Art & Code

One of my greatest joys in developing websites is participating in each of the different aspects of the project. Web design is, for me, the perfect bridge between two sides of my brain that love to work together. The painter meets the programmer.

Art

Let me start off by saying that I don’t claim to be a graphic artist. Graphic artists do something different than what I do. I have more respect for them actually. I am more of a graphic artist wanna-be. However, I am someone who understands the trends of the web and I have an eye for attractive design. The web sphere is not the same as an art gallery. It is a marketing platform and information center. I am not a graphic artist, but I don’t need to be one.

Some people call newspaper periodicals art with their creative typography, structured and attractive layout, and even minimalist presentation. In the same way, web development is a different kind of art that requires the skills of someone who knows what is attractive to the eye and presents its content seriously with appealing artistry. I would mostly agree that in web development the basic principle applies, Function over Form. However, I would change it to say, Function through Form. The features and abilities of a website only become interesting to the general public when it’s presented through an interface that it easy and attractive to use. Like a marriage, one can’t go without the other.

Code

Programming is 65% mathematics, 25% experience, 5% sociology, and 5% prayer. A good programmer is like a good pediatrician. You don’t want your pediatrician to be someone who just got out of school, who doesn’t know how to socialize with the general public, or isn’t committed to finding a solution to the child’s issues. Too many programmers are people who are great at writing code, but don’t understand well the user-experience and the interaction their code will have with people who have no idea what PHP or Javascript is. Good code means good syntax and purposeful and effective usability.

The wonderful thing about programming is that there is usually three or four ways to do the same thing. Finding the best way and implementing it through a good interface is what I am committed to most– sometimes even more than what the customer has asked for. I can play nice, but I am the kind of developer with suggestions and advice. Most website clients are interested in someone who can join their vision and think alongside of their ideas instead of just being a programming monkey. Your goals in the web development process become my goals and I become a part of your team and not just some freelance joker you hired.