Designer/Programmer Harmony: Not Just a Myth

This is a difficult dynamic to manage and depends really heavily on the designer and programmer involved, how good they actually are and how much they credit the others expertise.

I've worked on projects at one job with a designer that was top notch. He knew and understood the medium despite having started as a print designer. As he did with print, where he learned about the pre-press process, he made sure he learned about the web, usability and understood HTML and CSS. What a joy it was to work with him. His designs were beautiful and understood usability without sacrificing appearance. He's gone on to do independant work and now makes double what I do. Good on him.

Then there's the other side. I've worked with another designer who thinks design exists in a silo, refuses to learn anything about the medium and has very firm (and misguided) ideas about usability. They see no point in involving a programmer in the design phase because the programmer is just supposed to make things work and doesn't understand design. They have learned nothing about the web and feel learning HTML or CSS dilutes their focus; any designer that does know these things is looked down upon because they're spreading the attention to far and will make a poor designer.

Programmers can make it hard on a designer, even good ones, and we shouldn't. This is the most valuable working relationship you can form in my opinion.

If you find one of the former, hold on to them like they are the only life preserver in the ocean. If one of the latter, run like hell. There are, of course, many skill/knowledge levels in between but it really makes me appreciate it when I have a good one to work with.