| With the advent of the world wide web, companies like ours, that specialize in communications and marketing design, must be astute technology companies as well. Still, communication is at the heart of what we do, and to that end, all design is communication.
Good design is not about animated "GIF", files, "shockwave",or even java. It's about communication.
In 1984, with the introduction of Macintosh computers, we saw the beginnings of an era when the average person could, for very little money, publish information. Although mostly in the form of posters for bake sales and church events, or home spun Christmas cards, many people decided to try their hand at serious publishing. We saw ads in local newspapers utilizing a dozen different type faces, inappropriate clip art, and a host of other communicative nightmares. The problem we then had with print media seems to be re-inventing itself for the web... Technology for technology's sake. |
The point is this. All of the lessons taught to us by the great designers seem to make perfect sense when we read them in a book, or see them applied to web media. Still, how many times have you waited 40 or more seconds for a web page to load, only to find your time wasted by an animation or inline movie that added nothing to the content of the page?
I appreciate someone's "web savvy" when I see fast loading pages, pleasing graphic design, easy site navigation, a content rich environment, and yes, animation where appropriate. The ability to communicate in an appropriate and effective manner will be a valued marketing talent long after flying envelopes and spinning icons have gone the way of the dodo bird. Bill Westfield |
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