Web Design of the Times

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It's going to take a decade to sort itself out before we can establish a canonical view of not only what the role of a designer is but what constitutes "good design."

What is the profile of the "new designer"?

The new designer is adaptable across multiple media and multiple disciplines. She can design in a way that's truly native to the web, to mobile devices, to print, to environmental projects. And she can think in terms of concept, execution, and the business equation as well. She's used to doing it all herself, but she can reach out to others when she needs to—and orchestrate those teams to achieve her goals.

What can the web contribute to design?

If you look back at the past decade of design, you'll see a marked increase in visibly web-influenced design flourishes: evocative iconography, highly compartmentalized compositions, and the use of a pro forma approach to design that suggests templates or limited decision spaces. I think the web, too, has been responsible for a kind of countervailing resurgence in hand drawn illustration and decoration.

What can design contribute to the web?

There's no question that users want their experiences to be guided and clear—to have designers influencing how they consume information online. Maybe the best recent example of this is how Facebook has stolen the momentum away from the less design-friendly clutches of MySpace.

But is this really good design?

If you answer that question from the perspective of a century-plus of print design, then no, it's not good design. It's not singularly communicative or aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand, if you look at it from the perspective of the very recent past, and by the metric of whether the design has activated a significant audience that finds it compelling enough to use it frequently and with great enthusiasm, then it's a very good design. The question you're asking is whether these two perspectives converge. I think they will.

You've talked about the clash between traditional and new design and designers. What is the clash?

Well, I think there are two ideas conflated there. First, there's a clash between traditional design and the new paradigm of digital media, where a lot of the truisms that once held firm now seem disputed, ignored, or irrelevant. But then there's a clash between traditional practitioners of design and new practitioners—and there I don't think it's a clash so much as it is a gap. These two groups, who are actually covering very similar territory, think of themselves as separate and distinct. I think that's the problem.

What are these truisms?

Here are a few: Good design demands complete control by the designer. Audiences should not have a say in how design gets made. Good typography is fixed, rather than adaptive. Impeccable aesthetics are a prerequisite for successful design. All of these are being questioned and/or subverted.

What is the outcome down the road?

The outcome is unknown, but the question is: Do we want these new media to grow and evolve with or without being informed by the values of traditional design? If the answer is "yes"—and for me, it is—then we'd better close that gap.

Is there a need to retrofit designers from thinking in print terms to web terms?

Only if the print designer wants to transition to working online. Then, yes, it's absolutely imperative that a shift in thinking occurs. The web is fundamentally different from print, and those print designers who strive to create online experiences that emulate print are doomed to failure.

How do you do this?

In my opinion, a designer has to learn how to write HTML and CSS—at least enough to be able to build a few sites and understand the medium. Just as important, a print designer has to possess a genuine enthusiasm for the medium. Too often, I see print designers approach it with a kind of contempt. That's a recipe for failure.

I asked you what's new, but is that different from what's next?

Either way, it's going to change in six months.

Provided by Print—America's Graphic Design Magazine