| Web design is the design of web pages, websites | | | | Many graphic artists use Flash because it gives them |
| and web applications using HTML, CSS, Flash, and | | | | exact control over every part of the design, and |
| images. | | | | anything can be animated and generally "jazzed up." |
| Web design is part of starting a website (web | | | | Some application designers enjoy flash because it lets |
| development) which can include web server | | | | them create applications that don't have to be |
| configuration, writing web applications and server | | | | refreshed or go to a new web page every time an |
| security. | | | | action occurs. There are many sites which forego |
| History | | | | HTML entirely for Flash. |
| Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide | | | | Flash detractors claim that Flash websites tend to be |
| Web published a website in August 1991, making him | | | | poorly designed, and often use confusing and |
| also the first web designer. His first was to use | | | | non-standard user-interfaces. Up until recently, search |
| hypertext with an existing email link. | | | | engines have been unable to index Flash objects, |
| Early on, websites were written in basic HTML, a | | | | which has prevented sites from having their contents |
| markup language giving websites basic structure | | | | easily found. It is possible to specify alternate |
| (headings and paragraphs), and the ability to link using | | | | content to be displayed for browsers that do not |
| hypertext. This was new and different to existing | | | | support Flash. Using alternate content also helps |
| forms of communication - users could easily open | | | | search engines to understand the page, and can |
| other pages. | | | | result in much better visibility for the page. |
| As the Web and web design progressed, the markup | | | | The most recent incarnation of Flash's scripting |
| language used to make it, known as Hypertext | | | | language (called "actionscript", which is an ECMA |
| Mark-up Language or HTML, became more complex | | | | language similar to JavaScript) incorporates |
| and flexible. Things like tables, which could be used to | | | | long-awaited usability features, such as respecting the |
| display tabular information, were soon subverted for | | | | browser's font size and allowing blind users to use |
| use as invisible layout devices. With the advent of | | | | screen readers. Actionscript 2.0 is an Object-Oriented |
| Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), table based layout is | | | | language, allowing the use of CSS, XML, and the |
| increasingly regarded as outdated. Database | | | | design of class-based web applications. |
| integration technologies such as server-side scripting | | | | The final consensus is that Flash is simply a tool, and |
| (see CGI, PHP, ASP.NET, ASP, JSP, and ColdFusion) | | | | like all tools it takes a skillful craftsperson to know |
| and design standards like CSS further changed and | | | | when, and how, to use it properly. Macromedia's |
| enhanced the way the Web is made. | | | | other two products, Fireworks and Dreamweaver, |
| The introduction of Macromedia Flash into an already | | | | makes Flash integration with graphics and HTML a lot |
| interactivity-ready scene has further changed the | | | | easier. |
| face of the Web, giving new power to designers and | | | | CSS versus tables |
| media creators, and offering new interactivity | | | | Back when Netscape Navigator 4 dominated the |
| features to users. Flash is much more restrictive than | | | | browser market, the popular (but now deprecated) |
| the open HTML format, though, requiring a | | | | solution available for designers to lay out a Web page |
| proprietary plugin to be seen, and it does not | | | | was by using tables. Often even simple designs for a |
| integrate with most web browser UI features like | | | | page would require dozens of tables nested in each |
| the "Back" button. | | | | other. Many web templates in Dreamweaver and |
| Issues | | | | other WYSIWYG editors still use this technique |
| As in all professions, there are arguments on | | | | today. Navigator 4 didn't support CSS to a useful |
| different ways of doing things. These are a few of | | | | degree, so it simply wasn't used. |
| the ongoing ones. | | | | After the browser wars were over, and Internet |
| Liquid versus fixed layouts | | | | Explorer dominated the market, designers started |
| Programmers were the original web page designers in | | | | turning towards CSS as an alternate, better means |
| the early 1990s. Currently most web designers come | | | | of laying out their pages. CSS proponents say that |
| from a graphic artist background in print, where the | | | | tables should only be used for tabular data, not for |
| artist has absolute control over the size and | | | | layout. Using CSS instead of tables also returns HTML |
| dimensions of all aspects of the design. On the web | | | | to a semantic markup, which helps bots and search |
| however, the Web designer has no control over | | | | engines understand what's going on in a web page. |
| several factors, including the size of the browser | | | | Today, all modern Web browsers now support CSS |
| window and the size and characteristics of available | | | | with different degrees of limitations. |
| fonts. | | | | However, one of the main points against CSS is that |
| Many designers compensate for this by wrapping | | | | by relying on it exclusively, control is essentially |
| their entire webpage in a fixed width box, essentially | | | | relinquished as each browser has its own quirks which |
| limiting it to an exact pixel-perfect value, which is a | | | | result in a slightly different page display. This is |
| fixed layout. Some create the illusion of liquidity by | | | | especially a problem as not every browser supports |
| building the graphics for their webpage at a size | | | | the same subset of CSS rules. For designers who are |
| larger than any current standard monitor size. Other | | | | used to table-based layouts, developing Web sites in |
| designers say that this is bad because it ignores the | | | | CSS often becomes a matter of replicating what can |
| preferences of the user, who might have their | | | | be done with tables, leading some to find CSS design |
| browser sized a specific way that they like best. | | | | rather cumbersome. For example, it is rather difficult |
| These people propose a liquid layout, where the size | | | | to produce certain design elements, such as vertical |
| of the Web page adjusts itself based on the size of | | | | positioning, and full-length footers in a design using |
| the browser window. | | | | absolute positions. |
| There is a usability reason (rather than wanting | | | | These days most modern browsers have solved |
| control) for why a designer may choose a more | | | | most of these quirks in CSS rendering and this has |
| fixed layout. Studies have shown that there is usually | | | | made many different CSS layouts possible. However, |
| an optimal line width in terms of readability. One rule | | | | people continue to use old browsers, and designers |
| to appear from such studies is that lines should be | | | | need to keep this in mind. Most notable among these |
| between 40-60 characters long, or approximately 11 | | | | old browsers are Internet Explorer 5 and 5.5 which, |
| words per line. But users may choose their windows | | | | according to some web designers, are becoming the |
| size and font selection to optimize other factors | | | | new Netscape Navigator 4 - a block that holds the |
| more important to them. | | | | internet back from converting to CSS design. |
| This decision of which style of layout to use is often | | | | How it Looks vs. How it Works |
| made on a case by case basis, depending on the | | | | Since so many web developers have a graphic arts |
| needs and audience of the website. | | | | background, they often pay more attention to how |
| In some cases, it is difficult to create fixed layouts | | | | a page looks, without considering how visitors are |
| which work well given the amount of content | | | | going to find the page. On the other side of the |
| needed, and the fact that one has to try to cater | | | | issue, search engine optimization consultants (SEOs) |
| for the needs of all prospective users. | | | | obsess about how well a web site works: how much |
| Flash | | | | traffic it generates, and how many sales it makes. As |
| Macromedia Flash is a proprietary, robust graphics | | | | a result, the designers and SEOs often end up in |
| animation/application development program used to | | | | disputes where the designer wants more 'pretty' |
| create and deliver dynamic content, media (such as | | | | graphics, and the SEO wants lots of 'ugly' |
| sound and video), and interactive applications over | | | | keyword-rich text, bullet lists, and text links. Another |
| the web via the browser. It is not a standard | | | | problem when using lots of graphics on a page is that |
| produced by a vendor-neutral standards organization | | | | download times can be greatly lengthened, often |
| like most of the core protocols and formats on the | | | | irritating the user. |
| Internet. | | | | |