Andy Warhol eat your heart out

I seem to have written so much about designers integrating with developers (mainly due to Rich Internet Applications I guess) that the word ‘designer’ feels like it’s becoming part of my core developer vocabulary these days. Maybe this isn’t such a weird thing - as a journalist, talking to page layout designers (hi Jerry!) is part and parcel of the work that I normally do. Plus, having started using photos in my blogs far more regularly now makes them much easier on the eye for sure. So an appreciation for code, structure and form, for me, goes hand in hand with making things look good.

With that thought in mind, I went off on a bit of a design daydream this weekend and started looking around at how software for web designers is integrating with the more “artistic” type of software packages normally associated with the design department. On my web travels I came across a community-based web site for designers called ilovedesign.com – this place allows users to create their own profiles and upload samples of their own design work. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about this being web based that makes me suddenly fancy myself as the next Andy Warhol.

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In much the same style as rather less serious ‘ratings’ style web sites, this site allows users to search, view, and rate designs uploaded by other members. The site creator (Quark) says that, “The content of the site is largely user generated and the aim is to create a platform where designers can showcase their work, be inspired by the work of others and discuss their love of design.”

Anyway, after I fire up every image manipulation app I’ve got tucked away in my MacBook Pro I might just have a stab at the ‘design of the week’ competition. I guess this is segmentation of social networking to a level we may not have considered so far – this is social networking for designers.

Whatever next I wonder, social networking for technical journalists perhaps? Would I sign up for that? Don’t even ask.