The Art of Web Design
By: Sarah Reavis

Whether you are a painter, printmaker, sculptor, photographer or writer it is nearly impossible to create something that cannot be compared in some way to a work that has been done in the past. Does this mean that people cannot be successful working in these mediums? No, but we find ourselves in a paradox of striving for originality using an age-old medium. Thankfully, the internet has provided us with a new medium to explore, albeit with an important limitation; it must contain a clear and consistent message to the viewer: for example, a search website must search, and an information website must inform.

Like in many other art mediums, when new technology is introduced, artists must chose to either adapt and change their methods, or stick to the old way of doing things. For example some photographers feel using the computer touch up digital photos is not a true art form. They feel that the process of developing the film and the photograph is what makes it a true art form. Who is to say who is right in this argument, but what we can be sure of is that new technology will continue to move forward and all we can do is try to keep up.

Web design is one of the most cutting edge artistic expressions today. Presentation has always been an emphasis across all art forms; this is no different when it comes to web design. Much like a traditional exhibition in an art gallery, we retain memories of websites that were pleasant or appealing in some form. At times, the content may become irrelevant if the presentation is eye-catching; for example the ordinary subject of landscape, but painted by Monet or Cezanne. A well designed website will transcend its content and become an art form on its own.

If one were to critique the most popular website in America today from and artistic perspective we would see that all of the elements of art and design are present. One can also see relationships between fine art movements and websites.

Google.com

When Google.com first began in August 2004 their mission was stated as; to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.Just reading that sentence makes me think of minimalist art movement. Artists in this movement claimed their art was stripped to its essentials or contained extreme visual reduction. They embraced the qualities unique to their medium. If one were a painter, they would embrace the flatness of the surface they were to paint on, just as Google embraces the simplicity of searching on the internet2 . Google is the most popularly used search engine today. According to a study of overall web searches done in November 2009, 65.4% of all searches were done using Google.com.1

Why do so many people choose to use Google over any other search engine that offers almost the same search? It may well be in part thanks to the simple format they use for their homepage. With the plain white background and pleasing primary color scheme of the logo, it is hard to get distracted, making the user’s search easy and efficient. Instead of overwhelming the viewer with news,popular searches, games and other options that are just not necessary, Google shows only a search window to type in exactly what you are a looking for, this is a very effective design technique.

Bing.com

The website Bing.com is a new web search engine that is quickly gaining popularity amongst the public. While both Bing and Google seem to contain essentially the same minimalist array of text choices, Bing appears vastly different by its simple overlay of an ambient photo instead of a plain white background. In a direct response to our desire for information, those interested in the background photo are provided with embedded information links should one become enamored with what they see. Due to the daily changing of the background image it is hard to compare it to a specific visual art movement. Some pictures are landscapes or cityscapes, some are of animals and even pictures taken underwater or in space.

The change over time can be compared to two profound movements. First of all, Impressionism, was a period in visual art with an emphasis on light in its changing qualities, often stressing the effects of the passage of time. They displayed ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles. The ordinary subject matter and changing over time is similar to the theme of Bing.

Another moment that demonstrates similarities to the idea behind Bing was a contemporary movement in the 1970’s referred to as Earthworks and Land Art where artists such as Robert Smithson and James Turrell created large outdoor works. The inspiration behind this movement was to reintroduce nature and architectural wonders to a highly secularized society. The artists wanted to remind people what else existed outside their own lives. These artists achieved this goal through massive, expensive, time consuming installations, where Bing does the same in changing a picture from day to day. This is a very innovative way to educate and involve people without forcing anything on them.

Successful web design is an art form. Creating an innovative and original site is possible if the author pays attention to aesthetics and visual appeal. The design should reflect the content or purpose of the website, and at times be very directly related such as in Bing's interactive backgrounds. There are many tools one may use in creating successful design, but as often may be the case; reverting to proven and recognized styles allows one to synchronize past work with the cutting edge of digital technology. The similarities are subtle, but nevertheless show that this can be done.