Critical Analysis I

“Technical Knowledge aside, what makes for a good web designer?”

The first bit on “[Losing] your ego” (Creative Bloq) is really a great bit to start off this article. In an ever growing, constantly changing, and frequently challenging field of work being arrogant will definitely set you back professionally. People want work done good and fast. It isn’t about your back story. It is about your ability and willingness to tackle obstacles with grace. Your skill is evident in your work and word will spread when clients have confidence in you.

Once you are humble, potential becomes so much greater. Yet the best of us hit walls. It is paramount to improve yourself when being creative. Your attitude translates through to your work. Doing anything to open your world will help you with everything in life. “Traveling will open your mind…”, (Creative Bloq) and show you new things. Even new designs. Running, listening to music, reading, anything to either calm, open, or inspire your mind is healthy and beneficial for your life and work.

Internal battles are conquered this way, but critical thinking is also very useful when interacting with both yourself and clients. Communication is key in design. Knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them is very professional. “By turning the problem into a question, you are directing your thinking towards finding a solution,” says Mark McGuinness. He believes problems are actually questions waiting to be answered. Also, that problem solving is most efficient when the right questions are asked so the best answers are found. Let us say you see an old friend. Asking ,”What’s up?” will almost definitely result in a reply like ,”Nothing much, you?” Instead, asking, “How are you doing?” offers the chance for an answer with greater substance and reasoning.

Beyond all the other factors of bettering yourself professionally both inside and out of design, some designers I guess may be a bit prudish. Design can be their strong point, and only point as other mediums seem scary. Even I have fallen victim of this. With basic html skills (and having to brush up whenever I venture to this realm), I find there are plenty of web tools nowadays that help mash seasoned designers or greenhorn developers to create great sites. Not to mention plenty of online tutorials. Push yourself.