Why Content Is King In Good Web Design

A: Content IS Your Design

Content doesn’t just tell us what your website is about, it is central to its design. That’s why the correct starting point for web designers is your content. Only with a good appreciation of your message first will your company or firm design truly deliver. The actual website design part of the puzzle is deceptively straight forward. If you look at some of the most popular sites, it’s the configuration and stylistic touches to the content, be it text or images, which actually creates the web design.

They say simple is good. I like looking at Apple’s site as a great example. Who would not want to be as slick and modern as Apple? Yet if you take away the computer monitor, logo, the four images and the text, you have two empty rectangular bars and four empty boxes. That’s their design — six boxes. Fine…shaded boxes.

The key is to understand that web design layout and background images are only the container. If you have marbles for content, don’t use a bookshelf for a container. Treatment of text and stylistic touches to images and incorporated graphics are your real web design. These touches make the difference between a polished professional look and a dull amateur attempt. All the web search engine marketing on the Internet won’t make up for this.

This holds true for just about any website unless you’re say MTV. They do have a very graphic heavy web page design but then again if you take away their content, you’re left essentially with a very cool looking Twitter background. OMG, the Yahoo what’s happening in Hollywood gossip site, is plain once you remove the fancy photos, glossy nav buttons and bright orange background (and get over how much Michael Jackson’s glove sold for…). In fact, it disappears if you do that.

When you are next ready for a true solutions design for your web pages, start with your content first. Get your message together, tell it quickly on your home page and design your content. From their your professional web design will emerge..