So.....what's next?

[EVPohovich]

Here we are smack in the middle of the Web 2.0 website design phase and the Neo-minimalist design phase (spurred on by Web 2.0) of print media. So, what is next? Do you think we will follow history and go onto another ornate stage.....or will we just go nuts and have an ultra grunge stage?

Thoughts...? If site design were to change, and you were to lead the way, where would it go? Or... Are you happy with the current state of design? And why?

Let's hear it...

[Jujumon]

whatever apple is doing...

but seriously i think it would be more of traditional arts fused with web tech design. like water color style, charcoal, oil paints, sort of traditional textures but done by PS, iLL, and 3D programs

in the long run there could also be more darker tones, busier stuffs to the site. more 3d enviornment within the site. some clever use of video that can integrate with the site.

Edit: i think minimalism will start to fade out as technology advances and designers will be able to do more things that they couldnt do before.

i wonder when will the shiny glossy buttons will fade out though, will they ever.

[WannaBe_80z]

I agree I see a lot of traditional art coming onto the web. A lot of articles on watercolor and paper textures being used along side the dark grunge look. I am really liking the recent styles I have been seeing pop up.

[jAQUAN]

As Web2.0's light weight modularity influenced print, I think we can look forward to the ultra minimalist UI design being dictated by today's mobile devices. Even though today's design are considered flat, we'll probably still look back and say they were too ornate just as we consider Elizabethan era pieces too detailed now.

Still, part of me wants a resurgence of the 80's hyper color mixed with weathered yet orderly grunge and modern realism. A real dominant cyber-punk. Web UI's never really caught up with the video game UI's that inspired them and lately I've made more of an effort to build game worthy UI's. (Not that a lot of game UI's don't suck but that's a different discussion)

We can probably learn a lot more from the history of industrial design than commercial design. UI and industrial design share similar limitations from technology. The organics and quality of your household items have increased dramatically as new polymers and molding methods have emerged. When the UI design tools catch up to the capabilities I can see a total departure from the liquid grid. Of course we'll have to sift through next generations blink tags, mouse trails and site intros before we find ourselves comfortable again.

[gerbick]

SEO + Contextual Web + better delivery and embedding of fonts and a return to content driving functionality since that ensures your site/stuff/commentary is found better.

Social Media... circling the drain imho.

[hanratty21]

^ ^ ^
Agreed. Portable design which will translate from medium to medium without a loss of content or look/feel.


and more rotating gifs and sparkly fonts.

[creativeinsomnia]

^ ^ ^
Agreed.

Gone, should be the days of building a site for every mobile device or browser.

I wish I had the key to tapping into making money from the social scene...whoever figures that out, makes bank...then everybody follows.

twitter.com/pepsi or the coke facebook fan page are not the answers.

[WannaBe_80z]

I can't wait till Twitter dies. I hate it. Am I the only one who doesn't get the point?

[lefteyewilly]

Gerbs is on the right track...i honestly wish there were better ways to make everything look more magazine/artsy and dynamic at the same time. All while keeping loading times to a minimum.

I'd like to see more companies being more pro active in giving better product tours rather than static images on a page...we've been promised this for years, and either budgets or time don't allow. There's a reason why youtube exists, but very few businesses have the balls to do video.

[FlashLackey]

A lot of money is being thrown at social media apps, etc. When Facebook gets micro-transactions working, it could get interesting.

I think that where sites/apps are displayed and used is going to change more than design. Design will just get more and more all over the place like music, imo. I'm not sure that there really is a cohesive movement in design any more as much as there is just the gray average of a wide assortment of design directions.

[hanratty21]

I think the effort and money being thrown at the social effort is purely driven by the numbers in the userbase. Once the next incarnation of LinkedIn, mySpace, FB, Friendster, etc. comes along, the sheep will follow there too. Facebook, in and of itself, is not a revenue driven app. The vast number of users is the pot of gold there. Without the users, it just fades away.

I could be completely off base here, but eventually, when the free-ness factor of being an account holder on FB goes away (yes when...not if...this thing NEEDS to be monetized now that they are getting huge amounts of money influx) the active userbase will too. Anyone else remember the uproar when they changed their EULA last year, or when they decided to send ads to ppl based upon their preferences and 'friend' recommendations?

Making data and content portable and having it 'follow' you is the next stop on the train, in my opinion, but the experience has to be the same in every locale.

[Frets]

Still, part of me wants a resurgence of the 80's hyper color mixed with weathered yet orderly grunge and modern realism. A real dominant cyber-punk. Web UI's never really caught up with the video game UI's that inspired them and lately I've made more of an effort to build game worthy UI's. (Not that a lot of game UI's don't suck but that's a different discussion).

More power to you.


Our tech looking templates have never sold as well as our earth tone ones. The market defines where form meets function not the marketer.

If your pitching to a client there are plenty of references to any idea you want to go and you can justify any direction with "Web 3.0"

We're seeing the emergence of a retro movement, people don't like corporate sites that take themselves too seriously they are looking for camp as well as advanced backend integration. We've found that nothing says camp like flaming gif torches and dancing babies

[FlashLackey]

I think the effort and money being thrown at the social effort is purely driven by the numbers in the userbase. Once the next incarnation of LinkedIn, mySpace, FB, Friendster, etc. comes along, the sheep will follow there too. Facebook, in and of itself, is not a revenue driven app. The vast number of users is the pot of gold there. Without the users, it just fades away.

I could be completely off base here, but eventually, when the free-ness factor of being an account holder on FB goes away (yes when...not if...this thing NEEDS to be monetized now that they are getting huge amounts of money influx) the active userbase will too. Anyone else remember the uproar when they changed their EULA last year, or when they decided to send ads to ppl based upon their preferences and 'friend' recommendations?

Making data and content portable and having it 'follow' you is the next stop on the train, in my opinion, but the experience has to be the same in every locale.

All good points. Facebook is under a lot of pressure to monetize and it is all about user counts. But, even without cash income, at least for now, they aren't hurting for lack of funding or value. They're well leveraged to be in control of whatever "next" social phenomenon is going to be. If something else starts to take off, they'll probably just buy it.

Also, one of the ways they might monetize, without damaging the "freeness factor" is with micro-transactions. If they can establish themselves as a trusted forum to purchase products through, it will be a gold-rush for vendors and Facebook.

[hanratty21]

...they aren't hurting for lack of funding or value...

I agree with you on funding. VC's and various others are lining up to give cash to that little punk. I think they are hurting for value though. Until they can actually monetize without alienating it's userbase to the point that it dwindles, it's just a holding pattern. All of the money that's come in so far has guessed on company value - that won't last forever.

[Jujumon]

i wish web 2.1 would drop the term "web sensation" so any site with that term would be unrecognizable.

[hanratty21]

Is it me? I've never heard that term...

*edit*

Ahhh - just googled...now I get it.

[Jujumon]

edit: ..........wait a minute

[cancerinform]

Just an idea: iPhone/computer real life games, where you can follow movement of others on your iPhone/computer and decide to what will be your next move. As an example something like a modern hide and find game. You can combine that with video and devices to do something when you actually find the person. Can be played over long distances. The current problem is that everything is static like sending a message and waiting until a message comes back.

[FlashLackey]

Facebook + Xbox

[EVPohovich]

I have a facebook widget that read off of my Xbox Live account automatically. That sounds almost the same…