Do You Have the Designer’s Eye?
Posted on February 7, 2007 by
Adie 
Web Development 
10 Comments
It seems that freelance web design is getting more and more popular, especially among the younger generation of online earners. It’s a fun skill to develop, and once you have some practice it’s fairly easy to turn that skill into some moderate revenue. That’s how I got started in online business 7 years ago. The same is true for a number of others.
Is everyone cut out to be a web designer, however? To say that the ability to do web design is in-born sounds somewhat elitist; therefore, the idea has been cast aside by most people in the industry. It’s largely believed that with time, practice, and dedication anyone can pick up web design and make it into something profitable. After all, it’s true with other money-making avenues in the industry: SEO, affiliate marketing, domaining, etc. Why not web design?
What people seem to forget is that web design is at least somewhat of an innate skill. Some call web design “art”, but I don’t quite believe that. Sure there are some websites that have some beautiful aesthetics, but these websites are more of collaborations between web design and a form of art. For example, illustrations or photography. Incorporating art into web design is great, but I personally feel that web design itself is more of what you do with art, stock photos, and content elements.
That’s where the “designer’s eye” comes in. The concept of the designer’s eye is simple: some people just know what looks good. These are the people who have the natural ability needed to develop into the most successful designers. I’m not trying to say that only a handful of elite can succeed in the web design industry, but I will say that if someone completely lacks the designer’s eye then no matter how hard they try … they just won’t develop enough to really succeed. Keep in mind there’s a difference between inexperience and inability. Many people simply lack the technical knowledge needed to create good website designs, and it takes time for them to develop that. However, those who lack the designer’s eye just quite honestly can’t grasp the necessary concepts needed for good web design.
Ready for some examples?
Jesus-is-Savior.com
Lacks the Designer’s Eye
This is a profoundly ugly website. It’s safe to say that the designer of this site probably doesn’t have much (if any) training using actual design software; however, he shows irrefutably his lack of any inherit taste of design. One doesn’t need 5-10 years of experience using Photoshop to realize that the chaotic and confusing way this website is setup blows. Only someone with absolutely no designer’s eye could create something this horrific.
Simplebits
Has the Designer’s Eye
Ignoring the logo (which would require a bit of ability to do) everything in this design can be done by a rookie. Yet it looks great, doesn’t it? It all boils down to the designer’s eye. Knowing how to put elements together, what colors to use, how to arrange content so that it isn’t cluttered. Is this a hard concept? Not really. But some people just can’t grasp it.
So What’s the Point?
I didn’t write this post to discourage anybody. I want everyone who reads this blog to succeed with their goals and retire happy and healthy. What I don’t want is for people to waste time trying to do something that they blow at. If you take a step back and look long and hard at the websites you’ve been churning out lately … and they look like Jesus-is-Savior.com … you need to re-evaluate your career choice. Try SEM or affiliate marketing. Play to your strengths - if you’re bad at designing, try something else. So many people want to pat others on the back saying “if you keep at it, you’ll get the hang of it”. That’s not always true.
Find what you’re good at and run with it. Just because others are earning through web design doesn’t mean it’s necessarily right for you.
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Great post! Duggg! With 3 g’s!
…and the designers brain knows WHY it looks good. Plenty of people can tell if a site looks good or not. They can also develop the technical skills to make a working replica. But to create a new, good design, you need a designers brain.
if only clients had a designer’s brain too… then we wouldn’t be asked to make dumb-ass changes that destroy beautiful layouts.
Dugg with 2 g’s.
Only thing i’ll point out is unless the client is paying you what I shall call “an appropriate amount” and they are a bit more stingy on their budget I would be less inclined to give them the designer’s eye. It goes back to the fact that the client gets what they pay for.
The only problem is that the majority does not have the designer eye and do not know the difference between a good and bad design, all they see is the price difference. I have run across this time and time again in the past 6 years of designing. There are so many sites out there that do not look good….
What you’re saying is that there are two types of people: those with the “designer’s eye”, and those without it. Don’t you think you’re prematurely condemning these “losers”? A person with dyslexia can still become a Ph.d, and it has been done. When I first started into web design, I made some incredibly horrid websites that people wrinkled their noses at. But when I honed my design skills and worked very hard to be creative, it paid off. I don’t think we should classify anyone as “in” or “out” in regard to web design; rather, we should keep open minds attitudes towards new or lesser known people who have just as much spirit as we do.
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Some people are better than other at what they do and its important to realize what you’re good at before you decide to jump in.
My family was all in business but I choose to be a designer because I knew I would be bored as heck sitting in a suit all day.
No I sit in my PJ’s all day and design and love it, except for the fat that your body builds up from not moving around too much I like it.
I think you forget to distinguish between the “web designer” and the “web developer”. In my oppinion, these two are not allways the same. I see myself as a fairly good developer, but not a very good designer. Ofcourse I can see when something looks like crap, but I’m not the one to come up with the next cool design or layout. Someone else does that for me, and I cook up the code for it. For instance, what if you have a cool design, but it looks like s… in different browsers?? Alot of good designers out there forget to take that into consideration. It might be a great design, but it’s poor development. Can the user change the font size, or did you freeze it so that it doesn’t ruin your cool design? What I’m saying is that you don’t have to be a photoshop freak to be a good web developer…..
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