Making It In a Digital World
I never imagined when I was in college I would be so immersed in a digital ocean. When I went to college, if your were a designer, print was your world. Kerning, typography, and composition was our main focus. Design was more of a craft than a computer skill. It’s different now. If you can whip together some stuff digitally, or edit a template, you can get by.
The Web Design Industry
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not mad or upset about it. Industries change. They evolve, and if you don’t evolve and adapt to those changes, you’ll be left behind. Fortunately, I was on the cusp of graduation at the right time. I kept my ear to the ground and could feel the winds of change. I knew that web design was where the real money was. Money is a motivator, so I adapted.
My Background
My Bachelor’s Degree is in Graphic Design, but I knew I had to learn web design. So, I learned… Flash. Yikes. My main motivator was that businesses were hiring for $125 per hour for a flash developer. This was great, so I learned keyframes, animation, actionscript and went to it. I was mildly successful, with a few cool projects, like a completely animated theatre website with a chasing light marquee. I was especially proud of that project.
I was happy that I branched off into HTMLand CSS. If I hadn’t, I may not be here. I build compliant static websites, some with basic features, and eventually branched out. I was building websites in the days on slicing images and tables. Yikes! I was so excited to be here for @font-face and Google Fonts. I can appreciate them, because I know what it was like without them.
My Gradual Evolution
Then, a little reluctantly, I picked a CMS to branch off into. Can you guess which one I picked? That’s right, I chose WordPress. Looking back, I am so thankful I made the right choice. I know Drupal and Joomla are great CMS platforms, but I don’t think I would have stuck with them and pulled off some of the things I’ve done with WordPress. The way it’s structured enables me to understand how to hook into it and leverage it to do the things I want it to.
My CMS of Choice
The thing that I’ve learned about WordPress is that you have to understand both sides of the coin. On one side, you have the web design ad what is displayed. On the other side, you have to understand how the data is stored and how it will translate on the web side. Understanding both enables you to be able to dynamically display and work with data in some creative ways.
Making it in a Digital World Takes One Thing: Evolution
The web design & development worlds are constantly changing. If you’re counting on anything staying the same, you’ll be severely disappointed. WooCommerce, for example, was acquired by the owners of WordPress. I’m not surprised, I’m actually excited. I can’t wait to see what they do with it. Hopefully it will stay free, just like WordPress itself.
Even my favorite to-do-list app, Wunderlist was acquired by Microsoft. I just hope they don’t mess it up. Wunderlist is such a great app for time and task management. I am never opposed to change, as long as it’s for the better. I hate the idea of something being ruined. it’s like having a friend that you know who has so much potential, only to see them never do anything with their talents, and to go nowhere in life. You think to yourself, what a waste.
You Have to Be Open
You can’t succeed in life or in business if you plant your heels so deep in the dirt that you can’t move. You’re like a plant. When the sunlight moves, you’ll die. I’ve seen plats bend around other plants or objects to reach the sunlight over ime. That’s survival. That’s the only way you’ll survive, too. Will you succeed? Are you open to change and trying new things?
