Starry-Eyed Surprise
Starry-Eyed Surprise
Starry-Eyed Surprise
10 Mar 2004 —
It's been a decent week for professional recognition at Firewheel. Apart from the earlier mentions, Web Standards Awards has given the Marquess & Associates website (recently completed at Firewheel Design) a Silver Star.
We're very grateful for the nod and thoughtful words about our work, although I must admit, we're still learning every day when it comes to "Web Standards." WSA awards sites based on a certain set of standards-esque criteria. Some absolutely amazing work has been the object of WSA's Silver and Gold Stars.
One of the fringe perks of having a site chosen for an award is that comments are opened so the world can weigh in their two cents on the site's design, code, usability, etc. Some comments are simply filled with wonderfully kind words. Some of the comments can be very helpful, and are posted with the intent to aid, assist, and help site designer's solve real-world problems. Sadly, many comments are posted with the intent to deride the designer of the awarded site or even WSA itself.
It seems WSA exists largely to recognize real-life examples of web standards at work, not simply to serve as a self-congratulating vehicle for web standards advocates. This is the way it should be, as web standards must reach beyond the much-hyped blogsphere if they are to succeed. Projects such as the PGA Championship and ESPN do just that.
In designing with web standards, clients' needs must be addressed first and foremost. Sometimes needs come in the form of browser limitations. Sometimes the needs come in the form of a budget. Sometimes the end-result validates witout a hitch. Sometimes it doesn't. Do we throw the baby out with the bath water though, and cry, "Blasphemy!?"
If, due to some strange alignment in the stars, a commercial site doesn't validate or the navigation flickers funny in a somewhat-buggy browser that less than 1 percent of the popluation uses, it is not the end of the world. It is certainly not failure. If we are obstinate about this, we risk winning the battle and losing the war. And we certainly won't make any friends in the process griping about how this-and-that layout doesn't work in our 5-year-old, mold-collecting browser. You know who you are.
By the way, 1999 called. They want their operating system back.
That said, Marquess & Associates wasn't designed to win a Silver Star (although that sure is really nice of the WSA folks), or to garner superfluous praise from standards fanatics. It was designed to be usable and to load fast so middle-age, North Texas women can find a new job. It was designed with a budget. And it was designed to make the client happy.
And the client is happy. What more could you ask for?
