philosophy
"Form ever follows function."
-Louis Henri Sullivan
Yes, this quote is clearly true and can be applied to many areas of design. The problem, however, is that many designers attempt to make their designs appear too flashy, and steer far away from the general purpose of the site. What is the website's main function? What does the user need to accomplish on this site? While a website should still remain visually attractive to the user, it should also be highly functional. The battle between function vs. form can be a difficult one, but finding the appropriate balance will result in a well designed website.
"Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication."
-Leonardo da Vinci
One of the greatest artists of all time definitely had this one right! I believe that simplicty makes a much stronger statement than meaningless clutter. Websites with extensive clutter and busy elements can be distracting to the viewer. Once you strip away the extras, the website will not only be a lot more user friendly, but will result in a significantly better visual presentation as well. Simplicity and moderation are the key to beautifully designed websites.
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
-Steve Jobs
The success of a website is driven by the usbaility of the site's interface. A well designed interface should be intuitive, user friendly, geared towards the appropriate audience and easy to navigate. Sure, the website could look amazing on the surface, but if a user is unable to get to where they want to go on the site, the client could ultimately lose money and quite possibly a customer. Prior to brainstorming the look and feel for the visual design, a strong site map and prototype is essential to achieving a well structured website.
