[thelist] Threatened by printies

[Viveka Weiley]

At 11:42 am +0100 24/5/02, Graham Bird wrote:
>Hi,

[snip]

>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.

You need a promotion; not for your sake, but for your employers'.

It sounds like the Director is on side. His control is
administrative; use that.
Ask to be made "Information Architect". Even though what you do is
really Design, don't call it that. It sounds like your Design guys
think that Design is making pretty colours and logos. Fine - let them
keep that definition. Get the functional parts of Design into the
definition of Architecture.

You are currently in control of "functionality" - but what does that
mean? Nail down the definition before it starts to mean
"implementation". Make sure you are publicly given responsibility for
"information architecture, interaction, navigation, compatibility,
accessibility, usability". Navigation's a big one - that means you
get to nix their horrifying full-screen flash navigation schemes or
impossible flying drop-down dancing monkey menus.

Be very upfront with your Director about the situation. Don't present
anything in terms of personalities; individuals aren't the problem,
it's a structural issue. Say that you're not asking for a raise, just
for clout commensurate with your responsibilities. Ask that you be
made administratively equal to the Senior Designer in Communications,
and ensure that you get whatever corporate tokens of status will make
that clear - corner desk, office, chair with arms, flunkies, whatever
it is.

Ask to start formal knowledge transfer sessions; one hour, once a
week. Not just from you - although you can start, since you already
have something prepared on cross-browser compatibility and the
separation of style from content.
The Senior Designer should have an extra week to prepare a session on
typography or something. Then you can give one on Typography for the
Screen, which will nicely point out the differences between type on
paper and type at 72-96 DPI with a range of around 6 widespread
well-designed screen fonts. Show how when you blow up 96-dpi Times or
any other Serif typeface, it's become a Slab Serif typeface, and
no-one ever lays out body copy in slab serif. Then one of your
developers can give one on DataBase schema design, then the Senior
Designer will be sick of it by then so you can give another one on
Information Architecture and how to base a site map on a meaningful
ontology.

If you don't get your job description changed in such a manner, start
looking for another job straight away. People with your skills are
highly valued by companies that don't suck.

Good luck,

V.
--
Viveka Weiley, Karmanaut.
{ http://www.karmanaut.com | http://www.planet-earth.org
    http://www.MacWeb3D.org | http://sydney.siggraph.org.au }
Hypermedia, virtual worlds, human interface, truth, beauty.