Web designers in vancouver are known for perusing Craigslist ads for Vancouver web design contracts and “gigs.” I have noticed that the ads in other cities such as Toronto, Chicago and New York have many more serious clients and companies seeking real web design and web development work from seasoned professionals in the web design industry.
The trend in Vancouver is to post ads that are insulting to both the designer and the industry of web design and graphic design. The people who take on these so called “projects” are not only hurting themselves in the short-term, but the future of the web design industry in Vancouver.
I always make a point of “flagging” inappropriate or prohibited ads – including Craigslist ads that offer NO monetary compensation – as that is actually against the rules for posting in the employment section of craigslist, so flag as much as you can if you care about your profession and livelihood.
There isn’t much that we can do to stop these so–called “web designers” from responding to these ads, and if they do… I would not consider them web designers at all. They are amateurs that call themselves “web designers” without any respect for themselves or the longevity of the web design industry in this fine city.
Just because you have a copy of Adobe Creative Suite and can use 5% of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Flash and the other usual suspects used for creating web graphics, does not a web designer make. There are many serious web designers in Vancouver who have gone to college or university to get a foundation in design and the principles of typography, colour theory and hand-coding html, css, javascript and php programming languages. Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite software from the primary basics to eventual expert use. You have to learn to walk before you can crawl in any profession or skilled trade.
Staying away from insulting Craigslist posts for web design jobs that offer little or no pay is the first step, and building a strong client based with a decent hourly wage or per project flat fee rate is key. There are many other web design employment websites that have prospective clients who respect and appreciate quality web design and development. Perhaps try looking at Kijiji or the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada job boards coupled with believing that your trade is valued and you are making most companies the most valuable marketing asset that they will ever have. That point alone should be the wake up call for all of the freelance web designers in Vancouver.
