A Brief History of Trends in Web Design
The most basic of websites are composed with an HTML structure. Around 1990 the World Wide Web made its debut with websites that consisted of headlines and simple paragraphs of text.
In the mid 1990s, table-based structures were introduced and allowed users to compile information into organized boxes. At this point, developers had more control of the positioning of information.
Warner Bros’ Space Jam website, a 1996 masterpiece, is an example of position of images and links using <table> structures.
To give you a better visual representation of the use of table designs, here is the Space Jam website with the table grid using the Pesticide Chrome extension.
It wasn’t until the late 90s, the introduction of CSS, that developers could separate style from content. CSS allowed for the ability to style multiple elements at the same time. Ease and convenience gave way to a focus on the presentation of a website, rather than solely on content.
With better control over styles, websites began taking on design trends. Some of the most popular trends in the mid 2000s included 3-dimensional designs. Websites often included buttons with rounded corners and gradients to create a “glossy” 3D effect.
Over the last ten years, the 3D trends dissipated and went in the opposite direction. Some popular modern designs include flat icons as seen in the google homepage.
Other modern design trends include video background headers:
Modular layouts and flat designs:
Minimalistic designs:
Brutalist website designs. Brutalism is derived from the French phrase “brut” which translates to “raw” in English. Ironically enough, this modern trend often features very basic designs that give the appearance of a simple HTML structure with minimum styling efforts, reminiscent of the early 1990s website structures.
brutalistwebsite.com offers an explanation of Brutalism in web design
Brutalist Websites
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In its ruggedness and lack of concern to look comfortable or easy, Brutalism can be seen as a reaction by a younger generation to the lightness, optimism, and frivolity of today’s webdesign.
The aesthetic design of websites has developed over the last 28 years, originally limited by the capabilities of HTML structures.
Some modern web development limitations are mostly due in part to browser compatability, but I look forward to the day when the only limitation in design is the creativity of the developer.
