Even though the industry has matured, there’s a reason he’s still our mascot: the low barrier of entry. The web is chock-full of free resources for anyone looking to learn HTML; this open access is one of my favorite things about the web. However, with so many people operating under the moniker of web designer the span of capability becomes incredibly broad.

Case in point: every time I drive into Austin, I pass a plywood sign propped up by two milk crates in someone’s front yard. Spray-painted on the sign is «Need a website? Call 555-555-5555 for web design services.» This person may be talented, but the absence of a url on his billboard has me thinking we’re entering GoDaddy Site Builder® territory. This guy is a web designer. He shares a job title with Josh Brewer and Naz Hamid. How can this be?

Anyone, even Mr. Spray Paint, can become a web designer. And, in some ways, that’s a good thing. Some of the best designers I know are self-taught. The problem arises, however, when there are more adolescents and spray paint guys representing our field than there are Josh Brewers and Naz Hamids.

Trent Walton.