So what is it that you do Dave?
I always dread answering that question. When it’s unavoidable I usually mumble something about the internet, design and try to move the conversation swiftly on before the inevitable questions ensue… So you build websites? …well no I design them then… Ah you’re a computer expert, I’ve keep getting this error message … the computer’s just a tool to… when I click this icon … AHHHH.
The problem is the obvious answer, Web designer, covers so many potential roles from Photoshop monkey to full on CSS developer it has ceased to be a useful term.
Job remits in this still emerging industry often blur into each other. The lines between conceptual, interaction and visual design are necessarily vague and that’s what makes life interesting and yet our jobs as designers hard to define.
Add to that the complication of the occasional piece of print or branding work and all references to the internet become redundant.
Personally I’m still searching for a title {to be used outside of the industry} which is broad enough not to feel like a straight jacket and yet clear enough to non industry peeps. In Digerati I’m known as a visual designer which is the closest I’ve come to this but will still leave most non-designers confused as they see all design as visual.
Here’s the various titles I’ve given myself down the years:
New media designer - Very 90’s
Web designer - Too broad a term
Interaction designer - Too similar to information architect
Graphic Designer - Still associated too heavily with print
Visual Designer - Will confuse non designers
Web Graphics Designer - Doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue
Designer - Far too broad and has a whiff of pretension about it
I’m yet to find one I feel comfortable with, so all suggestions are welcome.
Dave
______ Designer
Image from themaninblue
