Is the term “web designer” dead? According to this article in UX Magazine, maybe.

Since I’m in the process of making my long-term, but always part-time, web work my full-time career, my recent internet wanderings have been focused around front end web development and UI/UX design. This article is a really useful one on applying for jobs as a UX designer, and what a UX hiring official should be looking for. I’m completely on board with most of the points. The one the rubs me the wrong way is the strong opinion on the term “web designer” (it’s under the portfolio section, first point):

The author says that “if you’re still using the word ‘Web’, there’s a problem. The term ‘Web Design’ is long obsolete in our field…” I’m not so sure about that.

Maybe the author is referring specifically to the UX field, and not the broader web-work field, in which case, ok, maybe. The world of Silicon Valley and tech start-ups has certainly splintered into specialties, one of which is UI/UX, and saying that you’re a web designer won’t get you very far, or usefully describe your skill set.

However, for those of us still working to provide small businesses with online homes, being a “web designer” is certainly relevant. Those words mean something to non-specialists, versus UI/UX, which means you sound tech-snobby. For a field that’s supposed to be making things easier for the user, I think it’s a little hasty to throw out a title in English for one in Acronym.