The future of Web design

Volume 20, Number 1 • January 2000

The future of Web design
by Michael Schuyler

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP LEFT CORNER column focuses on the battle brewing between two ways of doing Web sites: the fancy designers, who think that the purpose of the Web is to dazzle the user with graphics and video and purists, who feel that the Web was designed as a distribution system for text. Says that other groups in the text-based corner are people interested in making the Web accessible to those with disabilities and those who design products such as cell phones to talk to the Web and do this on a very small screen. Reports on the changes to the author's Web site, from a text-based site to frames, and then to using FrontPage "so all the Webmaster wannabes could dabble." However, maintains that today's designer must have some serious experience as a programmer. Reluctantly concludes that Web design has gone past the fun stage and into the professional arena.