Web design style: basic design
Posted on Wed Jul 07, 2010, 10:42 am in design commentary by Siasan.Tags: basic design style, design theory, web design
119 Comments
General description
The ‘basic’ style of web design is very simple, usually using table-based layout and default fonts. Sites using this style rely on their content to attract attention. They are often completely hand-coded and while their interface is simplistic the underlying programming can be quite complex.
The current trend is for the layout to be fixed, but in the past fluid and full-screen layouts were common.
Important features
- fast loading
- displays consistently in all browsers
- CSS is usually a minor part of the style
- table-based layout
- usually uses solid colour rather than images as backgrounds
When it was fashionable
This style was never really fashionable except in the sense of ‘I’ve got a super cool website with an interface that looks nicer than plain text’. It was in widespread use from the beginning of the graphical web until the advent of Internet Explorer 7.
What inspires the style
“Basic’ style is usually used by coders rather than designers. It emphasises function rather than form. The style is driven by the shape of the content it has to hold and colour, font and layout choices are a secondary – often last-minute – consideration.
How the style has changed over time
‘Basic’ evolved partly from and partly in parallel to the ‘Geocities’ style. At first the two styles were distinguished by ‘basic’ being much simpler and lacking the ‘Geocities’ animated GIFs. However, the stability and simplicity of ‘basic meant it survived much longer and is still in use today.
Although table-based layouts have been used for almost every style of website, the ‘Basic’ style has changed very little since the early days of web design. The main changes have been to the underlying technology such as server-side scripting and database interaction. There have been a few technology-driven changes such as adaptation to a larger colour palette and larger screen sizes.
How technology has caused the style to change
The major change to ‘basic’ style has been caused by the increasing size of monitors. The need to accommodate screen widths from 800 to 1920 and even larger has forced layouts to become fixed width.
The increased palette of colours that can be displayed on a typical monitor has also influenced the style, giving designers more flexibility in customising their sites.
The development of web standards and other technology like CSS has not yet had a big impact on table-based design in general and ‘basic’ web design in particular. Many people see tables as easier to use and WYSIWYG programs such as FrontPage and Dreamweaver make the process even simpler.
Example URLs and screen shots
Digital Blasphemy
Spend a bit of time browsing this site and you’ll probably agree that it’s a perfect example of contemporary ‘basic’ design. Actually, after about ten seconds you’ll probably forget that you were there to look at the design. Ryan Bliss’ art is just that good.
http://www.metalprotect.com.au/
Metal Protection
This site, on the other hand, is a much more typical example of the style. A look at the markup indicates that it was developed in Microsoft Word. It’s a table-based full screen layout, with a header image 1280px wide.
Links
http://www.andybudd.com/archives/2004/05/an_objective_look_at_table_based_vs_css_based_design/ – an examination of the differences between tables and CSS for layout. Fairly old now, but still valid.
http://www.decloak.com/dev/csstables/css_tables_01.aspx – another look at CSS vs tables, but not objective in the slightest (strongly in favour of tables). An interesting read anyway, though.
http://www.vanseodesign.com/css/css-layout-or-table-layout/ – An older article, but one that raises many valid points. This time the author is in favour of CSS.
http://www.vanseodesign.com/css/css-divs-vs-tables/ – a more recent look at CSS vs tables by the same author. A much more recent article.
July 7th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Just thought I’d point you to a more recent article of mine on the subject. CSS vs Tables: The Debate That Won’t Die. Hope it’s ok to link to it here. The article you pointed to is about 4 years old. The one I just linked to is from last fall and I think it’s a more objective view of the subject, though my overall opinion hasn’t changed and I still strongly favor css.
July 7th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Thanks Steven. I’ve updated the post to include a link to your more recent article.
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