Antediluvian Web Designer

I am officially an antediluvian web designer. Lately I have not kept myself up to date with web design and development. In the past, I read articles, blog posts, and books on the topic. Nowadays, I can’t even get past 10 pages on a JavaScript book without getting bored out of my mind.

I still design and develop websites using HTML and CSS. I know nothing about JavaScript frameworks. I only use JavaScript when I have no other option. Because my nine-to-five job required server knowledge, I know a bit about Linux. I also know a bit PHP and MySQL to get by.

I have no interest in doing flashing animation and interact design on the web. The death of Flash has something to do with it, but it also come with aging. My focus is still on typography and straightforward user experience. My development process is to build from scratch rather than forking existing codes. As a result, doing a WordPress project is just a pain. It is easier if I build for myself because I know exactly what I need and what I don’t need. I can’t take someone’s theme and customize it to fit the client’s need.

I have not done a client project for a while now and I don’t think I will any time soon. Services like Squarespace and Wix have eaten freelancers’ lunch. Why would small mom and pop shops pay thousands of dollars for a designer like me to build a small website when they can do it through other services for eight bucks a month or for free on Facebook? Brand matters, but these small shops don’t really care about branding. They don’t even care about being uniqueness.

I am fortunate to have a good full-time job that pays the bills. The remaining time that I have I spend with my family. Web design for me is no longer a passion like it used to, but I am fine with it. At least, I can still make a living and work on my own designs.