design concept (was RE: [thelist] IE Headaches (Table/Imagelayout) +CSS)

Joel D Canfield joel at spinhead.com
Mon Dec 27 17:25:39 CST 2004


> I suppose it really depends on how much one values their 
> time.  I'd rather
> spend a short amount of time cutting up a brilliant design 
> that was designed
> to work within a more hack-less CSS environment than spend 3 times the
> amount of time trying to make some "pixel" perfect design work cross
> browser.  

I don't do 'pixel perfect.' That's print, and it's my job to educate the
client/designer/whoever about the differences between print and the web.
I think it's *my* job to negotiate the compromises necessary to bring
the design to fruition. I wasn't suggesting that the designer has the
last word. I'd rather start with a design that was pure blue sky and
then adjust it to fit the real world than to start with a design that
assumed constraints. 

For a designer to properly integrate HTML/CSS/whatever constraints into
their design process, they're going to have to know as much about coding
as the folks who'll code it, maybe more. Otherwise, they're assuming
limitations based on deficient information. I've just seen too many
times (not just on the web) where someone says, "I would have done this,
but I know you can't do that." Whereupon I've said, "Sure we can. Piece
o' cake." So there we are, with someone trying to be helpful, designing
to their perception of the limitations, and instead, we've imposed
unnecessary boundaries.

If you shoot for the moon, you may never hit it, but if you aim low on
purpose, you guarantee it.

joel


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