Web Design Today

November 30, 2009

Web Design Today

Here at The Hype Lab we really take pride in our design and development skills. Keeping up with trends is part of this. The web world changes almost daily. Technology changes constantly, and to keep up, sometimes we need to focus more on the technology than the design of a site. In this post, we will stray a bit, and make this an editorial about the state of the web design world.

Design is all about clearly communicating the business' or product's message. Creating excitement around a product or service, and differentiating it from the competition.

Then

Let's go back in time to 1995. Back then, web was a newborn, and wasn't exactly full of features. The technology we have now wasn't there at the time. Print ruled in those days. In print, there is only so much technology that can be used. It's printed on paper. So, the design was always the focus.

Now

Let's move ahead to the present. Web now rules the roost. It gives businesses a 24/7 marketing tool that also has so many great features like analytics, communication and positioning, instant communication and that's just the website itself. There are tons of other ways to use the web for businesses (email marketing, social media, etc...), but let us focus on just websites.

What the issue is...

Websites, and the technology that can be used to build them has gotten incredibly reliable and useful. However, with the advent of the web, designers are pulled a million different directions. You need to think about so many things when designing for the web. How do we incorporate useful technology into a site, how are we going to make it happen, how are we going to troubleshoot it? Etc. In print, you only consider the design. For the web, well, as I have mentioned, it can be overwhelming. This takes the focus of the web designer from designing a clean, clear communication, to implementation of design, technology, browser compatibility issues, and all that jazz. The demand of technology on the design process can really muddle the message.

Web Design Trends

There are many places where web designers go online to get news and inspiration. Smashing Magazine is one, but there are a ton out there. These sites are great to get inspiration, stay up on technology and listen to the web design community. The problem however, is that these sites lock designers into adhering to these trends on a massive scale. These sites publish articles about upcoming trends, and before you know it, you see the same thing everywhere. All this does is muddle the message. How does the same look and feel differentiate one business from the other? Since web designers are already stretched thin by having to do the design, coding, javascript implementation and all the other things that go into a website, something is going to suffer. And that is usually the design. Web designers can act like lemmings. They all grab hold of a trend, and start designing site after site that is the same thing, different package. Does anyone remember the Web 2.0 fad? Logos, websites, graphics all loaded with reflection, gloss, shadows etc... EVERYONE did it.

What is the Answer?

What are we doing here at the lab to curb the influence of trends? Well, the methodology we have implemented is to avoid these sites, listen to the client, and design Design DESIGN. And design using our design skills, not other's. Sure, it is one thing to get some inspiration from looking at web site design galleries like siteinspire. But what designers really need to do when designing a website, is to stay far far away from web design trends. Step one in any design process, is to build the design. This is where you need to think to yourself, "What is the client trying to do? What are they trying to communicate? Who is my client, and what is their brand image?", and go from there. When you try to slap a trend on a businesses brand, you dilute it. We are not saying we have not jumped on trends either. But, you can catch yourself getting immersed in the web world, and stray from solid design principles.

Summary

Websites need to clearly communicate not only content, but brand positioning. When all brands begin to fall victim to design trends, they dilute themselves, and other brands. Everything becomes similar, and bland. To designers, I only have to say, use your skills to design! Think about the design before implementing it. To businesses, be wary of your designers. Get out there and look at website galleries and make informed decisions about the style of your website. Does it stand apart? Does it contain your brand image? Design has come a long way, and the web world is only the latest challenge. But, before we try to save time by incorporating trends into our designs, try to remember that design is just that. Get fired up to make the new hot trend yourself rather than sitting on your hands and following the masses.

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