Web design Today: The good, the bad, the nice and the ugly With the advent of HTML5/CSS3 and Web fonts, things seemed to look good for people with an aesthetic sense. At the same time an avalanche of technical innovations destroyed all dreams of being able to fully control the look of digital information. The old question: Is it possible to design Websites that look nice and work well? Does good Web design need to look ugly? Are there links, bridges, short cuts between good user experience and nice aesthetics? A look into good and bad practice of contemporary Web design.

1. THE GOOD, THE BAD,
THE NICE, AND THE UGLY.
A look into the practice of
contemporary Web design.
By Oliver Reichenstein, @iA

2. LOOKING BACK

3. THE GOOD

18. THE BAD

30. THE PRETTY

42. AND THE UGLY

51. “Flash has had it’s day, but it’s
waining.”
-- Steve Jobs

52. “New open standards created in
the mobile era, such as HTML5,
will win on mobile devices (and
PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should
focus more on creating great
HTML5 tools for the future, and
less on criticizing Apple for
leaving the past behind.”
-- Steve Jobs, April, 2010

57. So, yes. But here is the thing...

58. “If you just make an HTML-
Document and you put it on the
Web it’s already responsive.”
--Jeremy Keith

59. “The Web is responsive by
default.”
--Andy Hume

60. Why do we screw it up then?

61. Because we’re stupid?

62. Because branding matters?

63. Because we are too excited about
our new opportunities?

64. Because we have not adapted to
the new environment yet?

65. How do we not screw things up?

66. “You have structure, you have
presentation, you have
behavior.”
--Jeremy Keith

67. HTML - Structure
CSS - Presentation
Java-Script - Behavior

68. “Use progressive enhancement
at every level of the stack.”
--Jeremy Keith

71. LOOKING FORWARD

72. 1. No other Technology evolves
as fast as the Web.
...HTML, CSS are work in progress.

77. 2. Apps are definitely not the
future of Web design.
...better apps are the future of apps.

79. 3. Web Design is 95% Typography.
...if the future of Web Design is responsive,
then the future of typography should be
responsive as well. But that’s just me.

81. CONCLUSION.

128. THANK YOU.