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My job does have value... damn you!
Friday October 27, 2006
Let me explain why I get fucked off when people dismiss my part in any given project (usually this one). I will try and be as honest as possible. This post is more a series of rants than anything with any particular flow… maybe I should have got a copywriter in to help me out.
I think the most frustrating thing is that some people assume that a freelance web designer should do everything themselves. Some people give you the impression you are in some way lacking because you chose to hire a cartoonist or illustrator rather than attempt to do it yourself (which in my case would mean badly), or go to a stock photo library and use a photo. These same people will then, sometimes, congratulate you on your choice of content management system… but shouldn’t I have built my own CMS based on the principle that I should do everything myself?
I prefer to work with other people; it’s more rewarding to have other people to bounce ideas off, swear at and have a laugh with. It’s also something I have always done. My first career required that I collaborate with other people to get jobs done, all day, every day. I guess it’s a habit for me, though I admit I am not always the easiest human being to work with.
Some people also seem to assume it is easier to work with other people’s design or illustrations. I think the opposite is true; sometimes working with other people’s designs is much more difficult than working with your own. I think there is a marketable skill in being able to turn other people’s static designs into a working site, or indeed helping a graphic designer with no web experience bring a good, workable UI to the web. Or even being a part of a team that brings a complex UI together.
People’s throw away comments could possibly damage my business because the web is a bit like that. By that I mean if I find a comment saying I had fuck all (or little) to do with a design I believe I played a significant role in I will defend my position; a potential client might read it and believe it. It feels almost like being labeled as some kind of plagiarist or thief.
Most of all though I get fucked off because I need to get my shit together; get a portfolio site together and clarify for people what it is I am. I have never ever called myself a graphic designer though I am now (nearly 7 years on) happy to call myself a web designer. I have enough skill to put together effective websites by myself and I think I have an eye for what is good and what is utter shite but if I want something a bit special I will hire someone with a specific skill to help me get what I want.
I think I get fucked off because I feel that the graphic designers tend to be the overall superstars of web design and I think that’s a dangerous position for us to be in. Web design is not just graphic design, there are a whole host of other considerations and challenges to overcome. In fact I have seen a number of sites where it is clear to me (usually because I know it to be true) that the collaboration between web designer and graphic designer has gone badly wrong; the end result is a site designed by two (or more) professionals that looks amateurish at best.
Joshuaink has put me in a slighty odd situation because it has brought me the attention I so sorely desired but it’s possibly not quite the attention I sought after all. This site was ticking along pretty nicely before the flowers. I was a Brit Pack member before the flowers. I was swearing before the flowers and then I talked to Denis and Denis did what Denis does so superbly and then it all went a bit mad.
I know I need a place to rant and rave and swear but it doesn’t have to have flowers. Maybe it’s time for a change. Maybe I should set the flowers free… hmmm, that’s not such a bad idea… Maybe I should talk to Denis about it.
