I am strongly of the camp that designers should design, and programmers should build. I think that having knowledge of "rows and tables and backend abstractions

I am strongly of the camp that designers should design, and programmers should build. I think that having knowledge of "rows and tables and backend abstractions and things that make things more or less difficult" simply constrains the artist. From a programming perspective, it is possible to create almost anything the designer requests. If a designer is aware of the challenges their design may entail in the creation, then they may subconsciously limit themselves, a trend I have seen in several people, including myself. "ignorance is bliss" especially when designing. I would prefer to have to put in the extra effort as a programmer to produce a radical new frontend, then have to produce the same 2 column layout with some jquery thrown in for good measure. I think I tend to design myself the easier path when I am doing the designing myself, even if it is accidental.