Anything that has the word “design” in it, is often considered to be a creative artform that requires some kind of magical inspiration before it can be embarked on. Which is where web designers can get a bit of a reputation for being “creative types” with their head in the clouds (quite literally in the popular perception of a type of skydiving web designer!).
And anything that is based on creativity is often perceived as requiring a “creative mindset”, of the type you might encounter in a wandering poet, ambling along the clifftops in search of the perfect rhyming couplet.
Well, for the most part, I disagree with this view of creativity – especially when it comes to web designing.
Don’t get me wrong, I thrive on creativity and inspiration. Just not necessarily in the way some people might expect me to, if they subscribe to the ideas outlined above regarding what a creative type should fill their time doing.
I share my own belief about creativity with Thomas Edison’s thoughts about genius:
“1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration”.
Which is why, when I’m building a website, I spend most of my time working, not wandering around waiting for inspiration to strike.
It’s true that there are as many different types of designer as there are types of website. And certainly some of them may be able to do a good job whilst not putting in as much effort as I do. But these will be few and far between, and you’d be very lucky to find one who could emulate the quality of the finished product I deliver through inspiration + hard work, simply through putting down the first thing that comes into their head.
Which is why the fundamental truth about web design is that it is about effort just as much as it is about talent.
Certainly, your web designer will need to possess some talent in order to do a good job (something I believe I can demonstrate through some examples of the web design work I’ve been involved with).
But as well as talent, it’s essential to have the right kind of work ethic, in order to build on that talent to deliver an effective website that achieves your internet goals.
So yes, design inspiration is essential. But it requires perspiration to develop it into a finished website that you’ll be proud to call your own.