Web 2.0 or Good Design?

I am tickled by the buzzwords that define much of web design of late. In particular, the expression "Web 2.0." It is a trendy look that many web designers rush to emulate. In fact, you will find Web 2.0 color palettes, rounded corner makers (square corners are so out of fashion), chicklet button creators, web 2.0 style logos, spiffy boxes, spanky corners, sliding doors text boxes, crystal buttons . . . and all sorts of design tricks that scream Web 2.0!

Give me a break! Does all of that sound to you like good web design or the quick-fix design fads of the day? Do you remember soft drop shadows, canvas textured backgrounds, and .gif animations? They were a few of the buzzwords of Web 1.0. Buzzwords, and the designers who love them, are not what good web design is all about.

GOOD WEB DESIGN is not about following the faddish trends. It is about communicating the client's message, not our own. Good web design looks appropriate and is effective long after the fads of the day fade away. Good web design requires talent, hard work, observation, and experience. It is based on sound marketing principles and is a good communicator.

Think of the brands you admire most for their design. BMW is a good example. A ten year old BMW still looks desirable and tasteful, because of good design. Can the same be said for the web sites we design. Or, are they cluttered with quickly dated styling cues that fade with the new year? That sort of web design does not help businesses build memorable brands, nor is it cost effective. Following the faddish trends in web design limits a designer and hinders genuine creativity.

What is good design? That question is best answered by the product designed. When a web site serves a business well, creates a memorable brand, and attracts rather than offends, it is probably good design. Good design is best recognized by the customers that adopt it, and return to it for its intrinsic qualities.

If you want to be taken seriously as a web designer, forget about the buzzwords. Develop your sense of taste, your powers of observation, and the ability to communicate a client's message. Develop your own style. Above all, develop a way of working that will endure long after the fads of the day perish.

Donald Peterson