50 designers, 6 questions
Smashing Magazine, a blog dedicated to covering helpful design and development resources, just turned 1 year old this week. To celebrate, they are having a book give-away. They also asked a series of questions of top web designers, for an article entitled 50 Designers x 6 Questions. It's well worth the read, especially because many people more talented than myself took the time to share their thoughts. Here are a few self-quotes…
One typical myth about web-development:
Anybody can do it. All you need is to buy the tools that the "pros" use. Aka "Why should I pay you, when Dreamweaver costs less, and I can do it myself?"
One bulletproof method to get over creativity block:
Go somewhere that you can observe creativity in a different aspect than your day-to-day environment. For instance, go to a museum or a attend a play. Gain an appreciation for artfulness beyond the confines of your profession, and this will breathe new life into your work.
One thing I wish I knew before I started:
I wish I knew more about process, and relating effectively with clients. What may be obvious to me, in the context of ideas floating in my brain, might not be readily evident to those I am speaking with. As designers, we need to know how to communicate verbally as well as visually. So much of the day-to-day activities revolve around making sure people understand one another, and that doesn't just take place on a computer monitor.