Should Designers Code

Posted By  JC - Web Design Director20/02/17

Should Web Designers try their hand at development?

A topical question for us, give that our company is split, bang down the middle – Design and Development.
So we ask the question should Designers code and should Developers design?

We are in the fortunate position that we don’t need to – we have the perfect balance of both.  However, sometimes when working collaboratively on a project we can have the same issues that we may have when dealing with a client. The designer may want a project to work in a certain way but be unable to properly articulate.  The Developer may want the project to look a certain way but still have the same problem.

In an ideal world and to answer the question – no, ideally the two shouldn’t cross over, play to your strengths.  If design is your thing, stick to it.  If sitting in the matrix for hours on end is what floats your boat, crack on.  However, and you’ll notice this is a common theme throughout our philosophy and our work, we’ll encourage you to try something, be that little bit different.  Although a little knowledge can be dangerous in some scenarios, when it comes to design v development, I think it’s ideal to have at least a little bit of knowledge, just to ensure you’re not being too unrealistic with your creations!