Writing about the big beautiful mess that is making things for the world wide web.

I’m coming to realize that a lot of my dissatisfaction with the state of the web is that I view web development as a craft, but as a profession we’re in the late-stage industrial age. I prefer a web of hand-laid bricks placed by skilled masons. The industry wants poured, stamped concrete. I want a web of bespoke suits. The industry wants mass-produced fast-fashion. Why learn CSS when you can just slap some Tailwind on things?

Ah yes, this old chestnut. It pops up as reliably as daffodils in early spring. My perspective has changed very little over the years. Telling web designers they don't need to worry about code is like telling architects they don't need to worry about steel, wood or physics.— Brad Fr

“I’m not a ‘[full-stack] developer,’ regardless of what my last job title says. I’m not even a front-end developer. I’m a web designer. And I also specialize in accessibility, design systems, and design. I’m designing for the web. The infinitely flexible web…” #webdesign #frontend #webstandards #design #stateoftheweb

Part III: Now where do I go? I've been on hiatus for a while and there were factors that forced me into it, factors that I continue to see forced on other people to make impossible choices in their lives to this day.

Part II: How did I get there? I've been on hiatus for a while and there were factors that forced me into it, factors that I continue to see forced on other people to make impossible choices in their lives to this day.

Part I: Where was I? I've been on hiatus for a while and there were factors that forced me into it, factors that I continue to see forced on other people to make impossible choices in their lives to this day.

I keep noticing those of us in the frontend field being treated much the same as nurses, paralegals, and executive assistants. Our work is seen as important, certainly, but just not the same as, or as important as, the “real” work.

I don't know how else to answer this, besides: the gendering of design as women's work is why people don't use the title "web designer" anymore. It's been belittled and othered away. It's why we've split that web design role into two; now you're either a UX designer and you can sit at that table ove

Exploring the reasons why we no longer have web designers.