Web Layout and Design: The Way Forward

Should I put a disclaimer first that I am no expert in this field with no credo or experience. However I do have a passion for design, and believe that a visual decoration is as important as the research and words that go into content on the web. And hence this post.

Create a complete reading experience

Let’s first watch this video, and it is very important that we do, because the entire post would make no sense otherwise.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4394152[/vimeo]

Okay, asking to watch a video on a weekday is perhaps too much. The video basically is an idea by Jason Santa Maria on how web design should follow print in terms of creating a complete experience for the visitor.

Essentially Jason’s idea of web design is to put it to use as a craft like how traditional page makers do. Designing page layout in a print magazine is a specialized job and is very much a creative abode. Jason believes that this can be replicated on the web (and his website is a wonderful example of the same). That every piece of content that goes on a website can be crafted and displayed in its own unique layout and thus give the visitor a complete experience.

But the Problem is

You know as nice (and exciting) as the thought sounds the idea has its share of problems.

1. First of all the web unlike a magazine doesn’t attract readers as much as scanners. While a environ setting page layout is a grand idea, people might simply want to catch the essence of the article and move on to another.
2. Secondly, implementing this across platforms in an age where content is consumed on a variety of devices across the globe is a very hard job. A piece on NY Times might be read in a Kindle, an iPhone, a 22 inch imac, a 12 inch netbook, or a 15inch CRT at the same time by various people across the world, and not all will have uniform connection speeds. This is a major hurdle the idea has to cross.
3. Third of course is the business sense of things. At a time when most publishers (online and off it) are grappling with monetization and cost cutting, adding the weight of specialized page designers wouldn’t be the best option. On the other hand, crafting unique designs to suit the content would also mean slowing down publishing speed, meaning lesser articles a day, meaning lesser page views. Again, advertisements would seem an eyesore on such pages.

Look at the Silver Lining

Having said that, there is the proverbial silver lining to all these problems. Imagine every article designed just like it is in print, a new eco system of job will be created to cater to the need for web designers. On the other hand, it can also turn out to be an opportunity for traditional designers as well. Suddenly their standing is more viable online and can work with web designers.

Web becomes a richer media and can ask for better purchase from advertisers, in fact it will have an immediate impact on advertising creatives as well that we see online.

Why would an advertiser invest in better creatives? Because a beautiful web experience can improve visitor loyalty, to see what’s new and to experience the consumption beyond feed readers. It might increase sharing of content (Oatmeal anyone?)

CMS Will Lead the Light

What these opportunities suggest is that CMS and powerful ones at that. One that provides the scale for people to experiment without having to start from scratch all the time. Not the perfect examples but wp multi column and pull quote plugins on Worpdress (which is more a blog platform than a CMS still) is an example of how this can move forward.

And this is a big opportunity for a lot CMS players in the market and perhaps even for new ones.

The initiative will have to come from smaller publishers because large ones are perhaps not in a position to take this risk. It will have an impact on their monetization, processes, etc. However they will follow suit when the long tail provides the way forward. Also the time and resources spent would directly contribute to a publishers value and brand perception thereby adding a premium to it and help grow the website faster.

What’s your take on this, a feasible idea or a designer’s fantasy this?