Why designers need to understand developers?

In more traditional print design jobs, designers need to be aware of the way printers work. That includes a variety of printing techniques and how they might affect the way we set up our design files and, at times, how we design.

For most of us who went to design school, we are taught a print-focused curriculum. We learn to use these techniques as well as the terminology that printers use such as bleed, margins, registration, ink density, etc. This allows us to communicate better with the printers and be able to work with the specifications since not all printing techniques have the same requirements.

However…

Nowadays, design work has shifted rapidly toward digital media, web and app design. We, as graphic designers, are constantly told to learn how to code. It’s even specified as a required skill in job listings. The reactions to these requirements or suggestions are very diverse. If you went to a school with a digital-focused curriculum, or if you taught yourself how to design websites and applications, you might see these requirements as the norm. Unfortunately, that is not the case for a lot of students who are focusing more on print while in college. They are graduating and entering a market that is mostly asking for a different set of skills.

Some designers really freak out when they are told they should learn how to code. It’s especially discouraging when they are trying to get a job and most listings ask for some form of programming. This generates a lot of rejection and understandably so. I don’t blame them, a few of these languages will demand extra time and effort to learn. Some can also be hard to understand due to a high level of abstraction that most programming languages have.

That being said, the technology is there and it keeps moving forward. For this very reason, as designers, we see ourselves in a tough position and asking…

Do we have to learn how to code?

Then answer to that is not so straight forward. It depends on where you see yourself working. If you want to go for small startups, you most definitely should look into learning, not just HTML and CSS, but also some Javascript. If you want to work for big companies or agencies, they usually require more specialization. However, learning HTML and CSS always come in handy.

There’s a better way to explain why learning these languages is necessary. Think of developers as the equivalent of printers. Our task as designers is to learn the principles and techniques used by developers for the same reasons we learn different printing techniques, even if we don’t print our work ourselves. We need to be able to communicate better with them and learn their terminology. Their requirements are the equivalent to the printer’s specs.

This is, in no way, a one-sided adoption. Developers should also be aware of how designers work and our lingo, terms, and processes. This is in order for the final product to be optimized from UX/UI all the way to its frontend/backend.

What can we do as professionals?

Learn HTML/CSS: At least learn how to work with both languages since they are what the web is made of. Learning how they are used currently will allow you to design better layouts for user interfaces.
Understand how Javascript works: Learning it is optional, but it’s essential to know how important JavaScript is in current web and even mobile applications. It will help you understand what interactions to create and how they are implemented — how much your website can be changed and manipulated using this language.
Ask your developer friends: Chances of you knowing devs are high but if you don’t, go online and ask them questions. It helps to communicate with them when you are not sure if something you want to design can be implemented or not.
Follow Web/App development blogs and publications. Keeping up with what’s new and what works is a healthy preventative habit. It’s better to be informed in order to adapt and improve your skill set. Some good places to look for are CSS-Tricks , Inside Design and Webdesignernews. Reddit can also be a great source for news, updates, and interactions between devs and designers.

Focusing on these steps will help you learn how developers implement our work and, in the process, you will design better UIs and increase the control of our own compositions while respecting their guidelines, giving us more flexibility, and creativity.