When you think about it, everything, every product, has to be designed. Buildings, packaging, clothing… vision and creativity are required for just about every man-made image you see.
Much like any industry that has gone through growth, web design has evolved tremendously with the use of Web 2.0 applications. Increased interactivity between websites and users has allowed web designers to combine sophisticated design with more capabilities and cleaner interfaces that are focused on convenience, user-centered functionality, and customization. In a word, users experience greater Webability.
Simplicity of design and layout, bold colors with lots of gradients, and easy to use navigation are all elements that define a Web 2.0 website. Basically, designers are going for less clutter with just as much content.
From a technical standpoint, this can be accomplished by using AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML), which allows small amounts of data to be exchanged behind the scenes, so the pages load much more quickly than when using websites guided by HTML/HTTP. That web technology required the entire page to reload every time you clicked on a link, so designers tried to save users time by having fewer links and more content on the page. AJAX has changed all that. Websites can now have a small amount of content on each screen, organized around a simple navigation, and users are able to click quickly from page to page.
As web technology continues to advance, there are simply more tools available for designers to create whatever look they want, whether it’s realistic, animated, abstract, or anything else their mind can conjure.
But remember: whether your website is for business or personal use, it represents you and your style. While there may be some common elements of Web 2.0 designs, personal preference will always reign supreme. If you like a certain font, color scheme, and lots of content on one page to make sure your readers don’t miss anything, it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s considered Web 2.0. It’s your website.
Let us know what your experience is creating your own website – or paying someone else to build it. If you’re looking for innovative designs, we might just know a company that can help you.
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