Sabine Walter, in conversation with ...
Claus Pescha, Web designer
Mr Pescha, what do you love about your job?
All because it is a very diverse field of work. This begins with the first customer contact, where the question is: "What does this company or this person need? And how can I help him with that?" And this then continues in the second step with an intensive exchange phaseI would like to understand exactly what the company offers, which customers or interested parties it wants to address and, above all, what the company's customers will gain from choosing this service or this company. What differentiates the company from other providers on the market? What is it particularly good at? What spirit or culture does it embody? What is at the heart of this company?
And I then map all this in a comprehensible presentation for the internet, i.e. in a website. I have the ambition to create a unique website for every company that, in addition to all the clarity and essence, also conveys what is difficult to put into words: namely the mood, the lifeblood, the spirit behind it.
In order to grasp and sense this, I ask many questions. I visit the companies, walk through the production or the handicraft business. I save scenes that I can later capture in storytelling photography and use for the website. To get customers excited about a company's products or services, well-made portraits or product images are not enough. What is needed are images that tell stories. For example, they show the craftsman at work in the workshop and thus convey how much the company itself values its products, the attention to detail and the craftsmanship that goes into this product. This value must be captured and transported.
The holistic perception of people and companies and the combination of content and design, of text and photography is always new and exciting for me. and provides my clients with unique websites; websites that have room to Convey important content in such an inspiring way that a prospective customer enjoys looking at it and contacts the company with a positive feeling. or ordered the product or service via the online shop.
You mentioned two aspects of your work, researching and designing. Which of the two parts do you enjoy the most?
Both areas belong together. The content does not appeal to the user without the right design. The design remains empty without the content. In order to develop this coherent unit, it takes an iterative dialogue process between the client and me. Things that I may not have grasped during the initial research come to light during the design process. Then I ask questions and deepen or expand the research. In the same way, information may fall out if I realise during the design process that it is not needed.
But the most fun for me is to bring information together into a common thread and translate it into simple, graphic elements. But this fun is only there when I have good content to convey.
You studied geography. What of this can you apply to your job as a web designer?
Even though at first glance they are two completely different things, I can use a lot of the skills of a geographer in my current job. Geography is a very comprehensive subject and combines almost all natural sciences. As a geographer, it's about understanding the context. Let me give you an example: When I have a phenomenon, i.e. an appearance in nature, the point is to understand this appearance. Why is the hill, e.g. a lateral end moraine on a glacial lake, the way it is? Where does it come from? How was it formed? Why is there certain vegetation on the hill? And to answer these questions, I have to understand the climate, I have to understand physics, I have to be familiar with landscape ecology aspects, and I have to combine all of this into one unit. Geography is always about understanding phenomena, i.e. complex contents, and then presenting them in an understandable and graphic way.
I do nothing else in my current job. The phenomena are my clients.
What parallels are there to what we do, personality development?
Some. Websites are the shop window of every company today - no matter how big. In my view, they are the central element, especially in the active or passive acquisition of new customers, to establish initial trust and to arouse interest in me and my offer. This only works if I show myself as a company or, in the case of self-employed people, as a person. And to show myself worthy and authentic, I need to know and value my self-worth and be authentic.
Creating this awareness is often already part of my consulting services before an order is placed. Especially with start-ups or people who want to become self-employed, I observe this. "Who am I? What do I offer you? And why should you choose me?" are often questions that many cannot answer clearly. I am - similar to a coach - a mirror and companion. I say what I have understood and what I have not yet understood. So I help the client to sharpen his profile and often initiate personality development processes in the process.
Another parallel is the "external perspective". Let me give you an example from the field of start-ups. In order to do my job well, I have to understand exactly how the entrepreneur's idea should get to the customer, i.e. how to succeed in selling the idea on the market. And not just once, but several times. To do this, I put on my customer glasses and ask questions or give tips and hints until this process is crystal clear. And this also leads to revising the range of services, changing processes or rethinking target groups and pricing.
Another aspect is continuity. Personality development, just like the further development of a website, is never complete. There are still many companies that fail to recognise the potential of a meaningful and valuable website. A website was made 10 years ago and it is still the same today. "Why is that?", interested parties then ask. "Does no one care about this area? Does the company not care about the external image? What else does the company not care about? Don't they have people who care about it? Do they have enough resources to handle my order? Do they even work with modern technologies or are they stuck 10 years ago?" So much is happening in the field of web design, technologies, mobile devices, information and purchasing behaviour. It is important to stay on top of this and to revise the website every two years at the latest if a company wants to be a long-term player in the market.
The fourth parallel I would like to mention here has to do with myself. In my industry, technology is developing very fast. This means that I am continuously involved with design trends, with technologies, with changing SEO algorithms and also trends in information and purchasing behaviour, and so I am constantly evolving. Otherwise I would not be able to live up to my claim of developing unique and up-to-date websites.
When do you get the best ideas?
Most of the time I bring back ideas from the night. Then I sit down before breakfast to sketch these ideas or implement them directly on a test page. So the night is my creative space. Sometimes, however, I still have creative ideas very late at night, which I then jot down to implement the next day.
What will your profession look like in 2050?
Due to rapid technological progress, my profession is subject to constant development - today and in the future. I can't say, thank God, that I did the same thing 10 years ago as I do today. On the contrary, I have constantly evolved.
What will that look like in 2050? I think the task of the web designer will become more and more an advisory one, as we have more and more tools available for the technical implementation that take the "hard" work of programming off our hands or the time required for it decreases. This leaves even more time for the preparatory part. That is, the part that is about perceiving the company, understanding the key points, sharpening the profile and translating it into a clear graphic.
The people who have the skills to perceive very well, who have mastered technology and can quickly get to grips with different sectors and companies and then also put everything into an understandable, inspiring presentation will be in demand.
In order to be able to meet this demand - and this does not only apply to my profession - I believe that we have to change fundamental things in our education system, starting with the schools. We need people who are able to think in a networked way, who recognise connections, filter the essence out of complex situations, take responsibility and shape things. We need people who enjoy continually developing themselves and internalise the awareness of a need for innovation.
If we do not succeed in this, we will become insignificant as an economy.
Claus Pescha, a web designer with a passion, lives and works on Lake Ammersee. With craftsmanship, creativity and a feel for his customers, he develops under netzwerk.design Websites with style.
