Pushing the boundaries

One of the things that I’ve been discussing at the infinimedia offices lately has been the pushing of the envelope in web development. More often than not, there are lots of companies that don’t try and push beyond convention, and those are the companies that we all eventually forget about. Its those few companies that do push the edge that are the ones that last a long time, and make a significant impact in our world.

Most of this is just rambling, but I think there is a great deal of success to be had from taking these risks, and throwing caution to the wind. Man, many of the freelance web designers whose portfolio’s I’ve had the opportunity to see in the last year seem to be resting on their laurels. Now this is not a shot at any of them, this is more of a call to action than anything. I’d like to see the immense design talent that is in the region rise up and show the world what you can do. There are hundreds of fantastic web designers and developers in Miami, its just they aren’t pushing themselves to leave a mark on the world.

Pushing the limits and employing cutting edge techniques and best practices are what will bring more business into the region and elevate the local scene above what it is. What do the designers need to do? Try new techniques, adopt the web standards out there (i’ve seen waaaay too many sites built on tables that shouldn’t be), optimize your sites for search(yeah, no all-flash sites people!).

So designers go out there and show me your stuff, I’m waiting with baited breath. Put Miami and Latin America on the map. I know for a fact that in 2007 we’re going to be trying our best to change people’s expectations of what a web app, site, and service should look and feel like. I know there are already some people out there doing this, but there is always room for more.