This is a guest post by Nikhil Narayan. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
The origins of web design go back to the early days of the internet. When Marc Andreessen created the web browser and co-founded Netscape the world began to take notice of the vast possibilities that the internet offered for communication. The HTML format allowed web pages to include images and this was a large step in the evolution of web design.
Web design has since become very sophisticated while still retaining the core framework of HTML. JavaScript has added to the interactivity that HTML web pages can have and CSS and XML-XSL have improved the formatting options of web pages. HTML’s options to allow objects to be embedded opens up a lot of possibilities, the most popular of them being Flash that provides unparalleled sophistication in presentation, visual appeal and animation. Flash is a program that runs as an object within HTML. It is possible to create different objects within HTML that run on their own but within the layout of the web page.
Good web design makes a strong impact on the reader and helps define and change perceptions about the brand and the company. Good web design is also essential for search engine optimization (SEO) as the design that includes good practices that are search-engine friendly have stronger prospects of good ranking for specific keywords. Web design must address the dual needs of being search engine friendly and being very communicative, exhaustive with its information content and motivating the reader to feel good about the brand and delve further into the website.
Web design has challenged people who have questioned its versatility and possibilities. In the early days I recall a friend with a distinguished career in information technology contemplating that web design will reach its limits as there is only a certain amount that one can be creatively within the boundaries of the display. We now know that the 1024 x 768 pixel rectangular area offers almost infinite possibilities in web design, layouts, creativity and presentation.
Importance Of Web Design
Good web design is about good looks, readability, cross-browser support, excellent usability and clarity of communication. Web design is not merely the purview of a graphic designer. A lot of thought needs to go into it for the right method of communication and the mood or theme that the web page should address. HTML and JavaScript programmers, Flash animators, content writers and SEO specialists all have a large role to play in the construction of a web page. Good web design must include a team that at-least comprises of thought in communication, visual design, interaction design, content writing and SEO analysis and structure.
All this makes web design a very sophisticated activity and a deeply satisfying one with immense possibilities and potential. Constant innovation, new technologies and business applications will ensure that web design keeps growing in stature and content and becomes increasingly sophisticated and versatile. Improvements in telecommunications, 3G mobile networks and broadband have reduced the constraints on size and data transfer. Websites can now have more advanced features including high definition video and audio and animation with real-time viewing over high speed networks.
About Author :
Nikhil Narayan is Managing Director of Digital Horizons UK Limited, a company that provides Technology and Digital Media services. He is actively involved in web design and SEO projects for customers around the world.
About Lee Ka Hoong
I guess Web Design is a constantly evolving field.
Web Design has come a long way since the 1990′s. Also with free CMS like WordPress, Joomla etc it has become even more sophisticated. The future will only bring in more developments in this field.
Kindest,
Nabeel
The cross browser support is a big deal. We just had our site redesigned and I’ve had a lot of issues with Firefox versus IE not looking right.
Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate recently posted..Three Rivers Community Roundtable’s 2010 Summer Workshop
This has been a web design issue from the beginning. Before it was more a matter of Netscape vs IE. Now it’s a matter of making sure your site looks good in both Firefox and IE. An even busier site also has to consider other browsers like Chrome, Safari and Opera. Things would be so much easier if all browsers displayed websites the same.
I agree with you that the web design is important. Recently, i just change my blog design to more professional so that it looks nice. I’m using blogussion thesis theme. It looks nice. I love to design my blog even though i do not know much about the design skill. It is really interesting.
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Yea, web design is really important. It implies first impression that gotten by visitors. If it’s a sales page, web design can be one of the vital needs. Without a good design, the product can be unsellable.
Jeen Hao | Earn Money Online recently posted..Drive Massive Traffic with Article Marketing
Web design is very important and what looked good 10 years ago does not look so good now. So much has changed and web designers have to keep up with the new technology available. A good design goes a long way in increasing sales and conversions.
Well, I learned a few new things about web design. Really insightful article, appreciate it. :)
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Speaking of web design, I like the new blog layout Lee. It makes it a lot easier to navigate your homepage by changing to 2 posts per row. Good move.
i have always have the edge when it comes to designing . be it, digital design, web design, illustration, doodling , interior design etc. even thou i don’t know much of coding,html,css during my initial start, that doesn’t stop me from actually learning about it.
yes it was confusing, nerve wreaking, eye popping ( so much coding ), but hey , once i got the hang of it, it wasn’t as bad as how i would described it to be.
i am looking forward to ‘tweaking’ and making sure that my blog would constantly improve in terms of performance , content and stats wise. =)
cheers
keep up the good work,mate
Febap Liew @ Make Money Online Today recently posted..How Does It Feel Like To Succeed
You provided very good views about web designing,its important that the blog deign should look professional and have proper navigation. Sometimes bad design repel visitors and they don’t prefer to return back.
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Creativity has no boundaries and that is what web designing makes us, it gives us the ability to express ourselves, we just want to explore the possiblity of making a statement, even html has gone to xhtml, and knowing that this a field that allows you to be as imaginative as you choose, may more whiz kids would still make an impact through this medium!
Thanks for a wonderful post.