Reflections on 20 Years of Web Design

When we launched Creative Media in 2000, we knew digital was going to change the world. However, as I reflect twenty years later, it’s clear that we had no idea how all-encompassing that change would really be.

When Creative Media launched in May of that year, the digital landscape was a radically different - albeit exciting - place. Whilst Apple had launched its now-iconic iBook and the International Space Station welcomed its first astronauts; the vast majority of communication was driven by telephone calls and face-to-face meetings, with most of our information found in newspapers, libraries and books.

Design: More Than Just a ‘Look’

It was an exciting time for digital, and many companies who invested in online growth at the right time continue to innovate today. Amazon and other ‘digital native’ companies have gone on to dominate the web, with traditional brands like Argos and The Yellow Pages surviving into the new age by re-adapting their businesses. Today, it's no longer good enough to offer a basic, clunky website. Rather, your website should act as a living, working extension of your business, ready to give your customer what they need at any time of day.

Web design allows this aspiration to become a reality, and as an industry it has grown far beyond our earliest predictions in 2000. Indeed, a feature published in January by The Web Designer Group highlights that the UK has the second largest design sector in the world and the largest design industry in Europe. Growing consistently year-on-year, design is projected to reach a whopping global market value of nearly $249.5 billion by 2020 (according to research findings shared by The Business Research Company).

Lessons to Keep in Mind

Two decades of online growth have taught us a thing or two about web design and digital success. I’ve highlighted some bits of advice below which have inspired our own approaches over the past 20 years:

●     Design for all: There is a mistaken belief that beautiful, functioning web design is reserved only for household brands and those with massive marketing budgets. Whilst no good artistry comes ‘cheap’, the truth is that the industry’s meteoric growth has created a huge pool of talent and creative tools that make rewarding design a possibility for all businesses, big and small. To deny yourself design is to deny yourself growth.

●     Be viewable: Beautiful design is created to be experienced and enjoyed. However, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has emerged over recent years as the key decision-maker around where your website will appear on search engine results, and therefore how many people - if any - will see your website. Today’s leading designers will include a number of functions and digital assets within a website’s design to ensure it reaches the right audiences for the right search terms. To succeed online, design must be visible, reachable and user-friendly.

●     Time is of the essence: In today’s busy world, time is an extremely valuable commodity. Frustrated customers leaving your website are known as ‘bounce-backs’, and offering them a clunky interface with long loading times will push your bounce-back rate through the roof. The best web design will consider loading times at each stage of the process. At Creative Media, we’ve found that the simplest of design tweaks can transform bounceback rates and drive more customers all the way to checkout.

●     Customers expect more: It’s no longer the year 2000, and today’s consumers expect much more from your website. Rather than being a basic online brochure, your website should act as an extension, or even replacement of your brick-and-mortar shop. This means offering them amazing customer service in a totally different format, including instant messaging options and chatbots. This also means opening up your site to e-Commerce, and platforms like Shopify can be a great place to start.

●     Traditional still matters: Whilst today’s marketplace is overwhelmingly digital, there will always be a very important place for traditional means of marketing; including print, digital, television/radio and more. Maintaining physical presences in our streets, our publications and our airwaves should still form vital elements of your marketing mix, no matter how sleek your website.

Our most important piece of advice is to constantly reflect on your digital presence, even if your website is relatively young. This is because many websites continue to offer user experiences that repel customers as opposed to attracting them. How many times have you been frustrated by a poor website?

We said it in 2000 and we’ll say it again: awesome design is the key!

To discuss your business, your website and your future design project get in touch with me on +44(0)28 8225 5720 or [email protected]