Why Learn Code?
Izzy V.
HOW SHOULD
THINGS BEHAVE?
In Web Design 1, I learned how to make things look right.
In Web Design 2, I'm learning how to make things respond.
CSS systems.
SVG.
Animation.
Generative code.
This is the story of learning how to make the web move.
Code isn't just logic. It's a design material.
THE BEHAVIORAL LAYER
I learned that Javascript controls behavior.
Alerts.
Changing text.
Making something react.
Strings.
Integers.
Linking JS to HTML.
It felt manageable.
I didn't fully understand it yet. But it didn't scare me either.
"-=1"
transformOrigin
gsap.timeline({})
THE STRUGGLE BEGINS
Then came systems that respond.
querySelector
if statements
formatting rules
HTML.
CSS.
Now JavaScript too?
Why isn't this working?
When do I use it?
Why does it break?
I WASN'T LOST. BUT I WASN'T STEADY EITHER...
SYSTEMS HAVE MEMORY
Variables started to make sense.
Tokens.
Naming things with intention.
Light mode.
Dark mode.
One system. Two experiences.
Adding variables after designing everything?
That was chaos.
But starting with structure? That changed everything.
HEAVY COGNITIVE LOAD
Then I learned about persistence.
localStorage
dataset
System preference
Persistence memory section
Save the choice.
Remember the choice.
Respect the choice.
Cognitive load outro
It took real brain power.
But when it finally worked?
It felt powerful.
SVG ANATOMY
SVG's are math.
Everything sits on a grid.
Lines.
Paths.
Coordinates.
It felt like high school math again.
Hard to visualize.
Hard to build from scratch.
But once I understood the anatomy?
I could draw behavior.
Reflection
I'm not fluent yet.
I still look things up.
I still use AI to understand structure.
But I don't feel lost anymore.
Code isn't separate from design.
It's another material.