Architect vs.
Decorator
ByArvin Casas
Contributing Writer
Article Date: 01.30.03
While your analogy comparing web site development to building design,
architecture and even the great (yet, let's be honest, at times totalitarian)
FLW is interesting (try moving your favorite old comfy chair into Falling Water),
like all analogies, it is a bit too simplistic.
I'm concerned that some readers may, in staffing what's best for their project,
actually decide merely by a web worker's arbitrarily earned, if not self-garnered
title.
I've known some web "designers" (I'm guessing you actually mean those with
a "graphic" background in your piece) who, true to the definition of the title,
are also excellent "architects;" they have a broad as well as detailed knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of the web development process, factoring in all
concerns, technical, aesthetic, business, etc. into their plans.
I've also known overly lauded "architects" whose understanding of the web
development process is so theoretical and academic (mired in the ironically verbose
verbiage of "Use Cases" and "Business Rules" so de rigueur du jour) that their
"designs" lack any realistic hope of completion (if not comprehension). And even
when developed, their designs are completely void of communicative ability, basic
aesthetics, or consumer appeal.
It's just too easy to say that designers are worse in general than architects,
especially in web development.
The real underlying cause of concern for any web manager or producer, as you
hint at, lies in "sound, logical, clearly stated website development." This is
not development proper as some programmers think of it (coding, building, "construction"),
but in "preproduction" (to borrow a term from the media- a mature and efficient
business that has already grappled with and succeeded in combining the nuances
of "business," "technology," and "art")
(We in the web production business have, for some reason, decided to reinvent
and label this stage "requirements gathering," "scoping," etc.)
"Preproduction" can be accomplished successfully by any thoughtful web worker,
whether he or she happens to wear the label "designer" or "architect." What is
essential is not the title, but the worker's skill/ability to plan accurately.
A great architect or designer needs good communication skills, in the soliciting,
discerning, and gathering of requirements, as well as in the drafting of preliminary
and final design (compositionally sound and aesthetically appealing).
Any thoughtful craftsman, from the suit-wearing planner to the overall-clad
bricklayer knows how important it is to thoroughly plan ahead before construction:
"Measure twice, cut once." At least twice.
(It is a lesson that has yet to completely learned by the web industry.)
I would argue that any true "designer" or "architect" already knows this.
Those that do not, like so many in our business, are merely title jockeys, if
not wannabes or imposters.
My two cents. Spend how you like.
About the Author:
Arvin Casas
A Web Designer and Architect
|
