Introduction : Circular structure of web design market (A starting point(simply) + Main research question + sub questions)
My enjoyment in making web pages has been navigating my career in web design practice. But I do admit that most of my future tasks will be occupied by commercial agenda, not merely playing with all the hand-crafted webpages, which I love. This speculation has made me observe current mainstream websites with sharp eyes, and I've found that my desire in making quirky and fun websites will conflict with the market structure in many ways.
Meaning it's pretty obvious that most major web pages have certain types of features in common. For example, the shapes of most icons and the locations of banners, menu bar seem quite similar, as well as the user navigation system.
I am not completely denying the implicit rules, claiming that there needs a total subversion/revolution on the web design context. But still, this repetition of the sameness is worthwhile to be questioned even for balancing my stance as a web designer.
Thus I'd like to explore why do most websites look identical today, where it has come from, and how I will be balancing my stance as a web designer.
Sub-questions are below:
If there are pervasive agendas/mechanisms in the web design industry, what are they? (e.g. Mobile-first approach, Frameworks, Flat-aesthetic, and so on?)
In which sense are these indispensable in the industry?
How do the agenda/mechanisms influence the creativity of designers and developers?
What can frameworks made by non-professionals speak to the web design industry?
Thus, this thesis will be a documentation of my journey in the circular structure of the web design market, and missions many designers confront.
1. Uniformity : ?
??Showcasing some personal or amateuritic web works (including mine). In which way Aesthetic and Tools
What are conditions of well-made website? = Contemporary standards of commercial websites (aesthetics, functions) (Ask to designers and developers)
A gap of mechanism between amatueristic personal webpage and professional ones. (in terms of referencing frameworks, procedure of making design elements…) In which ways are they similar and different?
2. Investigation about the 'mobile-first' agenda
The history of responsive design
Co-relation between The Flat design (movement) and the responsive design agenda (Positive and Negative examples)
??How can artistic attitudes such as Brutalism be applied/experimented to the mobile first agenda? Any case studies?
How has this motto been influence to the ecology of the general web design industry? (Balancing creativity and efficiency)
Adaptive design? Vs Responsive design? What are examples of webpages made by the adaptive design agenda?
3. Tools: How do developers (+designers) embody the given web design?
The history of open source for Css and Javascript libraries, mostly developed by mega tech companies
In which way and how often do designers and developers depend on the frameworks? (How are the scale of companies they work for? The mission?)
Are you the one who doesn’t necessarily rely on the framework all the time? How have you studied till reaching the pure capacity of coding? And how does this influence your work?
??Experiment: Me trying both pure coding and extracting code from the frameworks, aiming for one design sketch. How do I feel, experiencing both? Compare the two different mechanisms?
4. Conclusion
Reproduced economy (Ecology of the market)
So how all the research can help me?
The importance of not losing the passion about the existing of diverse personal web sites.
