Today in my newsletter I said some things that may have seemed controversial to some people. If you haven't read it you can read it here. In brief, I believe that most designers are perfectionists, and they can often let that perfectionism get in the way of moving a site forward. I believe several things:
- Web designers should strive for perfection, but relax and enjoy what happens to their creation when it is used.
- Most web designers work on commercial sites or they create sites for commercial purposes (i.e. they are paid to build them), and they need to recognize that there are more factors involved in building a website than just aesthetics.
- A pixel-perfect design that is delivered late can be worse than a less perfect design delivered on time.
These thoughts struck a nerve with at least one reader who responded to my newsletter with:
“YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!”
Is Roxana right? Am I an idiot for suggesting that there comes a point where worrying if a button is 2 pixels too far left or 3 pixels too far down is overkill? Am I an idiot for pointing out that sometimes the business needs take precedence over the aesthetics of one designer or an entire design team? Is it idiotic to assume that a site that functions correctly can be aesthetically pleasing, even if the designers still want to futz with it?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. I would like to talk more about this. I think it can open up an interesting discussion on where aesthetics and pragmatism collide. But if all you can do is call me names, please do that via email, as Roxana did. I would like to keep the public discussion civil. Thanks! :-)
