Designer

This is a common scenario faced when telling someone what you do for a job. The idea that you can make a living designing and laying out websites is a concept out of reach for some.

Well Meaning Friend  "What are you up to these days? "

Designer  "I'm a website designer! I design sites"

WMF  “Oh, so you build websites?  I've got this problem with my PC…”

D  “No, no, nooooooo, I design websites, I don't build computers.”

WMF  "Aren't you in IT? Don't you work on computers?"

WMF  Blank look

D  (Here we go again...) “Well you know all the objects, signs and graphics you interact with each day? Well they were designed by someone”. You see, designing sites is not just laying things out, it's more then that. It's about composition, symmetry and balance, isolation, contrast etc… but it's not a formula either, I don't think it can be taught. It needs to happen naturally. A good design will stimulate the mind. Randomly placing objects on a screen does not create the same reaction. There must be purpose to the visual distortion/arrangement for the mind react to it. "

WMF  Blank look

D  (Oh, forget it!) "What's wrong with your PC...?"