Hybrid Flash Developers: A unique species
by Matthias Willerich on September 5 2006, 11:56
Check out this article by Nick Velloff. (via lessrain blog)
We just discussed this a little bit in the office, with different opinions. I think there’s a flaw in the article, as to me it reads that the hybrid flash developer is the way to go. I wonder: Has a hybrid developer, or a “generalist” as some people call it, ever been out of fashion? Will it lose eventually against the “specialist”?
I don’t believe in that. The essence I take out of this article is in this sentence:
This developer generally has an excellent rapport and mutual level of respect with designers.
But it really doesn’t read as if the article focusses on this point. Further down Nick starts a list with ideas of how to make yourself be more design-aware. Wow: “Pay attention to design comps” and “Try and be creative”. Is he serious?
Sure, when I “Try to sit near the designers”, I’m really after an exchange, and that helps understanding each other. Understanding how the other one thinks, what excites them and what makes them tick. Nick is after the right result, but his viewpoint is confusing me.
In small creative agencies you’ll always need hybrid developers of any kind; there’s different possibilities, e.g. one person that designs and animates, another one that does the heavy actionscript coding; or one designer that creates templates down to html and css, and a programmer that breathes life into the templates. Or the other way round: I myself am responsible for front and back-end coding, HTML and PHP mostly, and I mostly treat it as 2 jobs. There’s many possibilities, and small companies rely on them.
Bigger companies will look for very specialized employees, so that one only does the job they’re best at.
But what stays is the need for mutual respect, the rough understanding of the person doing their job before or after you. Or their job, rather. Preparing your work so that they have an easier life once they start their task.
That doesn’t make the hybrid developer better or worse than one specializing in one or the other field. So a call to push yourself to become a hybrid developer is essentially only for folks that want to work in a small team. The respect for your teammates is something you can utilise anywhere you work.
Comments
Nick, Lindsey, I’m sorry I didn’t register and reply on Nick’s site.
Aaaaanyway: Let’s go over here
by Matthias on September 6 2006, 05:42 #
individual whose interests and learning curve find armony in both, specialization and sensibility.
by Luis on September 6 2006, 04:44 #
I wrote the longest reply ever to your comment, but thought it might be better served at bite-size.
For now:
* is it a lack of talent, or a lack of single developers above-average?
* if you spend lots of time on broadening your skills, especially as a junior, won’t it take longer to become that recognized “talent”?
* as I said in the post, and as you write in your own words at the bottom of your comment, a team can work together by just handing over the work, after their bit is done, or designing with the code/animation in mind, and building with the design in mind. That needs collaboration.
* I don’t see collaboration equal to broadening one’s technical skills.
* First hand experience from my work: I have no clue about Actionscript, but I can still discuss the XML structure needed with a Flash developer. That’s important for both of us. I trust him that he’ll turn it into something nice, visually speaking, and he trusts me that my application delivers consistent data. It doesn’t matter how that exactly happens.
I understand collaboration as the part of the work you do together to achieve an ideal result. When you respect and trust another, and you’re not constantly disappointed, then there’s no need for understanding the tools and the work of your teammates.
In extra-short: What do I care how he came up with it, I love it anyway. And that surely goes for anyone involved in a project.
by Matthias on September 5 2006, 20:33 #
I have worked with both types of gifted developers, and also junior level developers learning how to adapt in an agency environment with a mix of the designer and developer species. I think this article is pointed more toward the junior team – not top developers. It is also not pointed at anyone who handles HTML, PHP, CSS or any other back-end work.
With a lack of talent right now , developers are being thrown into all roles, animating, heavy actionscript, admin tasks , etc. . All teams are small and rarely are more than a few developers and designers working on one project… Young talent should try not to get focused on one area and not expand to shift and grow into the more demanding design focused flash work that is emerging. And vice versa with designers. At a top agency, I still know that only 2 of the designers know and have embraced flash – TWO and they work on top brands – how is that possible? They just don’t want to open their eyes, and the flash team does not integrate with them to help them see how they can push their work with the benefits of flash.
i have sat through many creative meetings that developers dread being in and just want out – whether they speak it or not – and vice versa. Not to mention, as the last one on a project, they are generally so overbooked on projects, no one leaves time to allow them to sit into meetings. I know account directors who never even call in flash developers, until after a client has approved a comp – that’s just nuts! but it happens . alot.
On the sitting together comment – At R/GA the best thing they did for the Nike account was put the account team altogether in one area – incredibly productive, and much less drama.
In the end – I see your point as well – there are many views. I think as a whole ( and maybe this is US vs. UK) alot of flash guys bury their heads in the sand and work on their own thoughts for animation, or are just not involved on the project until later down the line.
The point of the article is to get the collaborative spirit pushing harder at agencies where it is not seen. And first hand, I have seen quite alot of that.
by lindsey on September 5 2006, 15:10 #