A recent twitter conversation on webdesign and education, captured with the help of storify.
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On web-designers „We live in a world of hobbyists & the majority of our peers are hobbyists parading as professionals.“ http://bit.ly/r2Y15z |
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@GoranSoderstrom Did you read the article? Some bold statements I’d never dare to make but explains the plenty of articles on the web. |
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@kupfers Yes, wonderful article. On daring or not: You have backup, so you should definately dare to speak out more. |
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Sad but true: We live in a world of hobbyists & the majority of our peers are hobbyists parading as professionals bit.ly/r2Y15z via @kupfers |
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@rnkeller @kupfers Have we always lived in a world of hobbyist, or is it only due to the relative ease of use and affordability of tools? |
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@kupfers some good points, but unfair to single out web designers. Same gpes for almost any industry or profession; e.g. Architecture. |
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@rnkeller @kupfers #2 is a good point. Hard to know whether someone actually has stuff to show, or too busy working to have stuff to show. |
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@rnkeller @ilovetypography @brampitoyo It has always been around in all professions (think DIY). You usually get what you“re willing to pay |
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@rnkeller @kupfers @ilovetypography DIY had always done it for the love, no? While „experts“ I“m not entirely clear. Notoriety? |
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@kupfers @ilovetypography @brampitoyo Yes DIY was always there; but the claiming to be ‚expert‘ is different, & probably newer. |
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@ilovetypography @brampitoyo @rnkeller Architecture however is a different case, very restricted and „proprietary“ profession over here. |
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@rnkeller @kupfers @ilovetypography Perhaps it“s the physicality of the subject that led to less architecture posers, compared to gr.design? |
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@ilovetypography @kupfers Print design had/has the same issue… everyone w/ a computer can ‚design‘! |
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@kupfers @ilovetypography @brampitoyo Professions with certifications seem more immune, but that’s the point right? |
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@kupfers But in professions like print design, there was a difference in aesthetics between pros and amateurs due to production methods. |
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@kupfers On our leveled playing field, the differences are much more nuanced and easier to hide through being a good salesman. |
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@blancpain But this article especially points out the difference in aesthetics in webdesign. Production methods don“t matter anymore. |
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@kupfers I felt it was mostly about taking the right approach, whatever that means. Deep vs. shallow approach to design and all. |
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@rnkeller @ilovetypography @kupfers Sure, but among web designers not having a design ed seems more common. Were schools too slow to adapt? |
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@ninastoessinger @rnkeller @ilovetypography @kupfers WERE too slow? 90% of them still are. |
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@blancpain @ninastoessinger You don“t need a specific education in design. If it“s a good one it prepares you for all tasks + media to come. |
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@kupfers @ninastoessinger Problem with that is people need to learn on their own after school. Most don’t, and it’s not enough anymore. |
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@rnkeller @kupfers @ilovetypography @brampitoyo So we need Type Design certifications? I want a badge or special profession card! :D |
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@aaronbell Have Noordjiz, Carter and Frutiger sign your visiting cards? :) |
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@aaronbell Surprised no one has made a Reading Mafia pinky ring yet :P |
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@rnkeller Maybe it should be a decoder ring. For the secret messages you know! |
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@aaronbell I don“t think so. The mob will sort that out. |
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@kupfers @ilovetypography @brampitoyo @rnkeller In Norway, anyone can pose as an architect. There’s no license. |
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@frodebohelland Pose maybe, but also build as in „hand in the plans and apply for permission at the buiding inspectorate“? |
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@kupfers No, but designers surely can :) The Norwegian police recently spent 26 million on a new website that had to be replaced in a month. |
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@frodebohelland I was writing that architecture is fairly „safe for experts“ because one needs constructible evidence. Not true in Norway? |
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@brampitoyo @ilovetypography Plus the costs involved and security/liability/insurance risks that everything crashes during next earthquake. |
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@kupfers @ilovetypography Working like this naturally led to attention for craftmanship, because it means safety of others. I.e. my mother. |
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@kupfers @ilovetypography The thesis: when lives are at hand, one can“t fake expertise. Hobbyists claim because there“s no danger involved. |
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@grillitype @ninastoessinger @ilovetypography @kupfers Most of the older faculty probably still doesn’t understand web design. |
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@rnkeller @grillitype @ninastoessinger @ilovetypography @kupfers Most of the younger ones don’t, either. |
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@typeoff @grillitype @ninastoessinger @ilovetypography @kupfers …because they didn’t learn it when they were in school. |
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@rnkeller @typeoff @ilovetypography @kupfers I did 1 of the 1st multimedia dsgn programs at a German design school; nobody taught web design |
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@ninastoessinger But you got a general idea of (good) design > you can also design for the web. It“s not about learning to code in artschool |
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@rnkeller @typeoff @ilovetypography @kupfers Must be hard to integrate sth so fluid & still-evolving into a syllabus. But [more] needed, no? |
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@kupfers I wonder why so many people who get to be web designers don’t study design. Can it be b/c schools don’t offer enough in that field? |
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@ninastoessinger It“s a field of lateral entrants, high demand and good payment. Dedicated studies take time and cost. Why trade that in? |
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We don“t need dedicated webdesign education. We need universal design edu preparing thinking, self-paced students for future tasks and media |
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@kupfers nail on the head. |
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@ilovetypography @kupfers Agreed. It’s the ‚design‘ part that requires an education. Web in itself is ridiculously simple. |
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@kupfers The real problem is that many students don’t want „future thinking“, they want hard skills in specific applications. |
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@kupfers That way, they’re able to be educated quickly and out the door to start earning money quickly. Only ones that aspire to more stay. |
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@aaronbell They can do an apprenticeship instead (like in our two-tiered education in DE). But then you are an executor, not a designer. |
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@kupfers See, that would make sense–where I went to school, there was no such thing as two tiered education–one tier to rule them all. |
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@kupfers And indeed, there are many folk who just want to be executers. That’s fine, as long as it is obviously who they are. |
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@kupfers @aaronbell I prefer single-tier education immensely. All too often, the lower-tier in DE is a future-destroying trap, I fear. |
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@typeoff The core problem, though, is that schools want to kick out students fast with a skillset to work, so they tend toward executers. |
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@aaronbell Yes. And students (as well as their parents and governments) seem to want the schools to do this to them, too. |
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@typeoff That, or they don’t have the teaching staff to support higher-level education. |
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@typeoff @aaronbell How so? You can deliberately choose for one or the other. Both have their place and match. |
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@kupfers The lower tier has its place until industry deems a sector irrelevant. Then 1000s of workers are fired, w/o any transferable skills |
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@kupfers Also, it would be great if you could deliberately choose between one of the other! More often here though, you choose one because … |
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@kupfers …your social background and education give you almost zero chance of being admitted into the other :( |
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@typeoff Right, both last points are true. Unfortunately. But true for everyone who chooses „executor“ over „thinker“ regardless of edu. |
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@kupfers Yes, there I agree with you 100%! |
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@kupfers Yes! And we dont need Web Typography either. Typography works fine for the web too. |
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YES! „@kupfers: … We need universal design edu preparing thinking, self-paced students for future tasks and media“ |
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@kupfers @typeoff would also be nice if people could easily return for 2nd tier when maturity or circumstance allow it. |
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@robmck They do, a lot. We have many applications at uni from people who first did an apprenticeship in a studio and now want to dig deeper. |
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@ilovetypography @kupfers agree that good points made, but similar critics appeared on early days of „desktop publishing.“ bit.ly/r2Y15z |
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