What Is Web Design?
Web design involves the creation of a website that appeals to users, meets a business’s goals and is compatible with most web browsers. It incorporates a combination of graphic elements, colors and fonts to create a visual hierarchy that attracts the attention of visitors and guides them through your site’s content.
The most important aspect of web design is that it should be user-friendly. A website that takes too long to load, features a garish color scheme or has hard-to-read text is likely to drive potential customers away. Web designers must also keep in mind that websites are often viewed on mobile devices, which have smaller screens and slower connections than desktop computers. In addition, users expect websites to be easy to navigate and logically organized.
To create a visually appealing website, designers use a coding language called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to identify the site’s content for each page. This information is then interpreted by Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which determines the style and layout of each page. A web designer may also choose to manually code each page or use a content management system like Adobe Dreamweaver to speed up the process and make it easier for non-technical staff to edit content.
In addition to the layout, web designers also make decisions about the placement of images, videos and other content on a webpage. They may also include interactive features such as slideshows and contact forms. Web designers must take into account the purpose of the website when choosing images, as this can impact how users interact with the site. For example, a photography website might prioritize large beautiful images, while an editorial website might emphasize the importance of text and letter spacing.
Another crucial aspect of web design is that it should be accessible to people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision. This means that all images should be accompanied by alternate text and that any form fields should have clearly labeled labels. Web designers should also avoid using distracting elements that could confuse or annoy people, such as opening links in new windows. People who visit a website do so for the information it contains, not to be annoyed by pop-up ads or other interruptions.
Many web designers focus on aesthetics, but they also need to be knowledgeable about the business needs of their clients. They must understand how their work will bring in more sales, leads or sign-ups for the client’s company. When creating a proposal, it is important that the web designer uses business-oriented language rather than technical jargon to explain how they will accomplish the task. This will help their prospective clients understand the value of working with them and will increase the likelihood that they will hire them for the project. This is especially important when pitching to large companies with lengthy approval processes.