Why a Web Designer Should Not Work Alone

Milan Vrekic
C:/Milan
Published in
2 min readJul 1, 2010

Creative professions are well known for being solitary and lonely at work. As such, we take it for granted that the best way to work for any creative, including modern creatives like web designers, is alone. Web designers, particularly freelancers, may often find themselves isolated, and you are probably nodding along if you are one of them. However, did you know that working alone as a web designer can be counterproductive? The benefits of working the hours you like anywhere you like are immense but can be outweighed by the negatives. Read on to find out what some of those negatives are and why a web designer should not work alone as a result.Keeping Your Feet on the GroundWhen you work alone, it is easy to become a little extreme because you have nobody to keep you grounded. You might become overconfident in your ability as a web designer and find yourself implementing ideas that your clients are less than happy with. If you do this then you could generate a bad reputation and lose commissions. You could also find yourself a little too focused on your work and miss challenges that may cause problems at a later date. Having someone else there with you will help to keep you focused on the broader picture and keep your feet on the ground.Embrace CreativityCreatives like web designers thrive off their ideas, writing them down or sketching them out in order to use them at a later date. They need ideas to be successful in the web design field, but what if the ideas dried up? This is entirely possible if you are isolated because you have no outlet for your creativity. Brainstorming and exchanging ideas is always a good idea before you start a web design project because it allows you to get the creative juices flowing. This is why it is never a good idea for web designers to work alone — it is incredibly difficult to bounce ideas off yourself.That Valuable Second OpinionEveryone needs a second opinion once in a while, whether it is to run ideas past someone you trust or to ask for a little help when you feel that something is missing. The same applies for web designers. A second pair of eyes goes a long way towards helping you to achieve success. Whether you have a friend, a freelancer buddy or a business partner to ask for another perspective then you may want to find one.This reason why a web designer should not work alone, when paired with the previous two reasons, highlights the importance of at least finding a friend to discuss business with once in a while. Working alone can be just as detrimental to a web designer as working on a crowded bus would be so finding a happy balance as soon as possible is essential.

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Milan Vrekic
C:/Milan

Product Manager @POF, Volta, Zora & TitanFile co-founder, Maritimer living on the West Coast.