Hi John, >Many standards websites have subtle gradients in backgrounds -- is this >because designers are confident in using PNG files which do gradients better >for smaller file sizes?
My opinion is that gradients and textures are introduced to recreate the textures of real world surfaces not otherwise available to a projected light display. As an example, A List Apart's new design [1] harks back to Victorian woodcut typographic elements which lends the page 'warmth'. >So, is the technology dictating the look, or are all these things just >accidents of history because some major relaunch like the >stopdesign/AdaptivePath redesign of Blogger looked that way? Perhaps an awareness of standards (as suggested by Russ in his expanded web standards checklist [2]) begets an awareness of accessibility and the impact of presentation on accessibility (read text-legibility in this instance). If this is the case, then form is likely to follow function. Type *not* set at 9 pixels, less incidence of type-as-image and establishing a 'style guide' (focus on content) rather than 'poster' (focus on image) suggest that the designer is more aware of end-use. When seen on mass it is likely that similar 'solutions' will be found to the same design 'problems'. As noted by Ted, the pioneers in the field of web standards have set a visual tone that those new to the field may either learn from or aspire to recreate. In particular blogs have rapidly changed the overall tone of the web both at a visual and functional level. In some ways the default templates for blogging software have set an expectation that webpages should be fixed-width and centered to the screen (not an opinion that I share). For a non-web equivalent some clients now believe that a logo is only a logo when it: -has a shadow -is 3D -or is inset or embossed If a 'web standard look' is the look that is associated with the websites that are relevant (i.e. contemporary/topical) then design agencies may 'borrow' this aesthetic to be seen as contemporary. The 'web standards look' also has much in common with the new interfaces to the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. The dark to light gradient of the OS X icons being an obvious reference. Again this can be seen as drawing on a familiar paradigm to minimise potential barriers between the user and content. [1] A List Apart < http://www.alistapart.com > [2] Web standards checklist < http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/checklist.cfm > Cheers, -- Andy Kirkwood | Creative Director Motive | web.design.integrity http://www.motive.co.nz ph: (04) 3 800 800 fx: (04) 970 9693 mob: 021 369 693 93 Rintoul St, Newtown PO Box 7150, Wellington South, New Zealand ****************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ******************************************************
