Web Publishing—Part 1: "Do you DO websites?"

“Do you DO websites?” The question is a relatively new one asked of designers these days. But, it’s much different than the traditional questions that have been asked. “Do you DO catalogs?” “Do you DO books?” “Do you DO brochures?” Experienced inquirers know that when a designer answers the old questions in the affirmative it does not mean they print or produce the catalog, book, or brochure. No. We design the item and hand off the design to a printer for production. But who produces our web designs? Keep reading.

Today the real meaning of the new question about DOing websites is different. Without saying it, most people are actually asking if we design and produce websites. Do you see what has happened in this new world of web publishing? The production function, due to lack of understanding of the process of producing websites, has landed by default in the realm of the designer. Web publishing is so new that the technical function of producing web pages and websites has not reached the equivalent position in people's minds of print production—all of the technical stuff, like “pre-press” which takes place after the creative design phase is completed.

Designers are not equipped to do the printing of the brochure they design. They don't have the technology, equipment, or knowhow to perform print production tasks. Likewise, most designers are not equipped to take website designs from the creative stage through production functions of programming, testing, and “deploying”. Thus is born the function and profession of a new kind of “printer”—The Web Programmer (a.k.a. Web Developer).

Producing web pages (called “programming”, or “developing”) is the technical equivalent of print production. Since it is a technical discipline, the production function of web publishing is becoming correctly perceived as the work of the developer. The perception that the Designer does it all is going away. The developer/programmer is the new “printer” of this Internet age.

In Part 2 of this article we define all of the key functions in the process of doing websites. In this effort you will see clearly how Design Corps fits into the scheme of your web project and understand the functions involved in the process—from concept and design to “going live” on the web.

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