You are quite right, Hugh. I'm a professional at what I do, and I tell my clients that there's nothing stopping them getting out notepad or Frontpage and doing their own sites. There aren't any secret programming techniques in web sites. But they don't because they're good at running an off-road car parts business or being a professional athlete, and I'm good at developing web code. The exact same argument applies to graphic arts. I own Fireworks and Photoshop, and I can manipulate images well enough to eliminate a background or put it out of focus to make the foreground object stand out, I can colour correct and correct lighting, and I can make buttons, and I can crop pictures to improve composition.
But all those things are mechanical. Anyone, given the instructions, can do that. What takes talent, vision and skills that I don't have is taking a white screen and envisioning something beautiful on it. A blank canvas so to speak and producing a wonderful piece of art, that also works as a web page. So you're right. I ought to be working with a graphic artist, and if I did my sites would look far better. But I work mostly with tiny businesses, for whom building even a brochureware site is something of a stretch. The site just wont pay for two people to do the job. And I'm too conscious of a mortgage debt and school fees and the need to eat to allow someone else to take away some of the money. So I have to do it all by myself whether I like it or not. And in the process I'm learning quite a lot about artistic matters, although I'll be the first to acknowledge I'm never going to make it as an artist. One day perhaps. Cheers Mike Kear Windsor, NSW, Australia AFP Webworks http://afpwebworks.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hugh Todd Sent: Monday, 15 March 2004 11:13 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [WSG] New CSS site Michael, Peter Gifford's beautiful work makes me wonder if I should call myself a designer at all. But what he didn't say was what I have long maintained. The fact that everyone (more or less) can pick up a pencil does not mean that everyone can draw beautifully. In the same way, the fact that everyone on this list either can, or is learning to, make web pages using CSS does not make them graphic designers. I know this is an obvious point, but I would recommend that if you want to make beautiful sites you engage the services of a professional graphic designer to produce Photoshop images of what your site could look like. It will take some collaboration, but when your CSS makes the design come to life you will see how graphic design works, not simply to make things look beautiful but to add intelligence and simplicity (if simplicity can be "added") to the conveying of information. All the best! -Hugh Todd > I’m sorry, Peter, but I hate your new site. I LOATHE it. > > Oh, not because you did a rotten job in my opinion. On the contrary, > it’s so good it reminds me of my own shortcomings in the > artistic/design department. ***************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ ***************************************************** ***************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ *****************************************************
