I was looking through my LinkedIn feed this morning and saw a post that read:
The WordPress world needs less:
‘Web designers’ who call themselves web designers but are basically template editors
And more:
Skilled teams who understand how to build with WordPress efficiently
And while I agree completely that we need more skilled teams who understand how to build with WordPress efficiently (and other ways like fiscally responsibly), I’ve got to be honest, I was a little put off by the sentiment in this post. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I was put off by it because I am one of those ‘web designers’ who calls himself a web designer but is basically a template editor. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing necessarily.
In my reply to the post, I said:
I understand what you’re communicating here, but I don’t think it has to be either/or.
I often say there is room in my garage for a sports car, and a pickup. Each has their purpose. If I’m taking my wife out for a nice supper, she might not appreciate the truck. But if I’m hauling firewood, I’m going to have a miserable time in the sports car.
We absolutely teams who understand how to build efficiently. But I think it’s okay for guys like me to say I’m a designer. Because I am. I’m certain my skill level is nowhere near yours, but I DO design. For a long time before the term designer became fashionable, there were lots of guys at my skill level calling themselves web devs, which I think was far more misleading.
Perhaps one day I’ll be a real agency guy, but right now I’m just someone who REALLY enjoys WordPress and wants to learn and grow his skillset. But even at my skill level I have been able to help out four small businesses that wouldn’t be able to afford your services. My hope is that with my limited skillset and enjoyment of the platform their business can grow to the point that one day, I can pass them off to someone like you, then everybody wins.
The car truck analogy is one I’ve used for a long time and it really resonates with me. There are appropriate tools for every job. In some cases, there is more than one way to get the job done.
Not everyone who wants a steak is going to go to Oak Park and pay $110 for a 24 oz. bone-in ribeye, dry aged for 28 days, topped with chanterelle butter, bordelaise, and triple-cooked potatoes. More often than not, a $20 ribeye from Hy-Vee is just fine!
I’m not saying that nobody needs the level of service this poster provides. I mean NASA.gov is a WordPress site, and I can’t begin to get my mind around how complex that must have been! But there are people like Mike over at TheRightMovers.net and Tom at OnCallRestoration who don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on websites. What they need (and want!) is a web presence for their small business. A brochure website. And that’s exactly the niche I want to be able to fill at SuttonDesignWorks.com while I hone my craft while I wait for retirement.
I’m certain the poster is extraordinarily skilled at his trade, but he was once a novice, and it seems a little like he’s forgetting where he came from.
I don’t make any bones about who I am or what I do. I do, in fact, design websites, and I’m sorry if that offends some people.
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