MrQwest

I designed my first website way back in 1998, maybe even 1997 (I forget exactly) but that was built with tables, awful imagery and garish colours – but it was my first website and it was the beginning of a long learning curve.

Nearly 14 years later and I’m still here building websites but I’m no longer using tables, awful imagery or garish colours (that is debatable) and I like to think I’ve learnt a hell of a lot in the last 14 years and would also like to think I’m competent at what I do. I can design and build websites.

But over the last 6 months, I’ve realised something. I’ve spent the last 14 years designing and building websites for clients or for myself. I’ve always done both parts of the site. I’ve either started in Photoshop, designed a site and then built it in HTML & CSS or designed it straight in the browser. But which ever way I’ve done it – I’ve always stuck to within my known limitations.

There’s no point me designing something if I don’t know how to translate that into HTML & CSS. I’ve subconsciously known what I could & couldn’t do, and designed / built to suit.

That’s the wrong way of doing things as you’re not pushing your own boundaries.

I’ve recently designed a couple of sites but that’s all I done — I designed these site and then passed them onto a clients developer to code. Doing these projects made me realise that I could go wild and design elements that I didn’t need to know how to do.

I hate to put it like this, but it wasn’t my problem.

That sounds really bad but the developer in question was eager to have fun and told me to push some boundaries so I did.

And recently, I’ve partaken in the Unmatched Style CSS OFF competition that they’re currently holding. They provide the PSD and designers / developers code it.

The boot is on the other foot now.

But it’s been great fun. I’ve had to take someone else’s design, and code it. A lot of the design elements required code that isn’t in my current skill set – so it’s been a great tool to actually learn and sharpen my own tools.

And likewise, I also have another client project where they have supplied the design and I’m coding it.

I’m actually enjoying these collaboration projects as I get to learn so much and not stick to my own (sub-concious) limitations.