I used to think titles do not matter.

You know what you do and does it matter what you are called?

There are a hundred and one ways to call a web designer nowadays. They call them web designer for most parts, art director, digital designer, UX designer, UI designer. Attach a chief, senior, junior, associate or lead, you gain some leverage (or lose some), or you really can gain some major weight by calling yourself creative director or executive creative director and bumped up even higher to the ever-so-important CCO, which stands for Chief Creative Officer (NOT to be mixed up with the other CCOs which could also stand for Chief Compliance Officer or Chief Communication Officer).

On the other hand, some just opt to go real simple and ambiguous by just being a creative or designer.

So why do titles matter?

It defines people’s role in a company. That much is obvious.

In a small company, where everyone pretty much know what everyone else is doing(one can hope), it really does not matter. There is not much of a standard too. Some people are called lead for being an army of one, and some are just called designer while overseeing major projects. What matters is what happens when you step out of your office, some take a look at your title and that slight twitch in the face tells you everything.

In a big company, it gets even worse. Not everyone knows a good solution when they see or hear one, everyone else just judge by the title you are (previously) hired by. Especially in a very young industry like web design, where trends and studies are out and moving every other day, people still judge subjectively and personally.

In an environment as such, you notice some people’s words get prompted into action swiftly while others get ignored, only to be prompted into action when someone else of weight in title says the exact same thing.

And why do they actually not matter?

Most of the time, these so-called web designers of any titles do not even understand the basics of web or anything digital. Many function solely like artists, graphic designers or do template skinning. Some are even so psychological and user-centric, they have degrees in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) or psychology.

Yet everyone calls themselves a designer to some various degrees.

A true designer solves problems.

They can be programmers, artists, graphics creators, data-readers, psycho-analyzers or executors(pixel pushers). Because they solve problems, existing or not, by studying people, creating imagery, weaving stories, invoking emotion or enhancing communication, they definitely cannot be wholly tied to just one medium or role. Most importantly, their end products have to be executable and their results prompt people into action.

The best designers can branch into field of product, architect, film or fashion because the underlying problem-solving skill is the same.

To take one discipline to another. To try to look at the same problem from a different angle. The key is listening, communicating, constant learning and staying open-minded.

A designer who wants to be in the digital product and web industry has to understand technology and programming. Maybe not so much as to do everything themselves (since not everyone can be an expert at everything) but at the very least, know the basics, its limitations, its future and boundaries to be able to communicate effectively with programmers, to push everyone forward. They also have to understand emotions and motivations of users and be great at communicating concepts and ideas. They must be the one pushing everyone onward because we have that unique outlook, all that thinking/problem-solving ideas. If armed with ethics and moral values, I truly believe designers can change the world (*for the better, fingers crossed).

It seems like Designer is a very heavy title to hold. But that is okay, because every and any one can become one. Or imagine if everyone could at least think like one, your workplace, and even the world, would probably be a better place.