What is the role of design?

In a general sense, design has everything to do with the success of your website. The first and most important task is defining what encompasses the concept of design. Many people look at design as merely the aesthetic or visual vessel that represents your identity which usually includes graphics and color scheme. While this tends to be the more common understanding or definition of the word this is a very confined misrepresentation of the design concept as a whole.

Where did design get so limited

In common web design practice people are looking for a quick cheap fix me up website that will get them on the web as quickly as possible for as little as possible. This means that a majority of the time the web design company you hire is a pro at cutting corners, modifying templates and getting you out the door as soon as possible. With this as the widely accepted practice for web design it is no wonder that most websites fail and that the true concept of design is never implemented.

What really is design

Design is realistically a broad concept that includes not only graphics and aesthetics but also layout, development and implementation. The guide for a successful design can vary from project to project but in my experience tends to include these general steps:

• Analyze your products and content
• Create an identity
• Create a user experience

• Wire-frame a model
• Implement design

Analyze your products and content

To have a successful site this is the most important step as it lays the ground work and research for the rest of the design and development process.