Whether it is on Twitter, forums or on one of the many web design blogs, it seems discussions that question and criticize our community spark all over.

While I don’t want to give my opinion on this topic itself in this article, I do want to have a closer look at the scapegoat that is often argued to be one of the main reasons for the current developments in the design community: The List Post.

Before I’m getting started let’s make sure that we’re all on the same level and define what a list post is.

A list post (I’m quoting nobody, but myself here) is a post that features a list of different web sites, links, photographs or other elements all surrounding a certain, common topic or theme. They often, but not always, consist of nothing but a short intro/outro and a collection of links and/or screenshots or images.

If you disagree with my definition please leave a comment explaining why; I don’t actually think there is that much room for interpretation or arguing here.

How It All Started

Smashing Magazine was one of the first design blogs to publish lists, loads of them. Lists as a way to present a multitude of different links surrounding a topic were surely around before in the world of blogging, but Smashing Magazine were the first one in the design community to actually do it mainly and – as it turned out – very successfully.

They quickly gained popularity, traffic, exposure and countless diggs, tweets, stumbles & co and also started making money with ads.
I’m certainly not blaming Smashing Magazine for anything and if they would still be one of only few blogs that published list posts then I would actually appreciate that.

But…

Unfortunately success inevitably attracts copycats and in combination with easier to use blogging platforms web design blogs that focused on list posts popped up like mushrooms all over the web.

Not even this would have been a big problem, if all of these blogs had invested all of their efforts and time in finding unique topics, proper research and preparation, but quite many of them were just after a quick buck or traffic without having too much interest in actually sharing links and images designers would actually profit from.

Now

This resulted in what we have now: Hundreds (if not thousands) of design blogs that pump out one mediocre list post after another, Twitter streams filled with retweets of the “20 Best Firefox Plugins for Web Designers” or “50 Most Awesome jQuery Plugins Ever” and Designers that actually would like to share their unique opinions and knowledge, but are discouraged by the constant stream of list posts that stop people from actually checking out their sites.

What Can We Do?

So how do we get out of this mess? Bloggers should start by reducing the amount of list posts they’re publishing and publish either alternative content (how about a in-depth review of a web site, service or design rather than a list with “20 Fabulous Web Sites with Big Headers”?) or make sure that their list posts are unique, of a high-quality and have, if fitting, descriptions and explanations for each item.

Readers should stop to retweet, digg and bump every mindless list post they see just because 100 other people did the same. If you think a post is great (you can only do this after you actually read it) share it, if not don’t – it’s so very simple.

Wrapping It All Up

To get to an end here and to answer the question I asked in the title: Are list posts a curse or blessing?

They can be both. A unique list post that features some extraordinary designs or sites, adds some valuable background information and really showcases and summarizes a certain aspect of web design can be just as valuable as an in-depth, opinionated piece. A list post that, on the other hand, covers a topic that has already been covered by 100 other blogs and doesn’t add anything new is nothing but spam.

When I started DesignLovr one of my goals was to publish list posts only occasionally (besides our weekly Resource-Wednesday there were only 2 so far) and if so, to do my research, find truly stunning examples of what I want to showcase and also offer some background information on the respective topic. I think I did well so far and hope that other bloggers will rethink the way they see and approach list posts as well and start turning all list posts into blessings – if we can save the design community at the same time, even better.

We’re going to list some of those here and explain what exactly we can learn and how we can profit from each one of them.

The Architect: Pay Attention to the Details

Even though there are many abilities and talents a successful architect needs to have, one of the most important ones certainly is the rigorous observation every little detail receives. Without it houses and buildings would collapse or look like a random pile of junk rather than miraculous and balanced structures.

Even if there won’t be any collapsing houses, designers should pay just as much attention to details as an architect does. Not only will it help prevent gross errors and mistakes, but it will also make a design look more professional and harmonized.

The Cook: Choose and Match the Right Ingredients

The profession of the cook is closer to the one of the designer than we might think. I actually had a hard time picking just one of the many things we could learn from them.

Just like a cook a designer works with different ingredients (resources) and needs to pick and match them the right way in order to create a delicious meal (design). Certain combinations just work with each other, whether it’s porc meat and sage or a paper texture with a grungy font, but that shouldn’t stop us from experimenting every once in a while. Being creative in mixing and combining different resources is essential in both professions and leads to new, exciting creations.

The Gardener: Constant Care Is the Key to Success

If you’re going to ask a gardener what’s one of the most effective ways of having a beautiful and prospering garden he’ll most probably tell you that the constant and steady care is essential.

The exact same rule applies to us designers. Just designing a product or a web site, sending it off and forgetting all about it will result in nothing but temporary success and appeal. Even though this rule applies more to web designers, who need to make sure that the web sites they designed are always up to date, it should matter just as much to print designers – offline information changes after all just as much as online content.

The Journalist: Do Your Research

Nothing is more embarrassing and costs you more credibility as a journalist than publishing an article that is based on wrong facts or, even worse, on none.

The importance of proper and well-conducted research for a designer is sometimes overlooked, but we need to remind ourselves that our designs might be seen by thousands (if we’re lucky even millions) of people and, similar to journalists, it should be written/designed with them in mind. That requires us to get to know them, the industry we’re designing for, our client, the competition and many other deciding factors.
But all this effort will result and reward us with a great final product that is not only tailored to the client’s requirements, but also to the end users’ needs.

The Contractor: Choose the Right Tools

Building a house and designing something are similar processes to a certain degree. You start with a foundation and basic structure and move step by step on to smaller and more detailed tasks.

One of the most important choices contractors as well as designers have to make is what tools they want to use in order to execute their job properly. A contractor wouldn’t use a screwdriver to put a nail in a wall, but a hammer and neither should a designer use Photoshop to design a logo, but rather Illustrator. Using the right tools and applications will assure that you can let your creative juices flow and still deliver the ideal end-product.

The Secretary: Be Organized

Even though there are many jobs that require a certain level of organization, the one of the secretary certainly stands out. Knowing where to find which important document, always having the right contact information at hand and constantly sorting and filing all sorts of papers demands an extraordinary amount of organization and structure.

Even if the amount of documents and files a designer is dealing with on a daily basis is moderate compared to what a secretary goes through, organizational skills come quite in handy. This extends to more than just papers though – having a tidy folder structure on your computer, properly named and grouped layers in your .psd-files and an elaborate tagging system for your fonts will make you work faster and much more efficient.

The Doctor: Listen to Your Patients

Although Dr. House tries to prove us otherwise every week, listening to the patient is an important step during the diagnostic process of a doctor. Essential details that wouldn’t be revealed without talking to a patient can often change everything.

The patients of a designer are his clients – listening to them and what they want and think is vital. No one knows the target group and industry of a web site or brochure as good as the client itself and designing with the information you received while talking to your client can make all the difference. And just as doctors you shouldn’t only listen, but also ask relevant questions; after all it eases your job.

The Photographer: Trust Your Instincts

One of my favorite photography quotes comes from the great American landscape photographer Ansel Adams:“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
Even though photography has certain principles and basics, just like design does, there is no step by step guide to capturing the perfect photograph. A good photographer needs more than just technique to be successful, a certain talent and natural feel are just as important.

It is likewise for Designers: You have to know all the basics of design, such as typography, color theory and contrast, but if a design doesn’t feel right, it isn’t, most of the times. Sometimes it isn’t a bad idea to go with your gut and figure out later why it makes sense.

The Scientist: Network with Your Colleagues

If any occupational group has more conventions and meetings than web designers and developers it’s certainly the scientists. Many great ideas and technologies we enjoy nowadays were born through collaboration. Even if a scientist works alone, he certainly corresponds and interacts with others on a regular basis

Networking with others is just as fundamental for Designers and thanks to social networking (Twitter, Facebook) you don’t need to travel all over the world anymore in order to do so. Exchanging ideas and thoughts with other like-minded people will inspire you and give birth to new ideas and creations.

The Web Developer: Know HTML and CSS

The last profession we’re discussing here is a little bit of a homage and my 5 cents to the “Should (web) designers know how to code” debate that currently takes place in the community. I personally think that web designers should at very least know the basics of HTML and CSS – the more the better. It will make you a better web designer, because you will know what can and can’t be done online and what you have to consider when designing for the web. At best you can even code your designs on your own and eventually save some time and money.

So, what do you think? Are there other professions you would add to the list? Please feel free to share your opinions and ideas in the comment section.

For pages that have often changing or new content, news sections or even blog pages a CMS platform in some form is in 99% of the cases the best choice, so we won’t further talk about this kind of web site.

But where do we draw the line between often changing, dynamic web pages and static pages?

When you start working on a project (whether it is for a customer or for yourself) try to determine as early as possible whether or not a news or blog section will be required or if there is going to be other content that needs to be updated/added regularly. If a web page needs to be updated once or twice a year it certainly can be considered a static web page. It also depends on what kind of updates need to be performed. There is a big difference between the extensive update of a portfolio with new images, texts and case studies and the adding of a “We wish a Happy New Year to all our clients”–message.

In the end it is mostly a decision based on personal preferences and work patterns. Hopefully it will be easier to decide once you read this article.

Please keep in mind that we are talking about small to medium-sized web sites and not big, corporate web sites, for which special rules apply.

Generally you can say, if you are working on a static page don’t use a Content Management System. It doesn’t only mean more work for you, but can also have a range of other, less obvious disadvantages.

Although most CMSs offer you a great flexibility there are always certain things to consider when designing for a specific CMS, a disadvantage you don’t have when you code your page regularly with (x)HTML and CSS. It usually also takes a lot more time to code and test a CMS theme or template than it does with a simple web site. It is also easier to design and craft individual pages manually and pay more attention to the details if you are not restricted by platform-specific guidelines. You could logically argue that it is easier to make site-wide modifications with a CMS template, but what for do we have Dreamweaver templates, extensive CSS frameworks and co.?

Another point that speaks against the usage of a CMS, if you don’t need one, are security issues. Even though most CMSs are on a high-standard and pay a lot of attention to security issues they offer much more contact surface for hacker attacks than a simple html-based web site does. This may not be a major point, but you should still consider it.

Even though you might think the contrary, on the long run a CMS-based web site will require more maintenance than a regular web site. You have to regularly update the CMS, its plugins and with that eventually as well your theme files. If you are really unlucky complications will occur and you have to spent valuable hours fixing a page that doesn’t actually require a CMS.

It is in addition often much more complicated to implement scripts and other desired functions into a Content Management System than in a regular, html-based web site. Whoever tried to implement javascript features into a Wordpress theme knows what I am talking about.

Finally there is the Search-Engine Optimization. Although most CMS offer quite good SEO results, they will never reach the quality of a hand-crafted html-page, where everything is in its place and you can make full use of all html-tags and their SEO advantages.

Sometimes your customer will insist on a CMS, because he wants to (understandably) be able to edit and change the contents of his web page himself. If it is clear that he will only use this possibility at rare opportunities try to use a very minimalistic and simple CMS, that leaves you as much freedom as possible. CushyCMS and Simple CMS are great examples. You only add a line of code to your regular html-site and the customer can edit the important parts of the web site all by himself. You can even brand the backend very easily yourself.

This is not meant to be an anti-CMS article. I love CMSs and all their advantages (I guess you could call me a Wordpress-addict), but I’m against their (growing) use if it really isn’t necessary and the disadvantages overweigh the advantages.

What do you think? In what situations should CMS’s be used and when do you use them? Feel free to share your thoughts.