[jlong]

I don't seem to be making any headway with you on this, so this will probably be my last reply on this thread. But I'm speaking as a professional web designer that has a programming background. I see a lot of correlation between the two.

If we were talking strictly design (as in art) your point would hold a little more weight with me, but we are talking about web design. The skills that are required here are not that different from the skills that are required by a programmer. One is very visual it is true, but both require strong troubleshooting skills.

I'm not sure about the whole left/right brain thing. I'm speaking from my experience of what it takes to be a good web designer.

Is programming strictly a right brain activity? I hear a lot of talk about beauty and design in programming circles today. Clearly it is not all cold crisp logic. You aspire towards beauty and function just as much as designers do.

[tjogin]

I know precisely what you mean. I'm just like you, well, almost. I'm a programmer who started in design. But we are exceptions — we are not the norm.

The norm is that programmers like to program and designers like to design. Most programmers suck at design, and most designers hate programming.

Sass is great for the relatively few of us who actually like to do both. But we are exceptions, not the norm, which is why Sass won't spell CSS's "demise" any time soon: most people who write CSS don't like to and don't want to program.

[jlong]

It sounds like we have both had very different experiences with other designers.

[tjogin]

This is exactly why you should never use your personal experience as an indicator of what the norm is. Instead you should observe the world — and in it designers design and programmers program, only rarely does one person enjoy both.

[jlong]

And what are you using? I have observed the world and my observations about web designers are completely different.

I have asked before for references or articles supporting your point of view and you have not posted anything. @charlesr posted some excellent links below. Where is the evidence that supports your perspective?