The Era of Custom Coding Websites is Dead, Here’s Why

Coding is not the vibe anymore and we are decoding why it’s not the path to success (haha see what I did there?). We will talk about how there’s been this stigma around web design and a narrative that in order to be a “legit” web designer, you have to code. And that’s just not the truth anymore. We will show proof in this episode!! Back in the day (I might be aging myself here), I used WordPress for my clients… Yes I know, rip out all of my hair now why dontchya. But in all seriousness, when I first started back in 2018… I thought you had to code in order to be a “real” web designer. Jokes was on me though. Little did I know that within just a few years, modern design would be in, and old-school “I need to develop an entire site using JavaScript or Python” was out. Long-gone. To the wind. Bye-bye. (Just me casually praying no code-bros from my TikTok ended up on this email list 👀). So let's bring it to 2023. Have you seen the new Barbie? I personally thought it was really well done and loved the entire thing (If I was a lesbian it would be for Margot Robbie). Ok but let's bring it back. Why am I talking about Barbie? Because she was so convinced it was one way when come to find out, her entire reality was a made up fantasy. Life was way more complex than what she had been believing her whole life. That is exactly what I believe is true when it comes to web design. There is no right way. It is not black and white. So while I do believe coding will inevitably live on in the industry, it is absolutely not the only way. In fact, I have found that designers that release the pressure and belief around needing to know how to code in order to prove their worth… Actually end up becoming way more successful. There are no rules to success. If you want to code, great. Have fun spending 1,000 more hours on developing it with the need for clients to be annoyed with you every time because they want to make a single change to their website… or you end up wanting to quit because your client tried swapping out an image and broke the entire site (yes, I have personally seen this happen). But it's all good, you do you. OR - you could make your life easier and simplify your entire process. Design should be a self-expression that you so happen to be able to make money off of. So stick with what brings you joy. I'll just be looking forward to the day I can say “I told you so! 😉”