Some Random Dude

Ehm, probably I’m guilty. Rounded corner were applied to my latest design. But I don’t feel really guilty: personally, I prefer square shapes, and the tab on my header were once squared, but then it looks to austere, it was clashing with the playfulness added by the colors — pink and light blue.
So I might have an excuse.

Overall, I agree with you. But I wouldn’t point it only toward DRAG: every single element of a page shouldn’t be there for its own sake, otherwise you get a mash-up, not a design.

And my two cents on gradients: they must be subtle. If a gradient is very subtle, it can really help in giving some depth to an element: you won’t notice the gradient, but will notice a breathier space.
But again, it shouldn’t be there for its own sake.

what? are rounded corners, dropshadows and gradients not cool anymore?

bugger, i was just redesigning all my sites to DRAG..

Michele -

Well, I think we’re all guilty of this from time to time - I know I am. And yeah, I think all specific styles still can be used to the benefit of the design, but there needs to be some thought and discretion about it. I really enjoy your new design and I hope you and others don’t take this article as a personal critique on their work. I left out specific examples for a reson.

matthijs -

Sorry to cause you problems.

…one slanty 45 degree cut off corner.

Try telling your boss that your trying somthing “different”…that’s all I get…people want generic…people want androgany.

Aaron -

You’re absolutely right, clients and even some bosses aren’t helping us out when it comes to this. Clients definately have a part in the perpetuation of trends. Still, I think it’s important for the designer to at least attempt to push them in a different/better direction if there is in fact one.

Trends are not bad. They allow for the ambitioned and passionate designer to break them. So, in all honesty, while I do get bored of certain trends (not limited to web trends), they have a vital function: Progression.

There is nothing I can’t stand more than the wrong look and feel for a site. Like, you would not have a grungey look for Real estate site. Am I right? But behold, the web is changing.

One thing to remember is how small a percentage of the “web design” community as a whole is taking all any of this. I keep in touch with a lot of old work people and I’m consistently shocked at how many of them have never heard the term “Web 2.0″ or are still wondering if standards have any merit…

It’s kind of a slap in the face, but when I only look in my places that’s all I think exists. When it’s really probably less than 5-10 percent of the population who give a hoot about any of this.

But yes!!! The people who know are taking this a bit too far.

I see your point, but DRAG is popular because it’s GOOD. Just as animated gifs and hideous overuse of javascript effects used to be cool, but now they’re not. We’ll just have to stick with drop shadows, rounded corners and gradients until the web progresses.

I do agree with your article to a certain extent. But didn’t the past trends lead us to where we are today? Sure, having all sites or magazines looking alike can get boring. But it is interesting how some designers put their own little twist to an existing trend and even morph it into a new one.

Aesthetics are sometimes as important as the content. It’s what catched your eye. Wold you go for the austere overweight girl sitting by herself in the corner of the bar? Or would you rather persue that stylish chick laughing with her friends?
It is in our nature to go after what looks good, interesting or visually pleasing, at least as a first impulse. Of course the concept of “looking good” vary from person to person, but there is a very clear trend that the average prefer.

The clean, austere design is also a trend. And it can also get boring if we all end up using Helvetica to create swiss style clean designs (which I do like a lot by the way).

Styles and trends are out there to be used. So let’s use them all, let’s combine them and mix them. Let’s see how far we can get, and let’s see the DRAG living and thriving next to the pixel fonts, the overlays, the symetrical vector-styled illustrations, etc…

After all, (and looking at the Saturday Night Fever picture), even the 70’s made a big comeback.

Do shadows on objects ever disappear when there is light? Does a light source cause a gradient on almost everything? Imagine if almost every element did not have a shadow or gradient … without those 2 distinctions the design is very limited.

maleika -

I agree, they do allow progression, but many times, it is due to a backlash of that very trend.

Jen R -

I agree.

Ritz -

You’re totally right, we live in a very small bubble.

Andrew -

I have a hard time saying anything is good or bad without its context. I admit that I have my prejudices (Cooper Black was bad in the 80’s and still is) but I try to keep them at arms’ length. Notice, I said that I have no problem with any of the stated design elements, just the overuse of them.

Rey -

Very interesting metaphor about women. I would suggest that if the “stylish chick” is a dumb blond that you can’t hold a conversation with than you wouldn’t be interested in her either. Designs that are empty shells of pure decoration, while they may get the head-turn, they’re not going to get much more. So I agree, we can’t make “austere overweight” girls, but we also can’t only make “stylish chicks” either.

I truly believe that trends are not necessary to follow in order to create something visually pleasing. I would say it is the path of least resistance in the short-term, but it may be a major drawback in the long run.

And yes, the 70’s are making a comeback, to which I think it will be crashing and burning very soon…

Design in terms of webdesign can be split up in two parts:

- functional and presentational design

Designing for a client depends on (your portfolio or blog is designing for yourself):

- the sort of website
- creativity control
- talent/expertise in graphic design
- ability to apply logic and structure

Trends are not necessarily bad if it applies for the project.

http://www.somerandomdude.net

has a red-white-black colorpalette which also fits in a certain style

Look here: http://thepersuasion.com/ by Philrenaud
title: This is a weblog about argumentation.

Same feel

Johan -

“Trends are not necessarily bad if it applies for the project.”

I cannot agree with you more. As I mentioned:

“Trendy design is obviously very important for some identities. Obviously, the DRAG style is popular right now and it would make sense that organizations wanting to be visually current would take that into consideration. Nonetheless, if your design begins and ends with only DRAGing (or the next design trend), you are going to be a very non-descript tree in a very large forest.”

The difference is focused, premeditated, well thought-out use of design trends as opposed to simply defaulting to current trends. That being said, we’re all guilty of this from time to time - I am by no means excluding myself from this.

I sorta see the similarity in the two designs you mentioned. However, I don’t see much of a relation past the primary colors used. That could very well be a prejudiced view though considering one of them is my site.

“I agree, they do allow progression, but many times, it is due to a backlash of that very trend.”

Which proves the argument to be correct. Without trends, no backlashes. It’s a natural cycle.

Well, I don’t think trend backlashes are the only way that design progresses. I think a lot of the evolution is due in part to inspiration on a more general level from other designers and their work.

Great article, causing me to shudder as I recalled the lack of originality in many of my approaches :P..
Just to say that much of the time, clients demand something that ‘looks modern’, which is their perception of what their clients perceive to be the zeitgeist.. It’s not a particular set of qualities of the current design trends that communicate modernity at any time, its just their relation to what has gone before, as with any design.
As with music, production and sequencing memes can be slapped over any old nonsense to fill the charts with the same tired trends that become cliches, rebelled against, and so cycled on through..
From any of these trends is hopefully retained some aspect of function design that is useful - we will still be seeing DRAG elements used in 50 years, where they are appropriate as you mentioned regarding OSX, and many blogs will still have the austere document look - as ever, form follows function, trends come and never entirely go.

i am guilty all the way for this particular look and feel. sadly, this style has become part of the visual identity for so many corporate sites but its difficult to break out of that mode. if they are paying your firm $50,000 for a project and demand that look “because all their competitors’ sites look that way” do you deny them from what they want? yes, this is called selling out, but when it comes down to your salary and supporting your children, do you have a choice sometimes? (just playing devils advocate here, PJ. Excellent article!)

pushing clients and designers out of their comfort zone is a challenging task that I believe is ideal and relevent but often disregarded.

Michael -

Yeah, it’s that eternal client/designer push and pull. It’ll always exist.

I think the magic happens where people are somehow able to work within the constraints set by the client and still make something visually fresh and abundantly unique. Easier said than done though.

Kellie -

Great point. At the end of the day, if you don’t have the luxury of pushing back, get paid. I am by no means insinuating that we should all jeopordize our livelihood about this subject. Seriously, know when to pick and choose your battles.

I do think a great degree of our job as designers is that of a councelor. We need to communicate why that should go in a direction, not just get them there.

You talked about design trends. I never said they were the only way design progresses. However, the term “backlash” assumes a counter event …

maleika -

Yeah, I must have misunderstood you. I agree it definitely is a part of the evolution. The only problem is that the backlash the overused trend caused many times is too extreme and ends up ultimately have the same problems. One less reason to get too caught up in it all.

Very good point though, sorry for the misunderstanding.

Some thoughts about your Apple case-study

“The design of OS X was brilliant in both aesthetics and the function of those aesthetics. There is no doubt why so many people wanted a piece of it. As said, all the design elements for OS X had a purpose. The overall style alone had a function to differentiate itself from other operating systems.” -Some Random Dude

excellent assessment about apple. you made a point to recognize and differenciate their design from the rest of the other copy-cats out there. while apple may be partially blamed for the DRAG syndrome, i give them kudos for creating a style for themselves that truly served a function (and continues to today.) yes, it often looks very slick and tech-like…but their style is also classy and elegant at the same time. a lot of ‘copy-cat’ corporate sites use the DRAG style, but by far, does not live up to Apple’s standards. Besides layering glossy effects and rounded corners, Apple actually takes the time to scrutinize their layouts, typeface sizes, photography, leading, kerning, colors, and all the little nuances that are often overlooked. i think this is the key factor that puts the quality of their design work above their competitors. (then again, i’m probably being completely biased here since i have direct ties to them. haha )

I ponder the similarity of all these 2.0, standardized sites myself. They each can have their uniqueness, in the minimal details, but they do all blend together after a while.

I’ve been looking at a lot of source code on sites to see how many have table-less construction and sometimes I get surprised to see semantic markup on a really different design. It is possible to break the mold of the Holy Grail layout. Hopefully once people get more experienced creating compliant sites without copying other people’s style sheets we’ll get more diversity.

That’s perfectly fine.
It’s a good discussion.

thanks Meleika.

excellent thoughts from you!

i just wanted to highlight other elements from the discussion. there’s so many interesting parts to to this essay that could be the starting point of new arguments and thoughts. (i mean, c’mon…i can just imagine a whole new topic soley based on that horrible john travolta picture. Just kidding, of course )

I think the DRAG trend is perfectly fine. People just need to take it to the next level. Maybe not use all three, but take one and work it with some other treatment. Mix it up -make it less linear looking. I disagree about “leaving style for the fashion designers.” I think the web is starving for some good style. I think it’s “design” we are all sick of.

James -

You’re so right. How sites are put together are just as much a part of this issue as anything else. We need to be conscious of standards, but we should also continue to try to push the envelope.

Kellie -

Yeah, Apple’s design was brilliant - so brilliant that everyone drew inspiration from it. What’s good for Apple is that most people associate the style to their identity - as they rightly deserve.

january -

I agree. It is the over-the-top use of all the elements at the same time that cause problems as well as no specific reason for their use to begin with. And I do agree that the web is starving for style - I hope that style can be unique and progressive.

Great read, especially the visual fundamentals part. As for the DRAG, well that is a double edged sword. It’s a necessary evil, it just so happens it’s easier to appreciate this evil when its done with a dash of design savvy.

Design trends come and go all the time, in any media, so it’s never something worth worrying about; it’s a bit like worrying about what to wear that’s fashionable this season, or who’s the new cool band you have to be listening to. Personally, I just can’t be arsed; being a trendwhore must be one of the dullest things you could do in design, and such hard work keeping up with keeping up. The first person a designer has to satisfy is themselves, even above the client, because if you can’t keep yourself interested in what you do then there’s the danger you’ll fall into the trap of just churning stuff out. Certainly there’ll almost always be compromises to be made, you can’t be too precious, but if you build the design on your terms then you compromise on your terms and not someone else’s.

As for the standards issue, I never think about it much when designing the look of a site. I try to keep up to date with what can be done, and bear it in mind. If you’re designing the frontend with the intention of making it easy to build then the design is already compromised, weighting the form and function of it too heavily towards code you know will work simply because you’ve used it before. Code should be like the tyres on a car: important to have up to standard for all sorts of functional reasons, but they shouldn’t be the basis on which the look of a car is designed.

Thanks for the great read! You said what we were all thinking!! Myself, yes, I’ve used drag ;D , but I used it in a way that I liked, once I was happy with my site, well, everyone else can lump it if they dont!
But its so important to please yourself and to try and do something different.. otherwise we all get stuck in a rut!

[...] http://www.somerandomdude.net/blog/design/drag-design/ [...]

It’s CSS and web standards fault. not much you can do to spice up a website once it’s locked into the same two or three column template that every other site has. except decorate it. you hit the nail on the head there.

that said, i can’t imagine websites in Communication Arts or other magazines looking as good as they once did, way back when it was still ok to use a table to put together a wacked out layout that was allowed to defy convention. it’s pretty much impossible to defy convention now that we’re all so hooked into one now. no more tables? well i guess i gotta learn how to use css to make some columns, i need to make a header image that looks hot cause you’ll only see it quickly before you scroll down page after page of nothing but text, make a bulleted list and turn that into navigation… hmm, what else, oh yeah, my headers can all be sIFR, something can be AJAX, tag cloud here, um, a link to my blog, a link to my “company”, a link to my hot new web app and a logo that’s no better or worse than any others. I just need a logo, what if i put some symbol into a square with rounded corners?

Anyway, there’s a rant for you. We’re just a bunch of suckers trying to do the best we can, and the more we focus on validation, the less we focus on visual communication. Even still though, are we trying to communicate a message? or our own super coolness?

ugh, anyway…..

A great approach to this common design problem of our days, well done.

I generally agree with it. I starve to see more sites using techniques I’ve never seen, innovative graphics and typography.

On the other hand, the above ‘guidelines’ work well with most generic sites, be it a blog or a corporate identity site. It attracts users and -the joy!- appeals both to customers and designers. Another reason why the DRAG style is so overused.

At this very SECOND, i am doing some last minute production work–optimizing images–for a flamboyantly DRAG-ed out website. When something (appears) to work well, why not use it again? and again, and again…That’s the mentality of things around here.

recently, I asked a web designer why they use the DRAG style so often. They said that it is like applying a visual identity system for tech sites. when you see the style being used, you instantly KNOW its for something technology related. Do i agree with that? Heck no. that’s a total copout.

[...] DRAG-ing Your Design Down do Some Random Dude. Voc? pode comentar, ou um trackback do seu site. RSS 2.0 Deixe seuComent?rio [...]

Graphic shapes used as containers for text or logos to sit upon, or as buttons, always seem a tricky subject. Someone I work with once flipped through a magazine criticizing every advertisement that had a curve in the graphic holding the text and logo at the bottom–he seemed to think that anything beyond a flat, color box was excessive.

My question is: Do graphics like that need to be interesting? Should they be?

In some of my better designs, I’ve noticed that once I get to the point of dealing with how those elements should look, the system I’ve already set up gives me the answer. In other words, these blocks and buttons take their que from the more expressive parts of the design. In my worst designs, when there’s little substance to work with, I often get stuck on details such as whether to make things with rounded corners, or beveled, or (gasp!) squared. In the big picture, it doesn’t matter that much. (But if the big picture isn’t really there to begin with, then it gets difficult).

The worst situation is when you really can’t figure out a bigger picture design to drive everything. But for a lot of projects (technical web sites included, it seems), there’s a kind of built-in spareness or business-drab feeling that means the only decisions you make are whether to round your corners like HP did in a lot of their print campaigns, keep it straight, or come up with some other subtle graphical treatment that doesn’t offend or commit to saying much of anything.

And that’s where style comes in. Is style as simple as dressing up that which seems to otherwise communicate nothing?

Pat G.-

Good to hear from you!
I believe you reiterated the thoughts of many creative individuals who must struggle with tired,dry designs on a daily basis. “The worst situation is when you really can’t figure out a bigger picture design to drive everything.” Sadly, many technical web sites lack creative substance and i think this is where the problem begins…the need to hide boredom with flashy visuals. But as designers, isnt it our job as problem solvers to overcome those obstacles, to find a unique solution to combat the drabness? or are we just simply giving up too easily and resorting to quick fix solutions (such as DRAG elements)?

Well, yeah, I think that DRAG elements are quick fix solutions, like you said. And it’s true that part of our job is inventing something from nothing, but I also believe that the client must be responsible for providing engaging content from which the art stems. It’s their work, too, although most people don’t think of it that way.

I disagree, however, that the issue is about technical sites lacking “creative substance.” It’s not their duty to be creative, it’s their duty to be technical. It’s our duty to pick up on what makes them different, what makes them stand out, and express that in a creative, unexpected way.

So what happens when you’re assigned to design a site whose content mirrors every other? DRAG happens, I guess!

“DRAG happens.”
Brilliant. Take note, PJ–We need to trademark that! (and then sell t-shirts….)

DRAG happens. Brilliant.

Pat -

“Is style as simple as dressing up that which seems to otherwise communicate nothing?” - Well, I think style derived from a strong concept communicates very well. I think canned, generic style doesn’t. Conceptual style and trendy style, in my opinion, are two completely separate animals.

Damnit PJ. I told you not to spill the beans on this DRAG thing. Thanks for undermining the business model of all the real designers out there.

j/p
Great job on this forum.
Its really interesting to see your opinion reach the masses and not stay in the small design sphere of San Francisco.

My Final Thoughts:
——————————-

True. John Travolta and shiny logo are deeply related.
False. Not the real issue here.

My opinion on how this whole mess started comes simply from the client/designer/firm relationship. When the bottom line is $$$ the client, the designer, or the firm loses sight of what should be the best implementation. I’m still trying to figure out how to create awesome work that satisfies everyone.

If anyone knows that formula. Please tell me.

“I’m still trying to figure out how to create awesome work that satisfies everyone.”
yousuf….in (y)our wildest dreams.

[...] I love this guy. I simultaneously agree and disagree vehemently with this article as well as many others he has written - a testament to Andy’s ideas and writing. His article touches on the subject of design trends which I wrote about around the same time. Definitely worth a read. [...]

[...] För den som är intresserad av webbdesign och för den som reflekterat över varför webbsidor ofta ser så lika ut (så kallad DRAG-design): Intressant läsning för hängmattan finns här. [...]

[...] Am resisting the temptation to use drop shadows, rounded edges etc to enhance the look of the site. I’m liking the minimal dotted borders for the “press kit” items such as the fullsize cover image download and the “look inside” feature (using the brilliant Lightbox 2.0 script by Lokesh Dhakar - for which I must add a credit on the site) on the book pages. [...]

> A new CSS feature comes out that allows something visually new to be done…

Oh how I am so grateful the years of regular new Adobe Photoshop plugins have now passed (there, I’m showing my age now). As a visualiser/illustrator I have worked with some heavyweight designers who, rather than justifying their inflated salaries and ‘look how creative I am’ sans sock policies by developing creative solutions to fulfil the client’s brief, insist on finding some way to use that great new image manipulating photoshop filter that makes every image look like a dog threw up on it…*
That situation, it seems, has moved into geekdon where developers are far more concerned about the opinions of their peers than their customers (the users). Podcasting - still in its infancy, admittedly - is even more frustratingly peer-opinion obsessed.

* There’s no such filter, by the way, just in case you go looking

[...] Para leer con calma: DRAG-ing Your Design Down — How To Style Yourself To Anonymity, criticando la ‘dise?itis doscero’. Acu?a el t?rmino DRAG para los sitios infestados de ‘Dropshadows’, ‘Roundedcorners’ y Gradientes. [...]

Bravo!

Just what I was thinking. I hate trends. I find myself opposing whatever is hottest, because I know that soon it will be “nottest,” just like disco, bellbottoms, and collars down to your ankles.

Still, (and I’m sure you agree) everything has its place, and moderation is key.

Well said Kramer, moderation almost always is the key.

Hey, enjoyed the article!

There’s one thing I’m curious about though: When you asked if I had seen “that” site I sure had. The thing is that all sites I had seen are blogs that probably was designed by the author. While I can’t remember one particular site out of probably 10-20, does it really matter that much? Now, if those sites where official sites for companies it would be a problem but I can’t remember one such site. I might have forgotten them all because of the design of course but I doubt it

So my question is: Are there really that many large corporate sites that would fit in the DRAG-pile? If not, it would somehwat prove that the design community , in large, actually knows how to properly go about designing sites that are not personal.

Sure, their blogs or personal sites wont stand out but at least they’re only digging their own grave and not others’ too.

Mike

Good article. The part that especially struck a chord with me was the bit about not throwing in stock photos that don’t mean anything to somehow fill up the space.

This is article is all about something I’m still figuring out, but have definitely come a long way in. When I first started designing I tried to make DRAG sites and I find myself displeased time and time again with those designs. Thanks for the pointers!

[...] Sure, I have a bone or two to pick with certain visual design styles, and the lack of visual originality with many sites, most especially blogs. However, many of the root-caused for those very issues have allowed for an unprecedented increase in user-experience design and accessibility. The rise of the blog and the general theory behind Web 2.0 has allowed the user and other sites to have greater access to content - allowing for a richer experience. Usability and web standards have definitely stifled visual creativity at times, but the movement is responsible for a much accessible and compatible internet. A site can be absolutely visually stunning, but if the public cannot easily access the information or interact with it, the design failed. [...]

[...] Yesterday, I came across this article by Some Random Dude (that’s the name of the site). The author gave a long post about his opinion of the ongoing trend of Web2.0’s Drop-shadows, Rounded corners, And Gradients earlier this year. His site, for contrast, is rather minimal but still packs visual punch. It reminded me of my old weblog minimalistic style of a white background and very little of the bling that is prominent with the Web2.0 design trend. [...]

Great article! It reminded me of something Andrew Keller, Executive Creative Director for Crispin Porter + Bogusky (The ad agency behind the Volkswagen and Burger King commercials) said in a presentation I recently saw. His firm’s clients are generally not the leaders in their industry (VW & BK) and so they really need to stand out from the pack in terms of their brand. One of his main points was to “Go the other way” when creating new ideas, in other words don’t do what everyone else is doing, this way you can magnify the audience’s awareness of a specific brand. Although the context is very different, the concept of doing something new in order to stand apart from the the humdrum monotony of current trends is really a philosophy that designers of all disciplines can implement, especially interactive designers.

Oh yeah, because white minimalistic design, with black bars, using a grid, and good typography, with red graphics, has NEVER been done before. Gosh I swear I seen this very site a thousand times.

Give me a break.

These types of articles grow tiresome.

Tony - I think you missed the point of the article. My article’s premise was that overused of-the-moment visual elements not only get in the way of what is trying to be communicated, they put a very short expiration date on the design. Nowhere in the article did I mention my site as the shining example of how sites should be designed.

“Oh yeah, because white minimalistic design, with black bars, using a grid, and good typography…”

Cheers for GOOD TYPOGRAPHY!

Yeah, I guess he was kind of giving me a compliment. Sweet!

I’ll take ‘em however I can get ‘em.

It was a compliment your site’s nice, but it uses many “web trends”, that have been dissected as well.

http://alistapart.com/articles/outsidethegrid

I appreciate the kind words, but the grid has been around since the 1920’s. It’s a foundation for design - I really don’t consider that a trend.

I’ve actually gotten a kick about people writing these elaborate articles about why grids are great for design on the web. I would compare that to someone writing an article on the benefits of breathing - who in their right mind would disagree?

Regarding grids.
There’s definitely a difference between a trend and something that is timeless as well as necessary. I love that a lot of websites are using distinct, simple grids as a backbone for their design. Rand and Muller-Brockmann would be damn proud! Many web designers are doing it, so I see how it CAN be perceived as trendy. I will continue to argue otherwise.

As for the other elements on Somerandomdude, certain ones are very contemporary (circa 2006-07), such as the black bars and pixel icons, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. Designing for our time is relevant and shows that the designer is cognizant of what viewers/clients find aesthetically appealing. I think the key to a successful site is balancing timeless elements (like a grid) with trendy ones. You remain grounded in the middle. Not too old fashioned and not too gimicky.

Actually, I really feel this site’s design is very uninspired. I feel the site can be tremendously cluttered in some spaces and completely bare in others. I think it takes way too many clicks to get to certain places, the layout of the actual articles are completely kludgey and many areas of the site have a severe lack of hierarchy.

Other than that, I guess it’s OK.

All I’m saying is that one’s perceived “trend” is another’s “timeless”, there are a lot of site’s that look like this one. Good or bad. And there’s are a lot of DRAG sites. Good or bad. All I can say, is that the web sure does look better than 2000-2001 and that’s good.

I guess I’m tired of articles dissing one trend when the participate in many web trends themselves. Even if they deem their trend superior, hence grids, and black bars.

I guess we are just going to have to agree to disagree. I frankly cannot see how a line (color is immaterial) is connected to some kind of trend. I also greatly disagree with a grid-based design being a trend. The influence of a grid can can impact a design’s “style”, but the grid itself is just a tool. Two years from now, we may or may not see gradients and rounded corners as a major design element on the web. I can guarantee you that 20 years from now lines (of any color) and grids will still be highly used.

I guess you could argue minimalism is a style, just like atheism is a spiritual belief - it’s lack of decoration is its style. I think we just look at this topic differently.

I also think the web looks a lot better nowadays due to improved technologies and more designers who know how to take advantage of them. To say that a particular style has made the web a better looking place is highly subjective. Additionally, I’ll be interested to see how many people agree about that statement a couple years from now.

By the way, I appreciate the lively discussion and number of comments. It’s going to be a very good month for Comment Love.

Tony wrote: “I guess I’m tired of articles dissing one trend when the participate in many web trends themselves.”

Fair enough. Although in that case, it would be hard for a web designer or any professional to write critical essays about the field they work in.
Regarding Tony’s comment, I am curious to hear suggestions about what kind of design articles/topics people find relevant and helpful?

I not gung-ho DRAG design dude. I honestly say use whatever design fits the project. I don’t limit my choices.

I understand minimalistic design, and the principles of design. I wasn’t saying grid design is a trend, grids rocks for the web, I was just stating that design of this site, is trendy. And to criticize other people for being trendy, is well hypocritical.

I totally agree with you. I said something along those lines in the article.

Trendy design is obviously very important for some identities. Obviously, the DRAG style is popular right now and it would make sense that organizations wanting to be visually current would take that into consideration. Nonetheless, if your design begins and ends with only DRAGing (or the next design trend), you are going to be a very non-descript tree in a very large forest. If you work those design trends into a unique and strong design, you are going to have a lot more luck.

I actually think we agree on this topic more than it may appear.

Great article. I miss the javascript little-things-trailing-your-cursor trend. Boy, was that popular for about a week and a half!

Ed Gein has a good song called “Beating a Dead Horse” \o/

I agree with so many points of the article. I’ve dabbled in the DRAG style in the past as some of my clients have actually requested that. They wanted to be perceived as up to date and trendy. The style seems to have it’s place dependent upon the audience, but definitely not a good fit for all.

I’m getting tired of super shiny sites and conversely, the grunge look is getting a fair bit of play. I do feel that we need start looking in other directions rather than just blindly going along with the crowd.

I’m also a fan of a “real world” web design approach which lies somewhere between the useless bling we see so much of and the rigid “standards compliant” design philosophies. The web is about communicating and not everyone does that in the same way. Think about your target audience. Plan your visuals to engage them and to convey your message. Do you really think the majority of people on the web care if your page code or CSS validates? I doubt it. Then why limit yourself by those standards? Of course, standards do have their place and if you can write code that validates and in turn present a design that is pleasing and works correctly, by all means do so.

We need to become more than just design puppets for our clients. We really need to position ourselves as experts and educators to help them achieve what they really want with their site, a return on their investment. We need to stick by our guns and fight for good design, not just window dressing. Sure you’ll have those clients who still insist on a bad design, but you’ll always have the right to say “I told you so..” when the site flounders in a sea of look-alikes.

Nice article. Glad i’m not the only one who’s extremely bored of the look of 90% of websites!

Good lord. This topic is still being commented on after how many months? Looks like you found a hot topic.

Anyway to add more. I believe SyrupNYC defined it best here:

(n) Syr-up: A concentrated solution of ideas, often used as a vehicle for healthy visceral branding.

Meaning:
Differentation Y’all. Thats the name of the game. No. Don’t use the same rounded corners exactly. But twist it up a bit.

Great article. Your observations are very good, and I think they can be applied very widely.

I am an Illustration student, and have been pulling my hair out at times during the last 2 years for similar reasons to those that you mentioned with web design trends. 80% of the students on my course are incessantly drawing pouting girls with flowers and birds flying out of their heads, or a worm’s eye sketch of an emo kid wearing sunglasses with a rainbow in the background. It pains me sometimes to consider the commercial success these people will have, though I can see far enough into the future to realise that you will always be 2 steps behind if you draw your inspiration solely from what is contemporary and current.

I was lucky enough to meet Johnny Hardstaff, who was responsible for some of the very early motion design for Playstation. He explained how Sony had taken a concept of his and asked him to expand it into a sequence that could promote the next generation of gaming consoles. His solution was a scrolling ‘timeline’ of gaming, with schematics and full of retro game characters and consoles. This will sound familiar, because as you mentioned in your references, this approach or style has now also become ‘standardised’ through less intelligent use.

From a philosophical perspective, I always maintain that dynamic and innovative, or at least just unique designs have always found their inspiration in unexpected places. If you are listening to Bach and looking at 15th century iconography at the time you are conceptualising designs for a modern theme, and can coalesce these diverse threads into a new solution (as good designers should be able to do) then you are likely to realise something far superior to those drawing inspiration from entirely contemporary or ‘trendy’ sources. The artist assimilates things, and knows what to include and what to leave out for the purpose of balanced and if necessary functional design.

However, ‘philosophical perspective’, particularly relating to design is something that I doubt many MDs or CEOs, or even bread and butter marketing staff will pride themselves on.

I have become disillusioned with many projects as a result of narrow minded thinking from those with the cash.

How do you deal with this on a personal level? I have had 2 hour long phone calls with clients asking, them to reconsider demands that will turn designs into ‘Frankenstein’ like creations.

My policy now is to include only experimental work in my portfolio, so that after this is inevitably dumbed down by commercial work, it at least lowers itself to a higher plateau than if it had started as examples of past commercial work that had been subject to the same bastardisation.

Do we always have to wait until the slow wheel of public acceptance turns to what we as designers would have been expressing years ago, or is there a secret for maintain dignity and direction when working with people from a less creative background?

[...] uma coisa que até então eu não tinha notado, além do conceito amplo de Web 2.0, existem “Layouts Web 2.0“, e o novo layout do orkut, segue estas tendências, mas não é o único. Estas tendências [...]

I think those things are popular because they are most realistic these days. They all convey depth, newness (shiny), and humanity, without being too busy (sometimes).

well basically the current DRAG look will go out of fashion for flat and curved like Star Trek: The Next Generation, right? Or maybe everything will be überphotorealistic… eeew.

One of the main problems I have with Web 2.0 trends is that they seem to always crowd the page. I’m a sucker for minimalistic designs and IMO Web 2.0 kill these designs.

That being said, this kind of style is much MUCH better than pre-2000 websites
Adam - Developer Articles’s last blog post..Being a Great Developer

johnny cash leave your guns at home…

How do you come up with so much material to blog with?…

Adam, I know the feeling. I like having a nice clean layout, but at the same time I like to integrate a lot of tools. It is hard to keep a page looking good with a ton of widgets and what not. Although, I feel I am starting to get closer to the layout I want to stick with.

Justin Wright’s last blog post..Short Road Trip to Lake Pleasant

I feel slightly bad falling into the more recent “lets put a shiny vectorish type graphic up at the top of the page” trend. My general rule of thumb for my site is that:

A) You like your decision and are proud of it.
B) The item in question adds some sort of value.

That being said, I know there are some kids out there that feel all warm and fuzzy and proud of themselves because their white to light gray gradient is better than every other white to light gray gradient. But seriously, take a break and go eat a Lunchable and ponder whether item B on the above list is fulfilled.