Dude, it’s just a website

No, it’s much more.

We’ve all heard it at least once in our careers. You’re busy coding away at the newest tenant to the World Wide Web. You’re stuck on the choice of fonts, color scheme, or whether or not to keep the navigation pinned to the top. Then out of no where, you hear the words “dude, relax. It’s just a website.”

And no, they’re not talking about this.

Oh, but they’re so, so wrong #

You see, as designers (or creatives, as I call us), it’s our duty to create things that solve problems. The problem could be that the current layout of a site just doesn’t fit the intended message. It could be that the choice of fonts clash. It could be that there are too many levels of navigation to get to a vital setting. Or, it could simply be that a site that should exist, doesn’t.

Regardless of what we’re solving, solving is what we’ve set out to do. And our ability to design, whether it be websites, mobile apps, interfaces, or back-end code (yes, they’re designers too), is measured by our ability to solve. It’s not just about pretty pixels and white-space anymore. So for anyone to say “it’s just [anything]” undermines what we do – we problem solve. And that’s no simple feat.

Think about it. In front of a screen, although not necessarily good, is where we’ll spend a sizable chunk of our lives. Whether it be the desktop, TV, tablet, or infamous smartphone. So doesn’t it make sense that time and thought would be put into delivering the best experiences possible?

It’s beginning to seem that our fast way of life is gradually creeping into our work. It’s no longer “necessary” to invest time and energy. It’s all about “quickness.”

But again, they’re wrong. We take what we do as creatives seriously. And that requires time.

So… #

With that said, the next time someone tells you “dude/dudette, it’s just a website,” turn around (slowly) and simply say, “no, it’s much more.”

Either that, or this:

Your choice.

I’m on Twitter.