Domain distinctions to prevent designing in the dark
Apr 22, 2026
Discovering design workflows and differentiating from developing.
the revelation
I had a revelation today:
When doing design work, use designer tools, not a developers.
After someone explained that I was "doing branding" I realized I was designing, not developing. This provided valuable insight allowing me to implement the appropriate tools for the task at hand, resulting in an improved workflow. Previously I was unknowingly hammering nails in with the back of a screwdriver. Ouch.
the improved workflow
My build by feature workflow:
- Create the feature or component
- Present it and get feedback from the client
- Make adjustments accordingly
- Repeat until satisfaction has been achieved 🙂
Previously I was designing components with HTML, and CSS, and then presenting them. I suspect any professionals (branding or UI/UX work) just experienced a visceral reaction. Originally these tools made sense to me because the code would be used in the final implementation. I was killing two birds with one stone.
Initially this was fine, but became problematic when alterations had to be made that resulted in more than 2 iterations of component creation. Or, multiple minor edits, and movements needed to be made to pieces of the components.
After being told this was designer work I had a revelation: "What if instead I take a screenshot of the first version and alter it in Procreate, THEN display it for feedback, THEN if it looks great I can implement it in code!"
That was genius, because I could make minor edits and get feedback in 5-10 minutes. Whereas making an altered component that functions via HTML, CSS, and JS might take me 30 minutes or more. That work compounded and became painful.
designing vs developing
Designing, and developing often overlap, and it can be difficult to differentiate the type of work when the two intersect. Making the distinction (what is developing and what is designing) about which area you occupy is helpful. After acknowledging that I was designing and not developing, I was able to stop working against myself and adopt appropriate tools and improve my workflow.
I love working at the intersection of development and design, so I suspect I will find myself in this position again in the future. Hopefully next time I can make this distinction to prevent designing in the dark.