What is Web Design really?

A very common question we get asked at The Bold EdgeJewish Design Central is: What is Web Design? No, they are not asking what web design is, they would like to know what web design means today. What is the role of a web designer in this ever evolving online world. Are they-

All of the above, none of the above, some, or would you check off other?

The truth is that the more skills a person has the more valuable they will be. HOWEVER, what happens is that if you are trying to learn it all sometimes your knowledge gets diluted.

Let’s dive right in!

In my opinion, you can have a beautifully designed website that is super creative, but if the user is not fulfilling the goals of the site, then the design is worth nothing. There has to be a combination of design and a very big component: organization. It is interesting, because people ask me all the time, do I need to be a Graphic Designer before going into Web Design. My answer to them is a big no. Hmmm, there is a reason for this, when you are designing an item that will be printed or an item that will be displayed on the screen, online, mobile devices etc, you are usually designing for a very different audience. You will need to learn core design principles that just pertain to the web (of course there will be design principles that do overlap from print to web). When I design for web or if I am using my web design skills to design software interfaces(how software programs will look, like in large scale think of Microsoft Word, someone had to designed how the program will look), I am constantly trying to wrap my brain around how the potential users will practically use the site. I think of the pathways they may want to take and virtually try to lead them by the hand, sort of like the Hansel and Gretel story. I try to cut out unnecessary steps and clicks so that all that is left is a streamlined enjoyable visit, with the users and customers getting the information they need, and what we want them to have in order to get them to the goals we would like them to reach.

There is a lot more to this whole design and organizational planning stage, we will go through some great tips of how to streamline you designs so that they will be more effective. We will get to more in Part 2 of our What is Web Design really series here at The Bold EdgeJewish Design Central.