As quoted in a tweet, this is Katherine McCoy’s introduction in Digital Communications Design in the Second Computer Revolution by Stephanie Redman.
Written in 1998, it’s a perfect description of what it means to be a web “designer”:
This environment requires a much different visual design strategy than that of the traditional perfectionist designer. What are the implications for graphic designers trained in the modernist traditions of clarity, formal refinement and professional control? We can no longer think of our work as the production of as precious perfect artifacts, discrete objects, fixed in their materiality. The designer is no longer the sole author, realizing one's own singular vision. This forces a reordering of our design intentions. The designer is an initiator, but not a finisher, more like a composer, choreographer or set designer for each audience member's improvisational dance in a digital communications environment.
Or maybe even a director like in film.
[our] philosophy…for @linear:
Focus your efforts on the actual task on hand (building software), not on side quests (building process or management systems).
Also this is me quite often:
it's usually faster to redraw the component than trying to maintain a library
Brian's take: we are in the flashy era of landing page design where aesthetics are deemed more important than substance.
There is an obsession [right now] with “bento grids” where every box has a micro interaction. And it's insane because it gets likes on Twitter — so people keep doing it because it feels good to get likes on Twitter.
Every landing page is over-invested in “What’s the micro-interaction, scroll-animation we can add here?” Instead of, “How do we explain what our product does really clearly?”
Nailed it.
In contrast, what’s Brian’s approach to his company's landing page design?
There is a series of words that I want you to read as you scroll down the page. The visuals [are supportive] and yeah you might actually linger on those for a second. But I want you to leave the landing page knowing what our product does and whether it's useful for your team.