: How to teach a print designer to design for web? I'm a programmer (not a designer) and I work with various designers in the marketing industry. A typical project will consist of a designer
I'm a programmer (not a designer) and I work with various designers in the marketing industry. A typical project will consist of a designer coming up with a design for a web page and then handing the design off to me (PSD file or whatever) and I implement the design into a webpage (HTML, CSS, etc...).
The problem I run into a lot though is that a lot of designers don't know how to design with the web in mind. They come from a background of designing for print material, and they approach web design the same, which simply does not work. They don't think about things like "What happens to the design when the user changes the browser size" or "tileable background images" or designing using a grid/column system instead of placing elements all over the place or "You can't have a DIV with multiple background images that works for all browsers", or "don't use 12 different web fonts", etc...
How do I instruct designers on how to better design with the web in mind? Are there resource for this or books out there that approach the various challenges and hurdles to this? Or do they simply have to learn from experience?
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I've done a lot of this kind of training over the last few years as good print designers find their opportunities dwindling. If you find a good designer (ie someone who can visually communicate an idea well) they can learn web. But it takes time.
Making due
You can help by consulting with them on technical concerns as they develop their designs. Reminding them of unfixed and interactive challenges and opportunities goes a long way. Offering guidance on where html/css/js fits into the equation will help them understand the tools at their disposal.
An ideal scenario
But you probably don't have time for that. The better scenario is to have them work with a seasoned senior-level interaction/interface/web designer. They need to take the lead on a web project and run their ideas through that mentor. In my experience, it takes about a year in this relationship to 'get it'. The mentor's oversight slowly tapers off over that time.
In response to the comment ...
Wash your hands of it
Just give those lazy print designers a list of links and make them study.
Smashing Mag
CSS Tricks
A List Apart
User Experience SE
UI Patterns
UI Parade
Mobile Patterns
Yahoo! Design Pattern Library
What the Heck is Responsive Web Design
Designing Social Interfaces
Nielsen Norman Group
GetElastic (if you're in ecomm)
The Noodle Incident CSS Resource Guide
Unmatched Style
Mark Boulton's blog
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