Note24th April, 2020 / web
Quietly satisfying web design
I’m working on three small but exciting projects: two for clients and one for a generous friend. For each, I’m responding freely, pouring ideas onto boards in search of preferred directions. In one case, the direction is the deliverable; in another, I’ll carry the best idea to completion with well-formed HTML and CSS, because my client values it.
It feels right to dive back into client work, and I’m always grateful when someone trusts me to bring their ideas to life. I did a good job this week, and the positive feedback has boosted my confidence. And I’ve been thinking about this particular kind of small-scale work.
This is work that largely escapes the ebb and flow of whatever’s hot or not in our industry and the dominant conversation about big work and big teams. Some customers seek a one-on-one relationship with an experienced professional that feels more like a traditional art or craft commission. Maybe it’s more akin to asking a skilled carpenter to design and install bespoke shelving. The brief won’t be particularly ambitious, but the client demands quality and expertise, and an honest outcome. I guess I’m describing — or justifying — appropriate, quietly satisfying, traditional web design.
I’m not trying to awaken the contentious notion that web designers are craftspeople. My point is that I see clear parallels in the business relationship and the more intimate way that a client places trust in a skilled individual. I’m just thinking aloud here, maintaining my diary, but I do believe there has to be room for the kind of work I’m describing; work I would actually like to do for the rest of my life.