A Dao of Web Design Response

I found the idea of the not worrying about the look of the web page, but rather the design itself to be interesting. And how the focus should be on what the web page does and, how accessible it is to the user. I agree with the notion that web designers should strive for adaptability when creating their page, or any form of medium. If you create something, it should be your main goal to make it available to all users no matter the device they use. I advocate for designers to take control of their work do what they feel is right, but as long as it becomes accessible. What the point of creation if no one can witness it and enjoy with you?    

The Dao of Web Design - Anthony Cavuoto

This article is poignant because it shows how obsessed with control some developers are. They spend more time trying to make things "user friendly" or "flush" that they lose sight of what the users are looking for. Designs lose their creativity and originality when they are restricted and unable to experiment. This article highlights this problem very well and I'm glad I read it.

"Dao of Web Design" Response

Not only did this article give an interesting perspective on how to look at the design factor of a web page, but I think it made it easier to understand by using Daoism as guidelines for how to approach the creative process of design and break away from the trends that are normally associated with old fashioned printmaking. I also found it interesting how John Allsopp believes that what most people see as "limitations" of the web are actually strengths that we can utilize for a better overall design, such as sizing of a page or choosing the best fonts for text. I strongly agree with the idea that "adaptability is accessibility" because I've had experiences of my own surfing the web and some pages were not scaled properly because, as it says in the article, it was meant for one specific device. Allsopp sums up this idea when he states "The journey begins by letting go of control, and becoming flexible." We cannot assume we have total control over the elements of a webpage because in the end, formats are different across all devices.

tweaked web page

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4-W3O1-lRPfdEtaU3B4cVAyWFE

Response: A Dao of Web Design

What I find incredibly interesting about this article is its relevance to current web development. The author highlights that there must be a transition from paper design to web design, and that this transition speaks specifically in regards to its ability to adapt. Unlike paper design, which forces the designer to produce one single, homologous product, web design allows the designer to  “make pages which are accessible, regardless of the browser, platform or screen that your reader chooses or must use to access your pages.” Correspondingly, “Let your design flow from the services which they will provide to your users, rather than from some overarching idea of what you want pages to look like” and, “let form follow function, rather than trying to take a particular design and make it “work.” The relevance to today lies in that continuing adaptation to new platforms and softwares. In 2000, the year in which this article was written, the only major platforms were Macintosh and Windows, and perhaps Linux.  Today, there are quite literally thousands of different devices we can view the web on, turning the standard computer format to a minority. Thus, web designers must continue to make their creations about accessibility to all platforms, and make that the design.

My tweaked pages, chicken + icons, etc.

My tweaked pages

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0yUhWsNeB36RUVPQktvdWZHR0E

Kamzik Dao of Web Design

I found the "Dao of Web Design" to be an interesting and informative article. I liked the way the author broached the idea of how to approach web page design, likening it to 'practiced and handed down ritual.' Even I can see the folly of blindly following traditional methods that work for an older medium. Television is not radio and webpages are not book pages; there exists a great deal more versatility to be had in designing a web page. Each webpage can be (and should be) created as almost a living (or at least responding) organism. In this way, the page adapts to the reader, rather than the traditional method of the reader having to adapt to the page. I cant tell you how many menus I have been handed in my life because the person I was dining with could not read the print. To use techniques implemented in an outmoded medium is senseless and takes away from your final product. Why use an advanced platform to serve new media if you serve it in the same old way?
     Furthermore, changing the way in which one approaches a design can be revolutionary, rather than stagnant and boring. By viewing web pages as an entirely new platform to serve up written media (which it is, and is also not limited to written media alone) one can find a new way to design around said medium. This can lead to wonderful and important changes! In this respect, there is virtue to breaking the traditional mold.
     I see a lot of this traditional "ritual" approach carried over in the media we consume today; particularly (and tiredly) in modern cinema. So many writers and directors use the same old "tried and true" yet BORING approach to storytelling that their work has become predictable and dry. I see this most in the genre of horror. This being one of my favorite genres, it saddens me to see the same old formulaic plots play out with different actors. Even the antagonists are recycled to the point of nausea. But I digress.
     Although I agree with the authors point that web pages can have life breathed into them and can become far more interactive and adaptable, I think a word of caution is necessary before proceeding. No web page should sacrifice adaptability and liveliness for ease of access and usability. We saw this happen in the early 2000's and late 90's when Javascript was all the rage. We saw more webpages loaded down with bells and whistles than ever before, but the content of the pages was difficult to see and the pages were difficult to navigate. Although it was a whole mess of fun having a chain of colored balls follow my cursor everywhere it went, it didn't add much to the value of the  page. This is why it is important to calibrate and choose a medium path between elegance and navigability. I think that the WEB at this time has come to a fair settling point between these two poles, depending of course, on the designer.