Why A Graphics Designer Need to Know Coding - milapew/Color-Cube-Graphics-CCG GitHub Wiki

I'm Tafi Nami, and I'm a graphics designer and also web designer in color cube graphics. I think it’s odd that some Web Designers can not code their designs. But three years ago I was one of those designers. I had been a Graphic Designer. Last year I ever typed a line of code in HTML. Here are five good reasons why I think a graphics designers should know the coding.

First Reason:

The order of a designing in Photoshop along with HTML & CSS is greater than the sum of their parts. Many people view code as a limitation to a designer, but when I learned to code, I found it relieving. Far from being a limitation, it opened up a whole new field of creative possibilities. Learning code made me a much better for a Web Designer.

Second Reason:

Our designs will be executed in exactly the way we want them too. If we ultimately split the duties of designing and coding there inevitably comes the point in a design where the coder ends up doing pieces of design. At that point, a design can start to degrade. This isn’t the fault of the coder. It is just real life.

Third Reason:

The connection between designing in Photoshop and code is comparatively small. It’s even debatable that HTML and CSS are more a designer’s tool than developer’s.

When I design a website, after creating or designing the homepage in photoshop, I will often carry on developing in HTML and CSS. It is at this point where designing and building almost become the same. This is something unique to The Web and Graphic Design.

Fourth Reason:

It is huge time-saving to be able to both designer and coder. Like me, I said in my last point, once we reach the point in a project or design where we feel satisfied designing in the browser you instantly cut out all those mockups in Photoshop you would have handed over to a coder.

Fifth Reason:

If you’re a designer who can’t know coding, learning code opens up a whole new world of job opportunities, in case you are looking for freelance gigs or permanent job. One of the main reasons I learned to code was because I was so frustrated by the lack of opportunities for designers who don't know how code.