[thelist] Threatened by printies
Mark Groen
mark at markgroen.com
Fri May 24 12:08:01 CDT 2002
Content-type: Multipart/Alternative; boundary="Alt-Boundary-13497.4077755"
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> The print designers all went on a 2 day Dreamweaver course about a
> year ago. Some of them came back saying that web design was "easy".
> The course had associated Dreamweaver with Quark Xpress in their
> minds.
I was in the printing industry for almost twenty years before getting into web
development. In the printing industry I was a press operator, production
manager and "fire putter outer" not a graphic designer and I'm not a web
"designer" now either, although I am a web "developer". Buying
Dreamweaver and creating a site only to find it crashed my friends' computer
and took forever to load on anothers modem (less than 56k them days)
convinced me there was more to this than "design" and off I went to school
for a couple years to actually learn HTML, JavaScript, etc.
> Our Director (we come under Business Development) is resisting, but
> the Communications Dept is very strong. So far, the changes that have
> come into force are that the Senior Designer in Communications has
> been given the responsibility for the "on-line visual design, brand
> and image". We still have the final say in terms of "functionality".
I give my clients this same responsibility, and it actually works to my
advantage. In my cases, the clients have had a pretty good idea on what
they wanted their site to look like and what it should contain and I simply
take their efforts and translate that into clean, fast loading images and code.
This is done by intense listening and understanding what they *really* want,
a skill picked up from the printing industry while putting out those inevetable
fires.
> Eventually though, I can see that we are going to be swallowed up.
Nope, not if you play your cards right, see below:
>
> Part of the reason this has come about is that the print designers are
> scared that they're being left behind. In response to this, they asked
> if they could start working on the promotional "micro-sites" we build
> for some of our key products. This has progressed under my close
> supervision, but not as it should have. The printies have been drawing
> up designs in Quark and then handing them over to a freelancer to
> "translate" their designs into HTML. Not only is this a little odd -
> it means that they are learning nothing. They have "done" 4 or 5 jobs
> so far.
This is the crux of the problem. It should be you that is translating these
designs to HTML, it's not hard once you become a developer but as you say:
> I am responsible for our Web Design
> Guidelines and their enforcement, our Accessibility policy and it's
> guidelines, compliance with W3C standards, and I am also the sole
> voice in the organisation for usability. I am good at what I do and
> take pride in our output.
You must know some HTML then right? Did the freelancer produce error free
code to the W3C specs or not? If not then bring that up with the directors.
Again, I would suggest you take on the task of producing the code for these
projects and if you don't know how then yes, your time is limited unless you
get some schooling in a hurry.
> How do I tactfully explain to our Directors (on my side and in
> Communications) what I do, why it is important, and why potentially
> handing the website over to a department of print designers with very
> little experience is near insanity?
I'm not sure how you would do this without sounding like a whiner. Not be to
a hard ass, but it sounds like you've had a pretty cushy job for a while if your
job description is correct and it's time to pull up your britches and save your
company some money by taking on the extra responsibility of doing the work
the freelancer is doing. If you don't, and it was my company hanging onto a
"designer" when there was plenty of designers and graphic artists around
and freelancers willing to take that to design to code then yep, you are out
the door.
Not the answer you wanted to read probably, but you ARE going to be
history with that company if you don't change your job title/description. You
have already been left out of the loop in a big way from the sounds of it and
it sure as heck looks like it will be permanent soon if the freelancer has done
a few jobs. You need to expand your skill set, and if it is already there have
your job title/description reflect that - in a hurry.
mark at markgroen.com
--Alt-Boundary-13497.4077755
<body>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> The print designers
all went on a 2 day Dreamweaver course about a</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> year ago. Some
of them came back saying that web design was "easy".</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> The course had
associated Dreamweaver with Quark Xpress in their</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> minds.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">I was in the printing industry for
almost twenty years before getting into web
development. In the printing industry I was a press operator, production
manager and "fire putter outer" not a graphic designer and I'm not a web
"designer" now either, although I am a web "developer". Buying
Dreamweaver and creating a site only to find it crashed my friends' computer
and took forever to load on anothers modem (less than 56k them days)
convinced me there was more to this than "design" and off I went to school
for a couple years to actually learn HTML, JavaScript, etc.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> Our Director
(we come under Business Development) is resisting, but</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> the Communications
Dept is very strong. So far, the changes that have</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> come into force
are that the Senior Designer in Communications has</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> been given the
responsibility for the "on-line visual design, brand</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> and image".
We still have the final say in terms of "functionality".</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">I give my clients this same responsibility,
and it actually works to my
advantage. In my cases, the clients have had a pretty good idea on what
they wanted their site to look like and what it should contain and I simply
take their efforts and translate that into clean, fast loading images and code.
This is done by intense listening and understanding what they *really* want,
a skill picked up from the printing industry while putting out those inevetable
fires.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> Eventually though,
I can see that we are going to be swallowed up.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">Nope, not if you play your cards right,
see below:</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> </span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> Part of the reason
this has come about is that the print designers are</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> scared that they're
being left behind. In response to this, they asked</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> if they could
start working on the promotional "micro-sites" we build</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> for some of our
key products. This has progressed under my close</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> supervision,
but not as it should have. The printies have been drawing</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> up designs in
Quark and then handing them over to a freelancer to</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> "translate"
their designs into HTML. Not only is this a little odd -</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> it means that
they are learning nothing. They have "done" 4 or 5 jobs</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> so far.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">This is the crux of the problem. It
should be you that is translating these
designs to HTML, it's not hard once you become a developer but as you say:</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> I am responsible
for our Web Design</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> Guidelines and
their enforcement, our Accessibility policy and it's</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> guidelines, compliance
with W3C standards, and I am also the sole</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> voice in the
organisation for usability. I am good at what I do and</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> take pride in
our output.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">You must know some HTML then right?
Did the freelancer produce error free
code to the W3C specs or not? If not then bring that up with the directors.
Again, I would suggest you take on the task of producing the code for these
projects and if you don't know how then yes, your time is limited unless you
get some schooling in a hurry.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> How do I tactfully
explain to our Directors (on my side and in</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> Communications)
what I do, why it is important, and why potentially</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> handing the website
over to a department of print designers with very</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" color="#7f0000"><span style="font-size:10pt">> little experience
is near insanity?</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">I'm not sure how you would do this
without sounding like a whiner. Not be to
a hard ass, but it sounds like you've had a pretty cushy job for a while if your
job description is correct and it's time to pull up your britches and save your
company some money by taking on the extra responsibility of doing the work
the freelancer is doing. If you don't, and it was my company hanging onto a
"designer" when there was plenty of designers and graphic artists around
and freelancers willing to take that to design to code then yep, you are out
the door.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br>
</div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">Not the answer you wanted to read
probably, but you ARE going to be
history with that company if you don't change your job title/description. You
have already been left out of the loop in a big way from the sounds of it and
it sure as heck looks like it will be permanent soon if the freelancer has done
a few jobs. You need to expand your skill set, and if it is already there have
your job title/description reflect that - in a hurry.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><br>
</div>
<div align="left"><br>
</div>
<div align="left"><br>
</div>
<div align="left"><br>
</div>
<div align="left"><br></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">mark at markgroen.com</span></font></div>
</body>
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