As a designer, how can I better work with the developers on a Directus project? Any tips/tricks that can help with cross-collaboration? Thanks 
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Hey! 
As a designer, you don’t need to write code to collaborate well with developers — but it really helps if you understand how their world works. The good news? You already do.
Design and development follow very similar processes:
You go from concept → sketch → prototype → final design
They go from idea → data model → test → deploy
Same mindset: solve a problem, build a structure, document it well, and hand off a clear result. You don’t handle mass production — and neither do they (that’s what servers are for 
).
So here are some tips to work better together, especially in a Directus setup:
Think in terms of structure
Just like you design logos or layouts with grids and guides, developers design collections with fields and relationships. The moment you map out your ideas using structured logic — not just visuals — you’re already speaking their language.
Prototype with real data in mind
Instead of showing a static screen, try showing how it would work with real data.
If you’re designing a product catalog, sketch out:
What fields each item would need (name, price, image)
How items relate to brands or categories
What filters or views users might need
It’s like building a functional prototype, not just a pretty picture.
Know their workflow
Designers have stages: draft, review, final files.
Developers do too: dev, staging, production.
A prototype you share is like a test build. A final export with real data? That’s production.
You don’t need to code — just think like one
You don’t need to write a hook or an extension, but if you understand what they do (trigger something automatically), you can plan around them.
It’s like a brand manual: once you define the rules, others can apply them consistently. Same with backend logic — it’s just your design rules, in code form.
At the end of the day, design is about making information clear, usable, and consistent.
That’s exactly what good developers do, too. You’re both solving the same puzzle — just with different tools. 
