NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers • Hacker News Board

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#21

Post by tech-historian » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:18 PM UTC

andersco wrote: post #7

How will these tools in fact enable a developer to ship a better design? As a developer with limited design skills, I find that the problem is not finding tools, but rather knowing how to use them, eg what font to choose, what color palette to pick etc.

I think the point is that it makes design more accessible. This is a great resource of tools for developers that want to at least attempt to make their creations look modern and professional. I've already found 2 sites in here that I plan to use.

If you struggle with knowing where to even start, then working with a designer is probably your best bet.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#22

Post by cj » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:26 PM UTC

eitland wrote: post #19

onion2k wrote: post #10

Alternatively, just work with a designer. There are thousands of them out there who want to build tech stuff but don't have the skills. They want developers to collaborate with. Reach out to some on social media and you might be surprised how receptive they are. You don't have to do everything on your own, and you definitely shouldn't compromise on design if you want your project to succeed.

Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

> I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free

Presumably you'd exchange % of future revenue / profit share, or an equity split if it's a company.

Or if it's not a revenue-generating project, there might still be people who would help you out in order to build their portfolio.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#23

Post by dan_can_code » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:28 PM UTC

Thanks for sharing this! As a dev who would like to improve my awareness of design, this collection of resources will definitely help me learn.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#24

Post by _qulr » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:29 PM UTC

eitland wrote: post #19

onion2k wrote: post #10

Alternatively, just work with a designer. There are thousands of them out there who want to build tech stuff but don't have the skills. They want developers to collaborate with. Reach out to some on social media and you might be surprised how receptive they are. You don't have to do everything on your own, and you definitely shouldn't compromise on design if you want your project to succeed.

Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

Maybe, but I find their slogan "Join the movement" to be very strange. That makes it sound like "No Design" is a goal rather than just a fallback.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#25

Post by onion2k » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:30 PM UTC

eitland wrote: post #19

onion2k wrote: post #10

Alternatively, just work with a designer. There are thousands of them out there who want to build tech stuff but don't have the skills. They want developers to collaborate with. Reach out to some on social media and you might be surprised how receptive they are. You don't have to do everything on your own, and you definitely shouldn't compromise on design if you want your project to succeed.

Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

I said work with a designer, as in a collaboration. As in bring them onboard as a co-founder, give them equity, have an agreement to share profits. Pay them if you can. Share skills by getting them to do design work on your side project in return for coding their side project. There are lots of ways to work with people.

I am absolutely not suggesting anyone asks someone to work for free. That's exploiting people. Don't do that.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#26

Post by tekstar » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:32 PM UTC

Design is a "talent" the same way software development is a "talent". Some people may have natural abilities, but overall it is something to be practiced and studied if you want to get better at it.

CSS is just a programming language.

I am as talentless a designer as any of you but I stopped reaching to libraries and frameworks to solve my design issues, and started learning modern CSS and some basic design skills.

Lots of good books and web sites, and my personal preference is video courses through Lynda.com, which I get for free through my public library.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#27

Post by duxup » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:40 PM UTC

onion2k wrote: post #25

eitland wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it. I said work with a designer, as in a collaboration. As in bring them onboard as a co-founder, give them equity, have an agreement to share profits. Pay them if you can. Share skills by getting them to do design work on your side project in return for coding their side project. There are lots of ways to work with people.…

Are designers usually co-founders?

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#28

Post by winkeltripel » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:42 PM UTC

As a heads up, the site loads with a horrible amount of pop-in. I suggest loading the items in the order you want to display them, so that after the first 6 load, the pop-in is finished, so that the screen will stop flashing.

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#29

Post by tekstar » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:43 PM UTC

petargyurov wrote: post #8

andersco wrote: post #7

How will these tools in fact enable a developer to ship a better design? As a developer with limited design skills, I find that the problem is not finding tools, but rather knowing how to use them, eg what font to choose, what color palette to pick etc.

> what font to choose, what color palette to pick etc. I don't think anyone but you will be able to give an exact response to this. After all, it depends on your product and how you want it to look. Remember, when it comes to design there are no universal right answers.

Are you aware of colour theory, and how to effectively use the colour wheel?

Re: NoDesign.dev – Tools and resources for non-artistic developers

#30

Post by nick-garfield » Mon, Jun 08, 2020, 1:47 PM UTC

I've got to recommend refactoringui.com.

They sell a (rather expensive) book on web/mobile app design that explains how to build your design system and use it to create great looking apps. They cover all the bases you would expect like fonts, line-heights, colors, shadows, borders, sizing, working with images, visual hierarchy, using white space, etc. etc.

I'm a developer by trade and I work primarily with one other developer, so we end up doing all of our design work. This book really helped us step up our game and gave us some very simple tactics to use to improve our designs. Imho, it was well worth the price.

https://refactoringui.com