Ask HN: Should Web designers know HTML and CSS?
Simply put: Am I crazy for expecting a Web designer to know how to work with HTML and CSS?<p>I've been a Web developer for many years (since 1993), and I've been an independent contractor/consultant since 1995, working with many different designers, developers, and other companies.  I was born and raised in the US, but have been living and working in Israel for many years.  My clients are in a mix of Israel, the US, and Europe.<p>In general, Web designers in Israel aren't expected to know HTML and CSS.  They are expected to come up with one or more pages of Photoshop.  The "cutting" of the Photoshop into HTML and CSS is considered to be the domain of the programmer.  Increasingly, I've found that my Israeli clients are surprised (and even a bit hostile) when I say that I expect any decent Web designer to be able to work with HTML and CSS files, and even some JavaScript -- although I admit that the responsibility for JavaScript is a bit of a gray area between the developer and the designer.<p>Am I wrong to have such expectations?  I find it totally weird and wrong-headed to think that a Web designer, who presumably makes their living working on the Web, doesn't have a clue about CSS and how it works, and assumes that this will be taken care of by a programmer.  The analogy that I've used is that of a photographer: When I hire a photographer, I don't expect them to sketch what they want on paper, and then hand it to a technician who will aim, focus, and click the shutter.<p>I've been told that these expectations are unreasonable, but my expectations are (I believe) more than reasonable, and are the norm outside of Israel.  But I'm curious to hear what other HN community members think...<p>Thanks in advance,<p>Reuven