Design courtesy of Poccuo
For better of worse, as designers and art directors, the days where we were only print designers or web designers are over. The reality is that our designs have to work in both the print and digital worlds.
To help bring some insight into getting the best of both of these two amazing worlds, I jumped at the chance to speak to Dan Rubin about making the transition from print to web, inspiration, and the stress of keeping up with social media, before his presentation to ADCMW in November. Dan is founder and principal of Webgraph in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and a highly sought after speaker on web standards.
For those of us, who do not specialize in web-design, but are tasked with designing for the web more and more frequently, it can be a little over-whelming to jump into the deep end headfirst. “Don’t fear the web as a new medium,” Rubin calmly states, “just remember to get out of your own way and slowly learn about the technical side.” Easier said than done I thought to myself, with the alphabet soup of programming languages, social media, devices, and all of the other technical stuff that can make the transition a little daunting. As if to set me at ease, Dan offers a very straightforward piece of advice, “Good design is good design, regardless of the medium.” A very simple strategy, but one that helps to softens the trepidation that one can feel when designing for a new medium.
His is careful not to ignore the reality that with any project there are some parameters to work within and a minimum level of understanding about the technology that you have to bring to the table. He stresses another simple point; you don’t have to know how to code HTML and CSS to design for the web. It’s more important to know the limitations of the code and what is and isn’t possible from a technical standpoint. “If you understand the technology it allows you to be able to manipulate it better.” Rubin isn’t promoting that every designer become an expert programmer, but that they should focus more on learning the basics and building from there.
Rubin, who writes the blog, SuperfluousBanter, in addition to many other web projects, is a seasoned veteran of speaking and consulting on the topic of web standards, usability and web design, admits that there are a ton of great sites and social media tools on the web for designers. And that it can feel like a full-time job checking them all out and becoming a part of them. He adds, “There is an implied pressure to checkout every new thing on the web. Don’t feel the need to be up on every new thing, see what works for you, and if it doesn’t, don’t worry about it.” Your network of colleagues and peers is a huge resource for keeping up to date he stresses.
Changing gears a little, our interview heads into the topic of what inspires his design work. Rubin, who counts music, accapella, voice coaching, and photography among his interests, stresses the need for designers to find an outlet outside of there design work. “You can only do one thing for so long before it drives you crazy,” he comments. He notes that when he comes back to the office after a weekend of singing or shooting photos, he brings a new perspective and inspiration to his work.
For those who were in attendance at Dan’s presentation in November, I hope that you were able to get some insight into making the transition from print to web. If not, I hope this is the catalyst for a great dialogue within our design community.
Some food for thought:
- Nine tips for making the transition from Print to Web Design
- Dan Rubin’s From Print to Web Presentation
A sampling of some Bad Ass Resources courtesy of ADCMW’s own Samantha Warren
