Re: Vanishing web design careers...

Thanks all for patience -- please send me stuff directly as I am compiling
information about what we do as web designers.  I promise to stop sending
messages to you to clutter your box after this, but please stay in touch
and send me stuff if you like personally.  
IN response to "Garbanga", I write:

All,

While this mail is completely understandable and reasonable, it speaks
exactly to the issue that we don't even know what it is we do as web
designers.

Far as money, pure graphic print artists may make more money right now.
And true, companies generally hire programmers.  

But companies are starting to realize what many of us have know for years
--the importance of usability and user interface,site structure and
navigation.     They will realize these are different and more involved
skills than just "picking them up" along the way, it is a science !!

True, not a lot of money in online stores right now but I beg to differ on
-- porn being the only thing.  Companies are slowly waking up to  the
importance of site architecture, when  customers complain or their
comptetion is beating them out because the competitor's site "works"
better, is able to keep more customers.  Much of this has to do with design.  

These change will take time -- in the meantime let's not throw the value so
soon out about what we have learned through the years.   Let's make sure we
write down what has been happening inside our lone web design heads that
works for our clients.

Please send me any emails on this personally and I will now shut up..   


At 12:58 PM 6/9/99 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Web design careers do seem to be vanishing.
>That is... if you are looking to work for a firm.
>
>The only way to have a successful web design
>career is to go into business for yourself.  Go to
>big companies with crappy web sites and have
>them compare theirs to yours... then let them
>know they can hire you to create a better site.
>
>My problem is that I completely emphasize
>graphics.  I don't know e-commerce, etc. yet.
>I can do just about everything you need in web
>design, except for database stuff.  That's
>really what people want right now.  They want
>to find an artist/programmer. No one wants
>to hire two people -- an artist and a programmer.
>If they do, they'll put up $8/hr. for each.
>
>If you're a web programmer, your in luck.  If you're
>an artist, then there's another option...
>
>I've pretty much given up on a web design career.
>I maximized my prepress knowledge, and am
>now in the market of print graphics.  Companies
>are still paying artists $25/hr.+ for their talents.
>If you want to take your graphic talents into the
>direction of a successful career, go for print.
>
>The only people making money nowadays are
>advertising agencies.  That's who you go to.
>I hate to say it, but porn is really the only thing
>making money off the internet (this excludes sites
>that are simply an online source for an already
>successful product), and I don't think anyone
>(myself included) wants to exchange integrity
>for an extra buck.
>
>Online stores, search engines, directories, etc.
>don't really make any money.  They spend and
>spend on advertising, but simply don't profit.  That's
>why they can't really afford to pay web designers
>the money that they once did.
>
>Argh!  This was long.  Summing it up... web
>designers -- go into business for yourself,
>graphic artists -- try for printing or advertising.
>
>That's my opinion and advice.  It doesn't make
>me right or anyone else wrong.   ;o)
>
>-Steve
>
>
Chris Hawkins
Author & Web Architect
Home Office: 520-795-9979
 	
	*	*	*	*	*	*     *
The idea is not [only] to make art, but to be in that wonderful state which
makes art inevitable.  

				-- Robert Henri and [CHRIS HAWKINS]

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