designers wtf is going on
- Started
- Last post
- 23 Responses
- trooperbill
So im back in creative after spending 3 years out in the world of seo (im now doing everything end to end in the new job) and im working with a guy whos been a 'pro' designer for around 8 years now...
he basically uses found images, icons, layer effects etc off the net and uses them to build designs...
i used to (and stil do) create all of these from scratch by hand.
am i a dinosaur or is this guy seriously cutting corners? (especially in icon design - that's the one that really annoys me)
- inteliboy0
fuck layer effects.
- necromation0
I'm afraid bro but that's pretty much everywhere. Shit just got easier.
- trooperbill0
depressing
- MrT0
I'm also an extinct reptillian-type then, and especially so on icons. I'd rather spend the time making them than trawling through shitestock for the rocking-horse-shit good ones.
- GeorgesII0
^
totally,
sadly it ain't always their fault, I often get less than a week to design a layout, it doesn't give me lots of times to make my owns icons/ui elements, etc.long gone are the days of working a year on a website
- meffid0
"World of SEO"?
Step below social media expert.
Gross. Welcome back.
- ArsenicPants0
what's an icon?
- an eye con,
something put in front of you to pick your interrestGeorgesII
- an eye con,
- monNom0
I knew a guy like that. He would screenshot other designs and take bits and pieces from them... eventually it came out that he'd passed off other people's work in his portfolio. whole projects. Not sure how he rationalized that to himself.
There will always be stylists and desktop publishers. They tend to gravitate toward production positions. Skilled designers that can create things from scratch move up well. Don't feel like you're 'outdated' because you have some actual skill. But do recognize that you can sometimes get an equivalent end result without doing everything bespoke.
- 'equivalent' in the eyes of your customer anyways.monNom
- mydo0
does that mean no more trooperbill SEO Q&A threads?
- SrSamaurai0
I like turtles
- tOki0
I think there's definitely an aspect of laziness, and there is a whole industry of crappy web design blogs regurgitating the fact to make it worse - but the cause of this problem is that we simply aren't getting enough time to do these things anymore, not so much for a lack of wanting to but simply because people won't fucking pay for it.
:(
- fadein110
how do you make layer effects from scratch?
- cannonball19780
Does it look good?
yes > shut up and get back to work
no > shut up and get back to his work
- Projectile0
is it really necessary to spend 20 mins making a nice bullet point when, guaranteed, someone out there has made an identical one and has it for free somewhere? I say no.
On the other hand, if it's a prevalent icon, then I always try make a new, unique one. And yeah it also does depend on time and budget, if you spend a large portion of your time allowance doing that, other more important aspects will suffer.
Purists will argue that the client must then just pay more. These purists either have a really awesome job or are the most annoying employees imaginable
- scruffics0
i am with projectile on this one, for the most part. each little icon is, in theory, a logo. try and explain that to a customer who wanted his shit done yesterday.
- vaxorcist0
The economics of this business has changed.... so doing stuff from scratch is like being a fine carpenter in the age of Home Depot Kitchen Cabinets sometimes.....
You may complain, but maybe if you find upscale clients who value craft, it can work out.....
- d_rek0
I still make most iconography / pictograms myself, even if it's for an established UI paradigm / concept.
This way I can generally conform the look of the icon to the overall art direction / brand / theme / etc of the design. Most of the canned solutions are not so customized and often feel at odds with customized design + layout.
- i_monk0
You mean for final art, or in the mockup stages?
- aaux0
The time vs quality argument applies to every industry at this point. I never understood where people find clients who are willing to just be told what is best and pay for it. Every client I've ever worked with, in freelance and with agencies, has had at least a few specific requirements that are contrary to best practices and would have simply gone with another agency if they weren't met.