Feb 20 2009
Distinct Designs of a Web 2.0 Website
Although there is no clear standard as to what constitutes a Web 2.0 website, people seem to know instinctively what it looks like. Thanks to a few distinct characteristics, these signs point to a site that uses Web 2.0 technologies. Knowing what these sites look like will also be advantageous for you, if you’re planning on making sure that your site is well adapted to the new trends. Here are some distinct designs to look out for in Web 2.0 websites:
Simplicity in concept and execution
A distinctive design feature of Web 2.0 is simplicity in terms of layout, font choice and outline. Although bold, Web 2.0 sites are more streamlined and clean in order to make way for what’s more important, which is content. Since websites in the Web 2.0 environment thrive on content, that is usually what users aim for when they check out your offerings. Design and look, while still important, are usually only secondary.
The trick here is to use the simplicity of the website’s distinct design features in order to lead the visitor
directly to the content.
Just because a site is simple doesn’t mean it’s minimalist, by the way. Minimalism is a deliberate move to maintain the visual cleanliness of the design. In the simplicity of a Web 2.0 site, the purpose behind is just to ensure that the site is functional. As a result, all elements included in the design are chosen because they are absolutely needed in order to convey a message.
Visuals are used mainly for support
Unless imagery is the site’s main feature, such as in sites that promote photo images and videos, a Web 2.0
site has a distinctive design that features less distracting graphics and images. The imagery is carefully
selected in order to maximize the page while at the same time providing the much needed look or feel of the site. The imagery is also used to support the textual content featured on the web page.
Plain background
Some sites still exhibit graphics or images on their backgrounds but more and more sites are preferring a plain background with softer colors. The choice of colors also tends to lean towards the neutral, as evidenced by more and more sites using gray and white. The choice of these colors is intentional. A neutral shade provides a good surface with which to showcase more colorful texts in headlines or labels.
Strong colors
Although a plain, neutral background often allows splashes of colors, a distinctive design feature of Web 2.0 sites is that most site owners and designers prefer not to take advantage of this too much. Strong, bright colors are used but only sparingly and only to add contrast to catch the eye. Strong colors are not intended to shock users and visitors and as such, are only used as highlights, not as a prevailing theme.
Big text
In Web 2, fonts are bigger. Titles and headlines often are different in size than body text.
Strong, attractive design component are used sparingly. In Web 2.0, a distinctive design concept is to use
special effects, icons and graphics sparingly, especially if they appear on the same page. Too many elements that are all attractive in their own way often prove distracting and keep the eye too busy. This not only makes the web page appear cluttered, it will also confuse the visitor.
Cleaner outline
More white space is a distinct design of Web 2.0. Sites are less crowded, which allows the eye to rest in between content. More space also means it’s easier for visitors to identify the different elements in a web page.
Here is where this lesson ends for today. We really hope you enjoyed this lesson too.
You will receive the next lesson in 7 days. Next week’s lesson will have the following title:
“The Effective Use of Fonts for Web 2.0″
Copyright(C) 2008 by John Delavera & Reimund Lube