Should Designers Code?

I spotted Brad’s post on this and have been meaning to put my thoughts down on the subject for a while. This question has been around forever and I particularly liked Brad’s tweet that he quotes from 2011:

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 Frost, Twitter

My opinion; designing in the target medium, i.e. HTML, CSS & JavaScript (especially the first two), is going to yield the best final experience for users.

I’ve also found that designing in the browser is a wonderful experience for the designer too. It closes the feedback loop much faster, allowing you to see what works and what doesn’t in the a real context. Brad touches on this, referencing Atomic Design, pointing out “uniquely digital design considerations” that you only (today) get by designing in the browser; flexibility, motion, scrolling performance, pixel density, browser quirks, and more.

Static design tools just can’t capture all the nuances of a web UI, even if they try to come close. Personally, I find that frustrating, and not a good use of my time creating static designs that then need to be recreated in code. But, I’m a designer who codes, so it’s easier for me to work that way.

For designers who can’t, or don’t want to code, I totally agree with Brad that it’s important for you to understand key concepts like the box model, modern layout algorithms (flex and grid), etc. Knowing how those work will massively improve your designs.

And if you’re a designer who wants to learn code, personally I love it and I think you will too.