ExampleFX

Web Design in a Nutshell

When we talk about "web design," we're talking about a broad concept that applies mostly to the way a website looks and acts. Web design typically refers to the practice of creating or updating the way a website appears to someone who visits it, whether those are very small changes or large updates that affect the entire site.

Also, web design is about combining individual elements of a website into one unified look and feel. A web designer usually creates multiple components—like a homepage, menu or navigation, header and footer, and so on— that work together to form the sites you look at, browse, and read for information. So the process of web design involves not only coming up with an overall "theme," colors to use, and so on, but also defining the individual elements that will be combined to form a fully functional website.

It's About More Than Design

Of course, the way a website looks is only one piece of the design puzzle. When we say "design," you may think of someone using a program like Photoshop or a graphic editing tool to put together images. But web design also involves not only the code that makes your website look the way it does, but also the structure that determines how it is all put together.

A web designer may not only be responsible for deciding how a website is going to look, but also creating the code that brings their vision to life. Designers may use languages like HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript, and other methods to make a site they have designed look or function a certain way.

Additionally, the way your website is structured is a crucial part of its design. A site has to be organized in such a way that visitors can navigate it and find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently. As such, web designers may spend time constructing menus or navigational options to accomplish this. They may also work with a user experience (UX) expert who can provide guidance on where elements should go for best results.

What Web Design Isn't

By now, we've probably answered your question of "what is web design?" But it's also important to know what web design isn't, because you may assume that you can contact a designer or design agency for a particular project, only to find it's a better fit for someone else.

Although the lines between web design and web development can sometimes get blurry, projects that involve a high level of programming to make a website do something special may be considered a development project. For example, a custom map or design tool would be considered a development project, and a web developer would handle this.

Web designers also don't often create content that goes beyond visual elements. So if you are looking for someone to create a video for you, or write content for your website, this would more than likely be outside of their job duties.

Having said that, most web design agencies (ours included!) have a full team designed to handle all of your needs, so don't hesitate to ask for help with a special project! Even if what you want to accomplish falls outside of the realm of web design, they can probably lend you a hand.