Are older graphic and website designers killing your business? It is often said that experience comes with age and that the older you get the wiser you are. Can this be said of graphic and website designers or are they out of touch with the modern times?

This morning on the train I overheard a man sharing his experience with his colleague about his wife – apparently suffering massive ordeal of unfortunate events. It went something like, “ She was left there to fester for almost a week before they did anything. It’s a good thing that this other Doctor came along and was around.She took over and sorted it all out. Obviously she knew how to handle the situation. The older doctors are just out of touch and don’t know [follow or aware of] how to treat some conditions. They just leave you to die. Anyway, she is quite good.”

Interesting conversation I thought. I always expect doctors to save lives and that their wisdom and medical knowledge would increase over time – until they die. However, I can somewhat relate to what the man said. This made me think of how what he said relates to other professions, especially designers; mainly because I work in the design industry.

Like medicine, design is advancing rapidly on a daily basis. No longer do we see just static html pages with a few pictures and text put together. We have great designs which bring businesses website alive to visitors. Professionals need to keep afresh with the trends and technologies to remain experts in their field. But how many do so?

Are the older web designers and developer interested? Do they have the willingness and energy to learn new things or are they like some older doctors just satisfied with giving your business a prescription of out of date designs? What about new designers then… just out from university or college? Don’t they have a fresh eye and are more up-to-date on trends or are they inexperienced? One can also argue that younger designers have less experience as to what works in the industry and the older one know what doesn’t.

Is this true across the board? There are many factors that a website designer or agency need to take into consideration and implement before, during and after a project. Some issues are simple. Others are more complex.

For instance, a designer has to consider the look and feel for potential users. The design has to be fit for the business. The products and services have to be presented to the visitors (new or potential customers) in the best possible way for conversion. It is not all about fancy/flashy pages. The site architecture has to be search engine friendly. Basic level of search engine optimisation should always be implemented.

Since social media has become a big part of our lives it’s no point ignoring it either. Some designers are either anti- “social-media” or have phobia regarding this. All avenues have be examined to see if they are fit for the business and integrated into the design where possible. All designs will become out of date at some point. It is inevitable. However, the rate or expiration of a design is all down to the doctor (the professional web designer). Great designers think ahead, prescribing a design that almost future proof, instead of short lived.

When choosing your “doctor of design” check the competence of that person or agency. Are the websites they have designed still alive or dead? What do their customers say? Is there proof that they are passionate about what they do and putting into operation new design elements? The decision you make can kill your business. Choose life! Choose passion and experience –like jump What’s your view anyway?