Even the most casual web surfer can see: the web is changing. It’s been evolving since it’s inception. When I started making web pages as a teenager in the 90’s, the web too was in it’s awkward transformative years. Ugly graphics, table-based layouts, limited Javascript and virtually no CSS support. Need to move an element? Add another spacer GIF!
Things changed, and fast… and for good reason. Many common practices we used to do as web designers we’ve come to realize don’t work, annoy visitors, and fill our sites with superfluous code. When I learned how to code my very first page, these things were the norm, and these practices made up the foundation of my learning…
Flash forward 12 years. Now XHTML and CSS are king, and using selectors and style is the only way to design. Why on earth put an attribute in the code every time you want to define font? Use CSS, do it right and only do it once. Why use deprecated tags to control output, when you can do the same in a more extensible way?
The point is, we don’t make web pages like we used to – based on learning from mistakes and overcoming shortfalls of old browser and server technology. My question is: For people who’ve never designed or coded before, people who are starting now; what should their foundation of knowledge consist of?
I ask because I’m in art school now, and despite what some will say about the environment and curriculum found at most art schools, I’ve learned loads. Loads about using Illustrator, photography, and color theory… but when it comes to teaching the fundamentals of web-based programming, it’s like I’ve stepped into a time machine. The basics I learned in the 90’s are still being taught today, and though those techniques do work… on some level… should they still be taught? I’m referring to the use of attributes to control output (like setting background color in the <Body> tag) and the use of unsupported tags like <Font> and <Center>. This is a foundation class, to be teaching the basics which students can build from… but as the web evolves, shouldn’t the designer’s foundation?
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