Design for a Digital World
Design is fluid. It changes as time, society, and technology change to stay relevant and useful. Over the past few decades, graphic design has transitioned from using print/analog mediums to primarily using digital mediums such as online advertising, social media marketing, and website designs. While print design still has its place in society today, this transition to digital has opened many doors for new design-thinking and functionality.
The principle that form follows function, developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, still remains relevant today in the digital realm. Before designers can think about how to make something beautiful, the audience must be identified and understood, and research and testing must be done to discover what functions well and speaks to that audience. Then, the design can begin to form. In other words, if a design is beautiful but does not function well, then the design has failed.
In a fast-paced world where the needs of all viewers must be met, including those with disabilities, digital design must adapt to be easily usable and accessible.
Usability: To make the usability of digital designs and websites easy and effortless, the first idea that comes to mind is design must be simple. While this idea may be true, simplicity does not always mean the design must stick to a minimalist or basic approach. While minimalism works well to create clear and simple designs, it can become cold and corporate when oftentimes it should evoke other emotions. While sometimes minimalism is the answer, design can also be complex yet simple at the same time in the way that it functions. For example, if the visual look of a design has multiple layers, patterns, and colors that coordinate well together, and the presentation of other information remains clear, concise, and gets the viewer where they want to go, then the function of the design remains simple, even though it visually looks complex. Either approach creates successful usability.
Accessibility: For those with disabilities or other needs, accessibility menus can be added to websites that enable users to change the text size, desaturate colors, read the page aloud, and use other helpful tools that enhance their user experience.
After considering fundamental design needs, designers must also keep in mind that the human attention span has decreased over time and currently averages less than 10 seconds. Designers must ask themselves how a design can grab a viewer's attention within this timeframe. One way this can be achieved is to decrease load times. Just a few seconds of waiting may cause a viewer to abandon a design before even seeing it. Another way is to experiment with compositions that have not been seen before. Currently, designers are experimenting more with overlapping elements, displaced text and images, and irregular shapes. While these compositions are effective in grabbing the viewer's attention, one of the most effective ways designers keep the viewer's attention is through movement and animation.
One of the most exciting and engaging parts about designing digitally is the ability to create movement and animations. Though design is static in print, designers have found techniques to create the illusion of movement by using vivid, energetic colors and free-flowing lines and shapes – but digital takes it to a whole new level. Movement in the digital world may take the form of GIFs, website hovers and animations, and motion graphics for video. Movement, when used effectively, can keep the viewers engaged, help guide them to where they want to go or get them to buy a product or choose one service over another.
No matter what medium design takes on, its effectiveness remains one of the most important aspects. Design is more than just the way something looks visually, but the way it functions, the messages it evokes, and how it connects to the audience. As more and more people view things digitally, it will be interesting to see how design evolves in the digital world in the future.