Should designers code?
Should designers code? We’ve been asking ourselves that question since 2004 — across identities, interfaces, and campaigns where design met production head-on. The answer depends entirely on what kind of designer you want to be, and what kind of work you want to make. Should designers code is the wrong binary; the real question is how much of the medium should you understand before you hand it off.
Yes, of course, you should seek it, but we should also focus on everything that helps us become better..
Yes—code, illustrate, take photos, make videos, write, play, create with your hands… grow. Essentially, everything a project demands, you should have a working understanding of how to do it. I’m not suggesting you need to master every skill at a professional level; we have talented friends for that. But you should be able to engage with professionals, speak their language, and understand the process deeply enough to ensure things are executed just as you envisioned.
So, sharpen your skills, push beyond the boundaries of your job description, and explore new territories. This is what you were made to do. This is why we’re here.
Should designers code, or should they understand how code thinks?
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Tipping a designer is something almost no client ever considers — and that silence is worth examining. We've delivered work that changed how companies present themselves to the world, and the conversation about money always ends at the invoice. Tipping a designer feels foreign, even absurd, until you ask yourself why.
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Process
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