“The most sought-after designer will be the person who can do a bit of everything...designing every aspect of the product or service, not just putting a glossy sheen or spec’ing out wireframes. My prediction: 2012 is the year of the designer. Are you ready for it?”

In response to this quote pulled from Jared Spool on “Web design predictions for 2012”...this isn't anything new at all. Small businesses have wanted exactly this kind of designer ever since they realized it was possible. Now more than ever considering the slow economy, the consolidation of personnel in favor of a few talented individuals with a wide skill set is the norm rather than the exception, and has been a trend for quite some years. A single entity can produce great work but a team of creative individuals can have a greater chance of creating great work more often. To bolster that, a single person can produce at a high level of quality for only a certain period of time before getting burned out, whereas a talented flexible team can better handle stressful workloads, since one member is not responsible for all aspects of a project. We are not in the business of “turn and burn” when it comes to people!

In response to the rest of the predictions for web development in 2012, most of the predictions are pretty spot on with regards to:  a push for “mobile first”, responsive design, and “one web” development becoming the standard, while continuing to push user experience and relevant content based on the format that it is received or accessed. Ignoring the fact that web users are more savvy and familiar with each passing year will be the downfall of websites that obviously have not thought through the content that they are serving to the public. Content will continue to remain king when it comes to pulling in traffic from users. More importantly though, the continued development of serving out said content in a manner that allows for quick navigation of information will become very important. Hierarchy of information through proper usage of typography skills and layout will see a greater push in 2012. And that’s just fine with us!