[thelist] Threatened by printies

[Graham Bird]

Hi,

This may seem off topic, but it's something I need to ask. I work as the
only real "web designer" for an old school publishing company. The web team
amounts to three people - my manager is a marketing person, and we have an
assistant. There is also a team of 3 or 4 ASP developers who build and
maintain internet and intranet apps.

The promotional print design department is 8 or 9 strong. They come under
the Communications Director's remit (he's an old school printie), and he is
now pushing to absorb control of the design of the website.

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.

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". Eventually though, I can
see that we are going to be swallowed up.

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.

I fear that because I am neither a developer nor what the print designers
see as a real "designer", I will eventually (maybe sooner than I think) be
left without a place here.

As well as general web design, 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.

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?

Sorry for the long post (and perhaps for the hint of panic),

Thanks for any advice,

Graham