There is no one right way to work
June 04, 2008 | 10:46 pm
Today, the crew at 37 Signals posted an interesting blog entry at Signal Vs Noise:
The main contention of the article is that Photoshop inhibits creativity because it's cumbersome and not as easy to make iterative changes as it is when working directly in HTML and CSS. The ensuing comments were as inflammatory as could be expected. The fact is they're right. And, they're wrong too. Probably more of the latter.
The fact is, 37 Signals employs a distinct style, an ultra-simplistic, application-centric layout and design philosophy that embraces the idea of less (sic) features and more functionality.
I've used Basecamp, their project management tool for several years. I recently canceled my subscription because I found a suite of tools that performed similar functions for less money. But, I have to say, I always enjoyed the ease of use of Basecamp and our clients were always impressed with how it enabled them to interact with us in a meaningful way.
I would argue that Basecamp and other 37 Signals tools have a similar look and feel, much of which comes out of their process of designing directly in HTML and CSS. As Jeff Croft mentioned in the comments of the blog post, there is no doubt that this is appropriate for their apps, but that doesn't mean that it's the right solution for all clients or all projects.
Many client projects that we work on require an image-heavy design philosophy. For me, and for my staff and partners, it's easiest to achieve the design goals of our clients through mockups in Photoshop. And while we transition quickly to HTML and CSS for usability and template development reasons, making quick and dirty text/font/colour and image changes is just as easy in Photoshop as it is in HTML. Probably more so when it comes to complex grid arrangements.
The fact is, as a design tool, HTML and CSS are still in their infancy. It's slow and difficult to adjust column widths and headline sizes in CSS, because you need to adjust every floated element near the div as well as the column in question. In Photoshop, I just click on the text box, drag the handle and I'm done.
When I teach introductory web design classes, I have my students work on paper and then transition to Photoshop. Many would rather use InDesign or Illustrator as that's what they're familiar with. While the transition from these applications to HTML isn't as easy as with Photoshop (they generally don't work as well in pixel measurements), the reality is that there's no wrong way to do layout.
As long as what you are creating is appropriate to your client's needs and they can get a sense of exactly what they will see on screen as a finished product, it really doesn't matter what you use. If it works for you, and your clients are happy with it, keep doing it. Be pragmatic, and all the other steps will fall into place. Too many people concentrate on the tools, instead of the process and end goals of the client. Instead, focus on being a better designer and understanding the needs of your client, and you're much more likely to be able to progress as a professional.
Forget the tools. Focus on results. It doesn't matter how you get there.
As I said in my post, also,
As I said in my post, also, their is something that some people didn't get in the post of 37Signals is the WE in the Why We Skip Photoshop. They SKIP photoshop. Doesn't mean that everyone around need to do it.
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