On May 25, 2007, at 7:08 AM, Stephen Kelly wrote:
On 25/05/07, Stuart Foulstone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Since there are increasingly many different browsers/hardware/OS
all of
which will present your design differently, designers "actively
styling
pages as they see fit" are not second-guessing users - merely stating
their preference.
Or expressing themselves, or communicating. One text size does not
fit all.
And most users don't want to decide for themselves, even if they can.
Design always has to adapt to the constraints of the medium. In print
the presentational constraints are very different for, say, a
newspaper printed in black ink at 85 lpi on newsprint, vs. a high-end
magazine printed at 200 lpi in 4c (or more with spot colors) at 200
lpi. An ad designer producing a piece for both would not insist that
the newspaper adapt to reproduce his beautiful 4c ad exactly as he
conceived it.
Obviously concessions must be made to the medium, and a good designer
understands and adapts to those constraints. When designing a web
page, a designer may certainly have a perfectly legitimate vision of
an optimal version of the page, and I would say the developer's task
is to present the closest possible version of that optimal view in as
many browsers as possible at default settings. The good designer will
take into account the various user display options and will do
everything he can to ensure that the design holds up under those
options. Designers who cannot embrace, or at least adapt to the
medium will eventually be forced out. there's still plenty of print
work.
However, characterizing designers as arrogant idiots, denigrating
marketing people and various other self-righteous (self-pitying?)
reactions that I've noticed from time to time on these threads is
counter-productive. Good designers welcome constraints as a
challenge, so rather than tearing one's hair out behind closed doors,
how about engaging in a dialogue, educate the designer about the
medium? I have found more often than not that once I explain why
something doesn't really work, a designer will gladly collaborate to
find a solution. And, yes, designers, even marketing people, have
legitimate concerns and desires, and the developer has an equal duty
to understand and as far as possible accommodate those concerns and
desires.
If the aim of this group is truly to promote the adoption and use of
web standards, then it would be good to note the moderators' recent
comments and apply them to our interactions with clients, bosses,
designers, even (god bless 'em) marketing wonks.
(Obviously these thoughts do not apply to designers who are
"expressing themselves, or communicating" - those are artists and are
at perfect liberty to be as rigid as they choose. Hence the cliche
"starving artist").
Andrew
http://www.andrewmaben.com
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"In a well designed user interface, the user should not need
instructions."
*******************************************************************
List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm
Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*******************************************************************
