Robb Montgomery

OK you print designers wanting to walk over to the digital side of design.
Reading job listings is the best roadmap and the New York Times jobs listings are a great place to start reading up.

This is the skill set for online design jobs in their shop

Two new jobs popped up from nytimes.com on the uber journalism jobs board I have coded-up on Visual Editors.

Design Technologist and Online News Designer.

I read these and think that, perhaps, there’s too much emphasis on Flash - (Esp. after hearing The Guardian’s Mark Porter talk about how they are no longer doing big Flash container stuff any more- but rather framework-driven design.)

Ok, I digress.

Here’s the skinny:

Job Title:
Design Technologist

NYTimes.com is the #1 newspaper site on the Web (Nielsen/NetRatings) and the winner of Best News Site awards in 2005, 2004, 2003 (Editor & Publisher).
Qualifications
This developer will help develop new areas of NYTimes.com using a full skill-set of client-side technologies including XHTML, CSS, Flash, ActionScript. He/she will also provide help with other technologies in both client and server environments relating to the user experience, and will be continually expanding his/her technical knowledge.

Primary Responsibilities
- Implementation of client-side code for user interfaces, Web sites and interactive information products
- Translation of designer-produced Adobe Photoshop mock-ups to fully rendered XHTML/CSS interfaces
- Unit-test code across browsers and ensure that new NYTimes.com pages render properly across various platforms
- Develop prototypes for new user interfaces and interactive information products using a complete toolbox of Web-related skills (e.g., Flash, XHTML, CSS, PHP, etc.)
- Serve as a liaison between design group and in-house technology team, e.g., database administrators, infrastructure teams,
- Support Design Director and management staff on a variety of additional projects and troubleshooting
Secondary Responsibilities
- Serve as in-house authority on best practices for coding, Web standards, semantic markup, Web 2.0 technologies
- Research new products and explore technologies that complement the abilities of humans to add value to information
- Participate in overall creative process, providing client-side technology consulting on usability, user interfaces, implementation
- Provide spot changes for Web site pages, user interfaces and interactive information products in an efficient manner

Required Qualifications
- 3 to 5 years professional experience primarily in interactive media
- Creativity, conscientiousness, meticulous attention to detail
- High level of sensitivity to visual accuracy in rendering code based on design comps
- Expert proficiency with HTML, XHTML, CSS, Web standards-based design, XML, PHP, RSS, Macromedia Flash and ActionScript
- Familiarity with PERL, Ruby on Rails, Movable Type, WordPress, a plus
- Capacity to learn new technologies and programming languages quickly
- Understanding of graphic design principles and interaction design
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Bachelors degree
- Experience collaborating with design/creative teams, and working with non-design staff (e.g., business, marketing, technology) and appreciation of larger business processes

Job Title:
Online News Designer

NYTimes.com is the #1 newspaper site on the Web (Nielsen/NetRatings) and the winner of Best News Site awards in 2005, 2004, 2003 (Editor & Publisher).
Qualifications
This person will work with the editorial team to design and develop news-specific layouts and visual enhancements for the NYTimes.com home page, section fronts and other content areas as needed. Rather than focusing on product-oriented, longer duration enhancements to the platform (as our current Web Designers do), this position will focus instead on the visual delivery of content on a real-time basis, serving as a voice for the design discipline in the breaking news discussion, and as a hands-on implementer of CSS-based solutions.

Primary Responsibilities
- Design and code presentations of the news on the NYTimes.com home page, section fronts and other areas.
- Serve as a standards-bearer for ad hoc development of client-side programming code, with a specific focus on Cascading Style Sheets.
- Serve as a liaison to technology and content management staff with regards to the real-time implementation and stability of design and code
- Capture editorial, design and technology requirements for the ongoing enhancement of NYTimes.com news presentation
- Serve as in-house authority on best practices for coding, Web standards, semantic markup, Web 2.0 technologies
- Develop prototypes for new user interfaces and interactive information products using a complete toolbox of Web-related skills (e.g., Flash, XHTML, CSS, PHP, etc.)
Secondary Responsibilities
- Help maintain quality and accuracy in designer output through visual proofing and constructive criticism
- Design collaboration on product-focused enhancements to the NYTimes.com platform
- Document client-side technology solutions and internal coding processes for continued best practices within the design group
- Research new products and explore technologies that complement the abilities of humans to add value to information
- Participate in overall creative process, providing client-side technology consulting on usability, user interfaces, implementation

Experience:
- 3 to 5 years professional experience in a Web production environment working with designers, technologists and business stakeholders
- Creativity, conscientiousness, meticulous attention to detail, and entrepreneurship
- Expert proficiency with CSS, HTML, XHTML, Web standards-based design, XML, PHP, RSS, Macromedia Flash and ActionScript
- Familiarity with PERL, Ruby on Rails, Movable Type, WordPress,
- Excellent project management, communication and problem-solving skills
- Deep understanding of graphic design principles and interaction design
- Familiarity with contemporary design trends and design history
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Drive to develop new skills