1. Educating Web Designers
2. Day 18: Typo(graphy)
3. Prototyping For The Web

]]> Earlier this week someone asked me if I had any advice for a print or industrial designer that is switching to the web as his medium but has little actual experience with it. Here are a few dos and don’ts from the top of my head.

Do look for inspiration

If you have little experience with designing for the web, it’s a good idea to have a look at the work of people who do. “Trends” are bullshit so don’t focus too much on trying to find out what’s fashionable. Instead gather ideas. When you find something interesting, figure out how it was done.

Dribbble
Behance Network

Do learn code

Even if you won’t code HTML, CSS or Javascript daily, having a better understanding of the more technical aspects of web design will definitely make you a more efficient designer.

HTML 4.01
HTML5

Do stay updated

Web design is a rapidly changing business so stay up-to-date—it may take more effort than it seems.

SitePoint
Google News
Use Google Reader

Do study the web

You’ve got to know all about your medium and how it works. Designing for the web, you should have an idea of the history of web browsers, web standards, screen resolutions, web fonts, mobile web design and so on. There are loads of nice things you can do on the web but there are also a lot of things to watch out for.

Don’t try

There’s one question I’ve heard many times, from almost every client I’ve had: “Is it possible to … ?” The answer is that anything is possible so never try anything. Instead decide right away—you either do it or you don’t.

Don’t let your software design for you

This is something that obviously applies to any branch of the design profession and I’m not sure about the headline. What I’m saying is: don’t design so that even your five year old will see from a mile away that you’ve used Photoshop blending options. I just doesn’t look good.

Don’t assume it’s easy

Designing for the web isn’t any easier than designing for any other medium. Any kid with a pirated version of Photoshop can put together a site that his girlfriend thinks is cute, sure. Put the same kid in a team with a demanding client and he’ll feel like roadkill in no time at all, no doubt.

Don’t just decorate

There are things that are more important than looks. I’m talking about those words ending with “bility”, like readability, usability and accessibility. And remember to think about how your design affects performance, conversion rates, scalability and so on.

Conclusion

This blog post was way harder to write than I thought. Any way you look at it, there seems to be either too much or too little to say. We’re all different and taking your design knowledge and applying it the web design will inevitably be a very individual experience.

So you know what? You can’t make a list of these things so screw this, go for it and just look out for yourself. Just don’t assume that because you have a Mac you know how to design for the web. Be open and learn.

It’s still a good idea to take a look at these resources though.

Resources

I Love Typography
A List Apart
Ignore The Code
Usability Post
Stuff & Nonsense
CSS Tricks

And perhaps most importantly, a lot more on Google.com.

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Related posts:

1. Educating Web Designers
2. Day 18: Typo(graphy)
3. Prototyping For The Web

]]> http://www.mrnordstrom.com/2010/09/04/designers-going-web/feed/ 0 http://www.mrnordstrom.com/2010/08/30/mediatemple-and-engine-yard-part-1/ http://www.mrnordstrom.com/2010/08/30/mediatemple-and-engine-yard-part-1/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:33:42 +0000 Daniel Nordstrom http://www.mrnordstrom.com/?p=1281 Related posts:

1. A Love Letter To MediaTemple
2. European & American Hosting Providers
3. Day 3: Mac Time-Tracking Apps

]]> As I was sketching ideas for this post, the headline in my notebook was “MediaTemple vs Engine Yard” but I figured this first part is not a comparison, just two separate stories. Unlike when I wrote my other post about MediaTemple, this time I’m somewhat disappointed. On the other hand, Engine Yard have actually impressed me quite a bit.

Everything okay, MediaTemple?

I’m having problems with my (gs) account at my beloved MediaTemple. I own a (gs) shared hosting plan for less important, lower traffic sites and a (dv) Rage VPS for more important production sites, and software I use when working. I was configuring my (gs) to be a sandbox for learning Ruby on Rails and Spree before an upcoming project, when an essential command line tool suddenly broke and I could no longer use the Rails container.

Naturally I first Googled thoroughly and then I submitted a kind support ticket. I also wrote that if it made things simpler, they could feel free to simply wipe out the Rails container. (mt) support agents usually reply within the estimated response time but not this time. After three days I asked what was up with the expected response time of 20 hours. I got a very short response saying nothing about the delay, only asking a few questions about the issue. It’s now another three days later and I’ve gotten no further response.

The reply (from a senior tech) was: “Have you changed your password recently? Or, have you edited any of your config files manually? Does your password have any possible escape characters, like ” ’ “, ” / “, ” $ “, etc in it?” And a signature. No greeting. Call me an ass but if your non-responsiveness has slowed down the learning I need to do for a near-future project you could apologize for the inconvenience you’ve caused. At least it wouldn’t hurt to show some emotion or positivity, instead of acting like a depressed machine.

I’ve never seen (mt) support fuck up like this. Is it because it’s a difficult issue or just a low priority account—it’s only shared hosting? The latter seems likely since I submitted a ticket regarding my (dv) Rage, which was replied to after only a few hours. Are the MediaTemple support guys discriminating against their cheaper accounts?

It doesn’t really matter anymore though. Due to this experience, I’ve decided to shut down my (gs) before the next billing period. I’ve had it for many years and it’s great for off-loading simpler sites from the (dv), but I won’t pay for an account which the support team ignores.

Engine Yard

On the other hand we have Engine Yard. I was writing on Twitter the other day, trying to figure out if I should use Mongrel clusters with Apache or just install Passenger, as well as some other questions about Ruby and Rails. @tmornini from EngineYard replied recommending their AppCloud PaaS.

So I ask why I’d go with their solution and told him I’m pretty attached to MediaTemple. He replied, “It’s like getting a new puppy…you’ll always love the old dog, but the puppy is wonderful in it’s own special way. :-)”, which I think is a delightful answer to my question. We continue discussing and he tells me the benefits of their hosting services—I’m actually pretty impressed.

Finally he asks me to accept his gift of some trial time to try it out for myself and see if I like it. I love MediaTemple but since they disappointed me and @tmornini presented Engine Yard’s services so enthusiastically, I accepted his offer. Just a few minutes later, I got a very friendly email from his colleague, containing access details for my new EngineYard account.

Now that’s how I want to be treated. We should learn from Engine Yard—they’ve just shown us a school book example of how to promote services in a delightful manner that people will remember and tell their friends about (like I do in this blog post.)

Conclusion

So how does the story end? Am I actually considering switching to Engine Yard after many years as a loyal MediaTemple fan? That’s something we’ll have to wait to find out.

While I did get an account at EngineYard to trial their AppCloud service, I haven’t yet used it. I’ve logged in and had a look around—the configuration interface is neat and simple—but I need to try hosting and deploying a site before I can draw any further conclusions.

To be continued. Remember to follow me on Twitter to get the test results as soon as they’re published. Until then, have a great week!

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Related posts:

1. A Love Letter To MediaTemple
2. European & American Hosting Providers
3. Day 3: Mac Time-Tracking Apps

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