example – classic – red and green while not using any other cues to deliver the message. You know that there are people who cannot read black text on “bright-black” background. You know that thick borders might distract and cause noise, as do elements interact. You are certainly creative and intuitive, but you also know what you’re doing. You know that, and you can argue.

Figures

I couldn’t resist illustrating the current situation in our industry concerning web designers and web developers – it’s just a rough, intentionally flawed gimmick by a man who already added the title “web decorator” to his first job.

Web designers, web developers, intersection.

Figure: People doing web design, people doing web development, people doing both.

Figure: The – exaggerated? – truth.

Wonder why so many web developers are affected? Well, let’s rather wonder why so many developers manage to “decorate” code.

I know that I simplified and also overdid, as I often like to, with a reason, mostly. But the thing is, really most of the sites out there do not bear the hallmarks of a professional designer or developer. That doesn’t target private sites covering all topics except web design and development, though, and in other cases, right, it’s sometimes probably explained by the infamous saying (thanks to Ralph Caplan):

A camel is a horse designed by a committee.

Final Words

Don’t feel offended by my prose or my passion. Think about the problem, while there are two soothing things to add: Our industry is still very young, and people new to it cannot necessarily start as experienced, professional designers or developers. It is our responsibility to share experience with them and to lead them. Also, decoration certainly has its legitimation, as it includes an “emotional component” and, when done right, requires skills, too. Good practitioners would need to be called “professional web decorators” – without any negative weighing.

Enjoy the most popular posts, probably including:

Comments

On August 24, 17:03 CEST, Sean Fraser said:

After reading this, I say most every Designer or Developer who works in an agency is a Web Decorator. What would you name a website designed by committee? where Creative Director, Creative Designers, Front-end and Back-end Developers, Maketing and Sales and Client are all allowed to make changes?
On August 26, 19:49 CEST, Jens Meiert said:

Well, that would certainly still be a website, but probably not designed, but, you name it, just decorated. We often observe exactly that, don’t we?
On August 28, 14:30 CEST, NathanaelB said:

Sean, I just invented a new role by misreading your comment; “Back-seat designer” - so appropriate for some people don’t you think?
On August 28, 20:07 CEST, Vlada Milanovic said:

Good point, Jens.
and theres a lot of websites, that are visually very appealing, but rather decorated, than designed.
On August 29, 1:44 CEST, Steven Turner said:

I would consider a web designer to be someone who solves a problem using websites. A web decorator would probably be more of an artist, someone that creates something that looks nice but doesn’t solve the given task, i.e selling promoting etc. I view developers as coders. People who build websites are probably a combination of all three.
On August 29, 3:07 CEST, Geoff said:

“A camel is a horse designed by a committee.”

It’s a pretty stupid quote really. Camels are superbly adapted to the desert and and stronger than horses, faster over long distances and have much greater endurance.
On August 29, 3:07 CEST, KatB said:

And yet, we still miss an all-encompassing name for web developers, web designers and web decorators.

Are we web builders? Or do we refer to ourselves as web professionals?
On August 29, 5:17 CEST, Viking KARWUR said:

Thanks for this articles…

I think I’m Web Decorator
On August 29, 9:04 CEST, Jens Meiert said:

Thank you, guys, and I’m glad to hear that there’s certain consensus concerning this issue!

Geoff, well, just consider that what you wanted was a horse, not a camel, meaning that it’s not about the characteristics of the outcome if it’s not what is necessary and/or desired.
On August 29, 12:37 CEST, Steffen said:

For a colorblind viewer, web designers and web developers look just the same.
Ironically, the first figure reflects what a decorator would produce - according to your first rule of thumb
On August 29, 12:45 CEST, Jens Meiert said:

Very observant, Steffen, though you overlooked “intentionally flawed” anyway
On August 30, 5:26 CEST, ray leigh said:

No offence to anyone, but I have yet to see a web site that realy worked to the maximum for the designers client.
Most working under the name of designer/creator/stylist/artist haven’t the faintest idea about designing a web site that works.
75% have no idea how to write for demographic .75% are more concerned with SEO and when they get to the top of the SEO list the design doesn’t keep the viewer interested long enough for them to act positively to the message.
Pretty pictures and colours DON’T sell.

No humour. No idea of business. No strategy. Code crunchers are two a penny. Designers are two a penny. Copywriters few and far between. All of the above very very few. Forget your artistic ego’s and start creating for your clients stuff that works for them!

The Baldchemist
On August 30, 19:49 CEST, benjamin kruger said:

I’m glad you brought up this topic, because I’ve been thinking about it for a while. . .

. . . and I’d say that every site has a designer and developer–after all, they’re all developed (though not necessarily well) and all have a design (though not necessarily an ‘intelligent design’).

What I’d hope to be able to call myself one of these days is a web engineer.

After all, we don’t call them aeronautical designers, or electronic/electrical designers, software designers.

I’d say that designer is a derrogatory term. If your work deserves respect, you’re at least a web producer, if not a web engineer

Or, so that’s what I think.
On August 31, 12:16 CEST, Jens Meiert said:

Ray, right, it’s certainly important to include clients as well, though that may not be an excuse for forgetting about users in any way.

Benjamin, quite interesting … talking about and actually knowing “web engineers” would surely add more professionalism, too.
On November 20, 7:18 CET, Aelizia said:

Hi,
Its interesting and also informative.You provide a great comparison between, web designer and web decorator.After reading your post, i think i am a web decorator.
Thanks for this nice article.
On January 28, 19:16 CET, SeonDesign said:

Well my main field is Web designing , so i would prefer to talk about web designing as i also know very much about web decorating because my girlfriend is a web decorator:)
On March 12, 16:48 CET, Jens Meiert said:

Thanks to Stefan Nitzsche, this post is also available in German.
On March 24, 11:44 CET, Vanja said:

I think this article is true. “Our industry is still very young, and people new to it cannot necessarily start as experienced, professional designers or developers. ” 100% you right.
On April 7, 20:40 CEST, Jens Schulze | Webdesigner o. Web Decorator ;) said:

Jens grüßt Jens .
Ich kenn das. Man arbeitet in einem kmu, betreut die Website. Die Anforderungen steigen und der eigendliche Webdesigner motiert zum sogenannten “Web Decorator” . Die Anforderungen solcher Mischberufe sehe ich als deutlich höher an. Oftmals treffen 2 Berufsrichtungen zusammen die leicht unterschiedlicher in sich bürgen. Aber gerade der “gute” Allrounder hat die Möglichkeit sich besser den Gegebenheiten anzupassen.

bg Jens
On May 22, 13:17 CEST, Jonas said:

web director. yeah.

Jens Meiert