A New Take on Web Design

If you have ever contemplated designing a web site for fun or even plan on designing as a profession then you probably know what it takes to become a good designer. Its not just the expensive computer, the cool apps, or even a good eye for design. Truly becoming a designer takes one thing more than all the rest, practice. So today we are going to look at how one designer is shifting the paradigm on web design.

Free web design with a catch

There are two words that, when written in a specific order, perk any blogger’s interest–those words, “free design”. Alright, so maybe “apple phone” catches the eye a bit more often, but who doesn’t want free web design? Well 22-year-old college senior Teddy Hwang is offering just that, the holy grail of free stuff, design. Its no secret that any sort of design is going to be costly. Personally, as an advertisement designer for a local newspaper I understand why there is such a high cost on intellectual property. It really takes a lot of hard work and attention to countless details to make something worthy to be seen by the general public, not to mention the hours of study in specialized applications.

Alright, so we are getting a great deal, free web design, but what’s the catch? The answer to that question is the concept behind Hwang’s Project Grow

Growth in three stages

“Project Grow is not a project or service to sell,” said Hwang in his Project Grow over view. He further explains the three phases of the project. Right now Project Grow is on phase one which means Hwang is still “building awareness” and promoting his idea. Soon the second phase will “reach out” to small businesses in need of this type of service.. Finally phase three will comply to the needs of general bloggers. This means that by at least the third phase you could probably get a free design, no strings attached, and the ability to turn down the services at any time (just in cases).

A Revolutionary Concept

The best aspect of this whole project is not just one guy giving out free design, it’s the fact that this guy is offering his services for free in order to become a better designer. Its seems to be a very “open source-ish” way of development. I think that Hwang really has something going here, not just a good project but a good over all idea. What would things be like if more people who were developing themselves in tech-specific fields would give their work freely to the public?

Certainly this type of thing wouldn’t work on a grand scheme, but for lower level work I really hope this is something that catches on. If all the beginner bloggers out there who are serious about their work could link up with beginner designers the wave that would hit the internet community would be very substantial.

The continuing possibilities with an idea like this is really exciting. Take a closer look at Hwang’s blog here if you aren’t convinced already.

If you would like to know more about Project Grow click here.

If you would like to see more projects from Hwang click here.

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