From heavy text-based formats to media-rich websites, let us take a nostalgic journey of the trends and transformation of web designs over the last 3 decades.
Most would likely cringe at their web designs from 10 or 20 years ago, but it is during these times of great innovation that set the foundation for where we are today.
Taking our hats off to Tim Berners-Lee, who created Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which is the pioneer in the standardized system for creating web pages, in 1991. Hence, he was hailed as the very first web designer and developer on the face of the earth. He led the web design and development of CERN, a Swiss research center. During these budding years of web design, the appearance, structure, and usability are linear. It is far from what we know what web designs look like – no graphics, no animations, no design layout, just text.
Fast forward a few years, table-based layouts were birthed, giving designers the option to organize content and improving the visuals, particularly the readability of websites. Then came some graphic design elements, such as GIFs and animated texts which breathe life into websites.
In the late 1990s, a new technology entered the market that became revolutionary to web designers and developers, offering more features – Flash. Flash gained popularity with the enhanced animations it can facilitate, plus other multimedia elements it could generate. Websites became interactive.
Greater advancement occurred along the way, technologies like CSS and JavaScript helped HTML upgrade and modify HTML-built websites. CSS can work on the page’s appearance: its presentation, formatting, and layout. JavaScript, on the other hand, works on the functionality. The two seamlessly worked together.
After more than a decade after the world wide web was founded, Web 2.0 was introduced. Greater user interactivity and collaboration is the primary characteristic of Web 2.0, which paved the way for modern web designs.
While web designing and development have gotten complicated today, technologies have allowed web designers and developers to be more creative. Web designers today focus not only on the aesthetics or the overall visual appeal of the website but also on giving equal importance to the website performance, SEO optimization, and adaptive designs. Not to mention, the mobile web also came with the development of web designs. With the stream of people accessing webpages from their mobile phones, web designers must ensure optimum functionality and visuals for mobile end-user.
In diving into the trends and transformation of web design since its early years, one may argue how today’s websites have become a requisite in building one’s presence, whether as an individual or a business.
The improvement continues. It is nice to imagine how websites will be in the coming years. If you’re wondering how to begin your online presence, start with your own website. Having designed and developed several highly functional and visually appealing front-end designs of websites for various businesses in New York and Florida, NKR Digital can help you get started with your own.
NKR Digital is a tailored digital marketing agency that focuses on the intersection of technology and emotion in delivering Digital Marketing Solutions for SMEs. We provide full-suite digital marketing solutions for clients of various verticals and sizes.
