The Design Center, DT&G Web Design & Review  

Are they reading?

... or are they surfing

Fred Showker

You can do the leg work...
      If you want, you can spend hundreds of hours... you can go all over the web and see hundreds of pages of what various so-called experts describe as "design" for the web. You'll be amazed at how many never even touch on design! They're all wrapped up in html and gifs and frames and shockwaves and lots of mind polluting clutter. Evidently they either don't care, or didn't know that html and gifs have nothing to do with designing for the web... or any monitor for that matter.

We've been cruising the nets - hundreds and hundreds of hours. I gathered over 400 pages just preparing for several conferences -- more than 25 megabytes of reference material. I'm flabbergasted at what some so-called experts are passing off as "design".
      (I mean have you ever heard of an "outdent"? Hello... is anybody home? If they're talking about hanging indents that's fine... but not necessarily recommend for good design!)

The frightening part is that many readers will come along, read it and take it for gospel. I'm not even going to mention URLs ... for fear that you'd go there and accidentally read the darn stuff.

Tools are tools...

Sure, designers need to understand the tools and the limitations of this new medium. And, let me say there are some excellent training sites out there. (We'll give you those later.) But html and gifs are production matters. If you want to learn those, sign up for Lynda Weinman's Hands-On Training courses.

Of course, along the way, I'm going to show you some html goodies and graphics tips -- how can I resist. But we (you and I) will concentrate on WHY rather than how.

It's About Information Architecture

Architects don't have to know how to use a mortar trowel.
      The fact that a trowel is used to lay bricks is of secondary importance to the design of a building or facility. I don't ever remember any noted design mentors mention how to use a waxer... or how to find the format menu. Do you? Design is design --if the handbook on the shelf says "designing a web page" then talks about html, you may need it... but it isn't a design book.

Some will take me to task for this essay. That's good. And, I do not want to discourage you from exploring every designer's site on the web. You need to do that in order to broaden your own experiences. What I will do is ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. If you can provide answers, then you're on your way. If not, I will.

If you'd like to argue, or contribute, I'm just a click away. Please note just which page you were on.

continue with The "Hits" Myth

Fred Showker toured with DGEF (Dynamic Graphics Educational Foundation) from 1989 through 1995 conducting seminars throughout the U.S. on Creative Layout Techniques, Web Design and Newsletter Design.

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