One of the most common dilemmas in web design consists in determining which is more important, the content, or the design. Many considers that the design is primordial, no one is interested in reading a plain and boring text while the adepts of written content say that without text the Internet becomes a worthless graphical collection. Anyway, both of them are key components of what we are calling “www medium”; much more, the “competition” between them stimulates the good quality of websites. As you probable conclude, you, the reader, are the greatest beneficiary of all these, hence long live the “fight”of content against design.
(Image source: depone)
Personally, I consider tolerance a very important quality and a tolerant attitude is the best choice to avoid problems. Even in this dilemma, a tolerant approach is the best: a wise team of building websites overcomes this in order to create qualitative websites. Yes, both of them are important and the primordial position must be determinate only in context, it’s depending on the type of website and the specificity of the readers. Simply put, if you are interested in which category your website is a part of, create a poll and ask your visitors. In conclusion, there can’t be a website without content or a layout. To understand better which the best points of each one are, I present these bellow but feel free to add your interesting ideas.
The design
1. The visual power has a strong effect
The Internet is an entity where the first impression is decisive; the second choice isn’t met too often. This fact is the result of the countless possibilities and fast options to select. Under these circumstances, the visual power is playing a very important role, definitely, the common visitor is making his first impression by seeing the layout, and he usually doesn’t get to read any sentences before.
The colors are another element that influences the behavior of the visitors; a cool color scheme may impress them or make them run away. There are examples of layouts that combined with smart selections of colors are manipulating the audience, i.e. why do you believe that the majority of the official websites of financial institutions are inserting blue components or red call-to-action buttons? You guessed, because blue is the preferred color of the majority of people and inspire them to calmness and trust, while red invokes actions. In a nutshell, a wise design may really do wonders, but you must be a magician web designer.
2. A bad design makes powerless the content
We all agreed that the content is capital for a website, but how can somebody read it when the layout is horrible, giving the impression that begs any reader to expel from. More pragmatically, the design must facilitate the scanning because the immense majority of people initially don’t read the content; they just scan for the appropriate information. The design is considered more important (from this point of view) than the written component because the first one creates the necessary condition for the last one, without design there is no content.
3. One image specks better than 100 words
The world is moving faster and nobody has time to waste, hence a lot of text isn’t only boring but also very inefficient. It’s more efficient for a news presenting website to upload some expressive images with the effects of the last hurricane than explaining what it has done. The images, properly used, may communicate better the message than the text, thus increasing interactivity. Another advantage of the use of images is the quick possibility to replace it, giving a new fresh look, while writing another text is a more elaborate task. Are you agreeing that sometimes the design is telling more information that the written content?
The content
1. It’s the primordial scope of a website
Imagine a website with no sentences, no words, just an awesome graphical creation, would you understand something from it? I am in doubt… the impossibility of understanding any message makes a lot of people give up on the principal role in the equation of a website’s success. Even from the beginning of the Internet, all the websites were launched to foster a fast exchange of information and not to create astonishing headers. A very interesting text, providing the coolest information needed could be the source of a significant number of visitors even if the single piece of design is a white background.
2. It maintains the visitors
A superb layout is attracting the eyes of the Internet users, but it’s hard to believe that they will come daily to review the masterpiece. An interesting content, frequently updated surely will make people come here everytime something new is uploaded. The common conclusion is clear: the design attracts people while the content maintains them.
3. It’s the perfect modality to offer information
There is no better to way to provide information that the text; with all his amazing powers, an image is still limited, it can suggest states, feelings but hardly any precise information. I provoke you to write a text of 200 words and collect, as many images you want to give the same message, are you doing the same job properly? I didn’t manage so…wish you good luck!
These advantages are well known by the entire blogosphere and shamefully, there is no special contribution. I insert here a very original perspective: I don’t consider that there is any competition; there is no “fight” between them. The design is how the ensemble, which will offer the information that quite probably, the visitors are in need of, is drawn. The text shouldn’t be considered as a separate item, it is integrated in the overall design; it is a special component of the layout. Any designer is searching a lot for a quality font…isn’t it to make a beautiful design?I hope you understand my point, the design and the content are embodied as a team that doesn’t need a boss, and each one is depending on each other. Are you agreeing with me or do you have adifferent opinion?
This article has been written by Daniel Pintilie a freelance writer working for for cs36.com, an online shopping and price compare shop.
