Without a doubt web design is one of the most flexible art forms out there. From the first ‘<‘ in an a series of HTML, CSS, or PHP you literally have the ability to turn lines of code into objects of beauty. Sure there are rules than need to be followed; common sense, W3C requirements, best practices and standard setups but realistically you can do a lot when it comes to taking an idea in your head onto the web. An artist is only limited by his ingenuity and with a computer as your palette and the internet as an infinite resource you have a lot of breathing room.

So where is the connection between design and business? A designer can create a beautiful website, but unlike an actual piece of art, websites are often appreciated for the function and developmental aspects as well as their design. The most loved sites out there are commonly simple to use, friendly yet well designed, beautiful and remarkably clean. In fact we could even lean the other direction and point out that often times it’s truly the developmental aspect of web design that is more important than the appearance. Windows has been the leading platform for a long time, loved by programmers but despised by designers for its appearance. As Apple grew in popularity due to a harmonious blend of development and design, Windows sought to do the same and ended up with a — to put it nicely — underwhelming product: Windows 8.

It can be hard to find the right balance between form and function but good design does just that. When you produce that special blend that has just enough of X and just the right amount of Y you’ve found the sweet spot where someone visits a website, views a logo or watches an animation and loves not only the first impression of the design, but the fundamental meaning and use behind it. Design is not enough, development is not enough, it takes the right application and use of an entire suite of web design tools to produce the right end result: something that is good, not just looks good.

credit: wayblog.blogspot.com