What is Webdesign

Web design includes the design, construction and management of sites for the user or the Web interface design in this area. These are usually structured texts that are written in XHTML or HTML format, including additional graphics with CSS. The web designer has to make the task of the clients wishes, the wishes of visitors and bring the technical capabilities into line.

Design

The visual perception of websites worldwide on the Internet is fundamentally dependent on the general laws of visual communication. The process of information acquisition by the user/visitor is essentially controlled by the graphic design of the website. The difference is both in print media as well as technical limitations in the advanced functionality of the World Wide Web.

The pure optics is in the design of Web sites focus on the user-friendliness (usability). Navigation and building up the site to as many people as possible. Here, many disabled people experience disadvantages because they need Web sites that are accessible. This restricts the design possibilities or would require more effort in technology and design.

A hypertext has too many choices of links, this can also result in a confusion, so-called Lost in Hyperspace. For ease of use there is a requirement of accessibility, e.g. by avoiding techniques that make the information accessible only with a particular browser, or through the creation of (text) alternatives to multimedia content.

Flash and other browser extensions should not therefore be avoided, but it should be ensured that the content should remain fully accessible even without them. An important aspect of web design is a correct markup and knowledge in Web graphics.

Due to the still much poorer resolution of screens to print, special screen fonts are used. While websites for generation 4 browsers (Netscape 4 and Internet Explorer 4) were not written very differently, and browser choices were required, the Web developer in the current versions (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 8, Opera, Konqueror, etc) is a broad support.

Client and server-side development

Program code for control and external appearance of the site can be either server-side scripting languages like PHP, Python, Perl, ASPNet, ColdFusion, or JSP (Java Server Pages run) or by largely client-side extensions such as Flash, Java or JavaScript.

There is also the possibility to combine client and server technologies such as PHP and Flash to be able to take advantage of both. One should take care to be sparing with client-side extensions, as it is often not the necessary plug-ins which are available to the user, or JavaScript has been disabled for security reasons.

Trends

In addition to Flash (since 1997) there have also been developed W3C technologies such as CSS, XHTML, or JavaScript, and Java. In almost all new websites, focus is on these technologies. Exceptions are extensions based on XML.

Virtually every modern browser XML, gives new possibilities in web design, such as vector graphics with SVG and display of mathematical formulas with MathML. Besides pave Internet kits those users understand the path to self-creating a Web site.

Web design and print layout

Web design and print layout differ in design or presentation of a publication. While in print media you work with absolute units (e.g. metric units, and a well-known, well-defined size of the fluid), in Web design, the size and nature of the output medium is not known.

However, it has been trying for several years to include Web use absolute units (pixels). Due to the different resolution of the output devices this is a bit of practical endeavor – much better suited are liquid layouts with relative information.

Another problem proves to be the color: The appearance of color illustrations – the color fidelity – is both dependent on the monitor gamma, as well as the color space used.