Designing Websites
As a designer, my favorite quote has always been from Leonardo Da Vinci: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” But recently I came across another quote which isn’t just about the way a site looks. I think it describes the way website design should be approached.
The famous American designer Charles Eames said, “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose”.
In other words, a website should not be about its design. A nice design is all well and good if you want something pretty to look at.
Mr. Eames is responsible for designing some of the most famous and recognizable furniture of the 20th Century. Not only was his stuff beautiful, it was comfortable. It worked!
So site design should not start with a pretty idea. A website should be about it’s content. Start with what the website is about – what the company or person is, has and does. Build the design around that, not the other way around.
