THE ROLE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IN WEB DESIGN
The World Wide Web has become an integral part of many organizations, and groups as diverse as Coca-Cola, the United States government, and high school students have sites that bring their messages to the world. In the years that the Web has become popular, Web design has gained in popularity, as well. Most users can quickly name sites that they like and don't like as well as sites that are easy to use. However, most users do not recognize that the difference between those sites is the application of graphic design principles. This research considers the role of graphic design in Web design, including the difference between the two, how graphic design can enhance the image of the Web site, and the outlook for the role of graphic design in Web design.
When the Web first began gaining popularity, there were some who maintained that effective Web design was simply effective graphic design brought to the computer screen. On-line Web pagesùinitiallyùwere not treated differently than on line documents or even printed documents. While it is certainly true that Web sites need strong graphic design elements to be successful, Web design extends beyond just the visual presentation of information. The data that is displayed and entered on the Web site must be processed by databases and applications in the "back office" of the organization, and these processes must link seamlessly to the Web site. Thus Web design requires not only a strong graphic design elementùthe so-called "front end" of the Web siteùbut also a strong technical design that takes full advantage of the technology and the data being processed (Langley, 2001).
During the first years of the Web, it was enough for a company to have a presence on the Web to give it an edge over the competition. As the Web matured, users became more discerning about the sites they visited, and more impatient with slow-loading graphics or ani...