MANILA, Philippines – A newly-established group is looking to professionalize Web design in the country, eyeing a burgeoning services market overseas.
Established early this year, the Philippine Web Designers Organization (PWDO) aims to become the premier professional organization for web designers in the country.
The group recently held its first major conference attended by more than 200 Web designers and digital artists.
In an interview, the group’s spokesperson Regnard Raquedan said their initial goal is to establish a community composed of designers all over the country.
Web design has been both a profession and a hobby among many Filipinos for years. About ten years ago, small independent companies established themselves creating websites for corporations and other organizations.
Freelance individual designers also became common as software such as Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage became readily available. Schools also began offering Web design courses even on the Internet.
Raquedan, however, said Web design has been taken for granted due in part to the availability of software that made it simple.
“Before, making a website required the creator to make a website look great and functional. They can tweak it anyway and add new features and functions. Now, they can just use templates,” he said.
He also noted that a lot of Filipino Web designers have been providing freelance services abroad. The PWDO is envisioning the Philippines to become a hub for outsourced design services.
While this particular business continues to flourish, potential clients need to be familiar with the skills available.
Raquedan said his group envisions third party certification for Web design in the Philippines. They also look to help train designers in developing their skills further and also to establish ethical and best practice guidelines.
“We’d like to make Filipino Web designers more reliable for an international market and make them more innovative,” Raquedan said.
By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net
