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JUSTIN FOX elitism: consciousness of or pride in belonging to chosen or favored group. I do believe that there are groups of elite designers on the web, groups of designers who have recognised that they are more talented than many others in their field and respect others who they also think are also more talented than many others in their field. Many people will refer to elitism as a negative thing. I am here to say it is not a negative thing at all. It is fact, it is a reality, and if you wiped it out it would only come back. Elitism exists simply because there are different levels of skill. When I think of elitism I think of k10k (www.k10k.net). k10k has to keep QUALITY CONTROL. Toke and Mschmidt simply cannot just let anyone with anything showcase their work to the 80.000 unique visitors they get a week. If they didn't screen the content that was coming in then they are risking the death of k10k. Letting users down with perhaps a bad or just boring surfing experience. Jealousy is a nasty word, it is negative energy. If people are 'jealous' of the design elite, or of design elitism then they are headed the wrong way. This is a waste of time and energy on their behalf. I was always taught to be in competition with myself, not others. Instead of feeling jealous, why not feel inspired?! I admit I do sit there and look at some designers work and say "Fucking hell! What a fucking shit! How the fuck did they do that! Bastards! Bitches! Turds!" But I say this with absolute joking sarcasm and a smile on my face, a laugh even, and with total respect! But in the end I feel it is about different levels of skill. And I can define many levels but will simplify it to two (and by the way, I am generalising here): A) Juniors: I feel that the angry, anti elitists are on this level. But in general, these designers have trouble differentiating between something that is well designed and something that is not. Perhaps it is a lack of design fundamentals, or a beneficial background (I am an artist foremost, I had already grasped colour, form, balance, composition before entering the world of design). They are unsure as to why they like things, they simply have not learnt to be able to verbalise why they like tings or don't like things. In many ways they don't have enough knowledge to opinionise on other peoples designs. And thus find it hard ot achieve that level of quality in their work. The best way to the next level is to work closely with someone from the next level. For sure. Thus taking a job as a junior with one nasty, tough, fussy, pushy Art Director will do wonders. it will kill your attitude problem (if you have one, many young designers seems ot think their work is awesome, perfect, and there is nothing they would better about it) and push you to achieve quality. B) Pros: Then there are the people who have passed to the next level. It's a feeling inside. You know when you are on this level. You just know it. Confidence grows, they recognise quality, they see detail and the big picture at the same time, they can talk about their work and always offer why they like it or not. They get stronger and better, faster and gain the ability to pass their design knowledge onto others as well as onto other fields of design whether it be sound, motion, print, industrial design etc. they recognise others who have passed to the next level too and respect each other for this, so, this level, is this the elitist club? Is it bad? I think it is neither bad or good, it just is.
ANNETTE BONDE web design elitism - the belief that certain persons or members of the web design community deserve favored recognition by virtue of their perceived superiority, because of their talent, accomplishments, or experience. The elite exists in almost every group, class, or community. The web design community is no exception.The question is, is elitism good or bad? According to the definitions as stated above I believe elitism is good because it is individually based, there are few negative real-world experiences, and they inspire people. I think we each choose our own group in which to consider the elite. I do not believe there is one predetermined elite group. We each have our own ideas of who we think are the "best" or who is the "most skilled". This lets the idea of "elitism" rest on the individual, not the community. I have never had a negative experience with those that I see as the elite. I think many people look at the elite as unapproachable. I have found this to be far from the case in my own personal experience. I have had many good conversations with those that I see as talented designers. Over time these conversations can usually lead into friendships with the common bond being design. The elite can be looked at as leaders in this design community. I personally gain knowledge and inspiration from well designed sites. They inspire me to work and achieve more. They excite me. They make me ask the question, "How did they do that?", and because of this I want to learn more and this makes me a better designer. All of these examples make me believe elitism is positive. I think these designers deserve respect and recognition for their talents. They work hard, and most importantly they lead by example.
BRIAN LIMOND Hiv ye noticed how pretty much aw the nice sites oot there don't bother their arse wae a laugh or two? Ah don't think it takes that much, troops. Just dae somethin a wee bit funny here or there. How many sites hiv ah saw n been aboot that - fair dues - look n feel crackin n are inspirational n beautiful aw roon, but don't bang a wee gag in, or a wee toy tae play wae? Don't get me wrang, it takes aw types (ah hiv tae say that, though, cos check the nick o me), but gimme a laugh, eh? Make me smile. There's almost a stockpile of good lookin sites oot there that make ye point at the monitor n say tae the guy next tae ye "That's nice... that's nice that bit... like how they've done that... aye", grab some ideas n then close. One thing ah rarely do is gut myself at whut ah'm seein, or even raise a smile. Naw, it's no cause ah'm a dour faced bastard (that's debatable, of course) but because there's nae laughs, man. Ah hope that ah've acheived fillin a wee part of the huge space that's there for funny but good lookin sites tae fill up cos hardly anybody else is givin it a shot, know? Disnae even matter if ye're funny or no, just gie it a try. So mah personal message n mah challenge tae the beautiful ones - the elite - is tae make me n others comin along SMILE. Please. I'm ticklish. |