Design has always played a subtle but vital role in our society, and has done for centuries. Design communicates messages, it helps us find our way through spaces, and it evokes emotion to call us to action. Over the past decade our society has embraced a new medium to which design is vital: The World Wide Web. On the web, design is needed for navigational, aesthetic, credibility, legibility and profit purposes. Staying true to its nature, these designed elements on the web are subtle, and often not thought twice about by someone who isn’t a designer. However, as a designer I will explain how these elements prove that design is indeed vital even for the web.
Anyone who has ever used the Internet to search something has had the experience of visiting a website that seemed that it could have what they were looking for, but it was nowhere to be found. This could be the lack of thoughtful design. A designer creating a webpage understands their audience. Are they a contingent of the technologically savvy Generation Y who is quick to understand where to find things? Or are they of the Baby Boomer generation, like my father, who needs step-by-step tutorials every time he even approaches the computer? A designer will think of creative ways to address what’s needed and make a site accordingly. For example, a site geared towards teenagers will have the standard navigational bar with links at the top of the screen to move to and fro around the site. But each page has links throughout to get to those same sites on the navigation bar, as well as others intertwined within. Thus creating alternative routes to get to the same place. (www.icarly.com, www.facebook.com, www.mtv.com). Elderly audiences are not used to this non-linear reading. Instead sites geared toward these audiences have everything up front, the home page is where they start, and then they choose their own linear path of information. (www.medicare.gov, www.ancestry.com).
Design also plays a role in what the navigation looks like. It is obvious, but is still important. What I mean by this is that all links are recognized because they are the same color. You know that you are browsing similar pages within a site because their links rest on the same navigation bar. Because it is standard to have some sort of navigation on any website we don’t often notice how important it is. But if you ever go to a site where links are sporadic and different colors and the type comes at you in 20 different fonts it would be pretty overwhelming and you would leave pretty fast.
Along with creating websites that enables their target audience to know how to use the site, designers also know what imagery to use. Because the web is part of the technology rush, things are constantly changing, and getting outdated, quick. We have all seen sites with that ‘generic web feel’ and we have also seen sites that are interesting and clever. Maybe they use of other technologies such as Flash for moving imagery, or java for tricky roll-over maneuvers; or maybe just the type and the picture on the page just looks nice? Yes, “nice type” whatever that may be, is enough to be visually pleasing for a passer by. Good design will keep up with trends without leaving the audience behind, It also wont be too much or too confusing. Design will tastefully use artistic inspirations from the past, implement them on the web, and create today’s style.
Imagery is also important to help make the site look reliable and credible. Think about job interviews. When two people go in for a job interview and they both have the same experience, and both are socially compatible with the job, but one person is wearing a shirt and tie, and the other is wearing ripped jeans and a dirty t-shirt. Who gets the job? Obviously, it’d be the person with the shirt and tie. Looks are important. For the web it means a site that looks credible, one that an audience can rely on. Even though Wikipedia is an encyclopedia of information inputted by anyone it still looks credible. That probably wouldn’t be the case if everyone who inputted information got to choose what color they wanted their input to be, and what font and size it would look like. It would be a hod-podge of Comic Sans and Times New Roman in pinks and blues, and just be a big mess. Wikipedia knows that when they adhere to a style they gain credibility. And when they gain credibility, people come back. A designed page looks like the party responsible for the page cares about its audience; they care enough to not let them get bored. They care to be up to date with their imagery. And they care to not lie and assure their audience that they are reliable.
Design on the web is important when it comes to legibility. It may sound silly, but think about it. Reading on the web IS different than reading a piece of paper. When you read on the web, you are reading off a lighted screen. While the light is not excruciating, it does cause the eyes discomfort. With a designer’s eye, they will treat the type with this in mind. Maybe they will make the type bigger, change the length of the type line so that they eyes aren’t traveling too far back and forth, or maybe they will change the colors so they don’t contrast so much. These design choices are again subtle, but again encourage visitation to web sites.
I have talked a little bit about, “target audiences,” but there is another variation for the title, “target audience”, it is, “target market”. The web is a virtual market place. People can buy or sell goods without ever leaving their homes. Have you noticed that the sides of web pages have started to mimic what billboards used to be on the sides of highways? It seems that nowadays every store, every service, every free lancer, every motion picture has its own website. Why? To make money! A designed site encourages a customer to explore, to get lost in the virtual store and not leave without purchasing something that will magically appear at their doorstep in 2-5 business days. When a designer creates clear navigation, good imagery that appears credible, and makes the site easy to read, the viewer wont be quick to find another site. However, if a site is badly designed they will quickly move on. The faster they move on, the faster that company isn’t making a profit. Think of that job interview analogy again. A snazzy dressed website will pull all the stops to make sure you’re convinced that your mother will love that cookbook. Whereas that scrub in the ripped jeans wont even bother to say, “hi”. Who do you want representing you on the web?
Design has played a purposeful role throughout time; on stonewalls, stretched canvases, posters, fliers, and now the computer screen. Good design on the web makes sites that are easy to use, good looking, reliable, aren’t harsh on the eyes, and if it’s the purpose of the site, design will transform your site into your salesman of the month, every month.
