Articles on design issues, design tips and overviews

Clarity-Vitality...
the look and feel of websites

A mind, once opened to a new idea, does not return to its original condition…
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As we surf the web, we are somewhat awed by the myriad expressions of design which are evident (we shall not discuss the sites which are, quite simply, not designed). We come across clean, crisp, and beautiful sites which convey a lot of information in an easy to navigate manner. Then there are the sites, which are cluttered, discordant and somewhat confusing. Still others which are zany and dynamic, 'happening' sites where colours, concepts, visuals, text, coalesce and flow in harmony. Sites designed by people from all around the world. From designers who experiment with a new medium and absorb it as part of their portfolio of services, to the new genre of web masters and designers who live and breathe the WWW.

(We shall not go into the merits of frames, navigation bars on the left, right, centre, top, bottom et al or whether a page scrolls endlessly or not).

It is quite evident today, that some designers advocate clarity and order in design, while others lay emphasis on visual vitality. At Iris, we believe that good design achieves a comfortable blend of the two--a fresh appealing look, with a clear emphatic message.

There is no universal rule for designing and creating effective websites. The medium is evolving and so is its design. The key is appropriateness. Are the graphics and design appropriate for the tone and content of the message, the intention of the sender, the requirements of the medium, the needs, desires, and orientation of the receiver? Some messages need to lay emphasis on clarity, others on vitality and still others, on a blend of the two.

Subjectivity and aesthetics come easily to many artists and designers. But, analyzing a message and its purpose requires objectivity-the ability to evaluate whether the design is exciting and strong, clear or beautiful, and, at the same time, whether it is really the most effective way of saying what needs to be said to those we need to reach.

So often, the messages we send out are enveloped in a clutter of noise. Noise, in communication theory, is anything that reduces and interferes with the comprehension of the message by the recipients. It can be wavy lines on the TV screen, static on the radio, broken links or a slow page on the Internet. In graphics it can be a confusion of elements with inadequate organisation, or illegible type, or a picture that conveys the wrong impression, or a presentation that is too plain or too much like others that it fails to get noticed and read. One must remember that the role of design is to be noticed and communicate information to the receiver.

Browsing through the web reveals a wide range of designs that work very well. In the best sites, the graphics enhance rather that obscure the clarity of the message content of the site. Beauty and utility are both vital facets of communication design. It is appearance that makes a message noticed, read, enjoyed, believed and remembered. Where as the graphic look establishes that crucial first impression.