Web Design Done Well
A lot of website design talk issues itself with what goes on around content. Page speed, style systems, seo, structures, accessibility-- the list continues. This gives us at Smashing Magazine plenty to blog about, which is fantastic, though it's worth advising ourselves what it's all in service of.
In this 3rd edition of our Web Design Done Well series, we're honing in on the beating heart of many sites: material. More specifically, editorial material. The Web has offered storytellers an extraordinary selection of tools to work with, and as a periodic semi-competent reporter myself, I like a good scoop.
What follows are examples of web technologies being woven in with editorial material to take it to the next level. We'll then close with wider suggestions on thinking artistically about digital material. Even now, overwhelmed by the material production line, the good things still shines through.
We reside in a mobile-first world. There is no point in being precious about this. Yes, publication spreads have a specific class about them. Yes, a desktop view offers you a bigger canvas to work with. The reality is the majority of people will be viewing what you release on a mobile phone, so lean into it. For a comparable approach, these 'tap stories' by The New York Times and Input are likewise excellent. For those thinking about further reading on mobile-centric editorial, The Story by legendary newspaper designer Mario Garcia is heartily suggested.
The New York Times Shows Rather Than Tells #
For all the awful things the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, it has actually at least resulted in some breathtakingly great reporting. This interactive New York Times piece explains how face masks work by taking readers to particle level. You can see how fibers capture particles, and why different masks have different levels of effectiveness. Any fool can make complicated topics tough to comprehend, however making them simple to understand? That's an art type all of its own.
There are a lot of aspects at play here. Graphics, color, animation-- there's even an increased truth experience if that drifts your boat. What might so quickly have been a dry, stuffy subject is brought to life. And most importantly of all, it's vital details. Stuff like this is why Gabriel Gianordoli was voted World's Best Designer at the 2020 Society for News Design awards. Smashing.
The Washington Post Visualises Exponential Spread #
The pandemic has actually also required information visualization to the front pages of publications all over the world. This article on exponential spreading from March 2020 (keep in mind that?) does an incredible task of picturing how and why certain viruses become genuine big problems genuine fast. From full-blown simulations to little inline sparkline charts, this is editorial that maximizes its digital setting.
What I especially like about this one is that it never ever feels gratuitous. Every visual improves the story, to the point where you practically sympathize with anybody having to explain the same principles with words alone. It being offered in more than a dozen languages at the click of a button is another fantastic touch-- a suggestion that the Web is in reality borderless. I can just envision how many individuals worldwide this post has assisted.
The Marshall Project Mixes Media #
Here The Marshall Project provides compelling journalism about the US criminal justice system with the elegance and bittersweet beauty of a kids's storybook. In "The Zo", innovative writing, striking illustration, enchanting narration, and an essential story combine. This is multimedia editorial in full circulation.
They say that songs can take a number of types. The very same is true of editorial material online. What you see above was motivated by a 96-page scholastic paper. That it could discover a brand-new audience as an animated series online, then be nominated for not one however 2 Emmys, is testimony to the transformative powers of the web.
SBS's Interactive Graphic Novel Is No Novelty #
Mentioning the transformative powers of the web, how about an interactive story. We're all acquainted with film adaptations, radio play adaptations, miniseries adjustments, and so on. Why not websites adjustments? That's simply what Australian broadcaster SBS set out to do with The Boat, an interactive retelling of a short story in Nam Le's book of the exact same name.
The page's opening sequence pulls you right in, its words tilting and toppling with the waves as you read, with the noises of thunder and rain filling your senses to the brim. As the story settles, Matt Huynh's illustrations drift by like memories. It's a remarkably brilliant experience, stunning in its own right in addition to a savvy way to bring literature to more youthful generations.
The Pudding Monkeys Around #
I wish I 'd discover this in time for the sound edition of this inspiring sites series. No matter, it's here now. In a really superb display of digital editorial, The Pudding does not so much explain the Infinite Monkey Theorem as live it through music. Do not know what the Monkey Theorem is? Well, what are you waiting on, the page will do a considerably better task of describing than I could. I'll wait.
By utilizing interactive four-note examples, the post includes the reader while also making the concept easy to understand. As a final, wonderful touch, the page is itself a live, continuous experiment, arbitrarily working its way through increasingly complicated tunes. You can expect it to get "Seven Nation Army" right in about 19 years. One questions whether a monkey typing at a keyboard for long enough could produce the perfect JavaScript framework. Hope springs eternal.
A List Apart: A Class Apart #
For all the talk of information visualization, music, augmented truth, and other trendy tools, there's a lot to be stated for getting the basic. Pages don't need to be the web equivalent of the Vegas Strip to be eye-catching. A list Apart reveals that better than a lot of. Its technique to material will always hold a place in my heart. Title, illustration, copy, blue links. Stunning.
What I now understand was an unsettlingly very long time earlier, I wrote about the 2 branches of 'brutalist' website design. The essence of what I said was that one technique is loud and brash, the other resolutely practical. A List Apart shows the charm of the latter done. The multimedia toolkit is a fantastic possession to have, but even now there are times when just words will do.
Thinking Creatively About Content #
For much better or even worse, the web is absolutely awash with content. A lot of it is fantastic, a lot of it is not. A great deal of the talk around it has the cold, computing cadence you 'd quicker get out of industrialists speaking about assembly lines. The examples shared above hopefully talk to the worth of resisting the urge to churn things out, but let's be real: most websites do not have the resources of, say, The Washington Post.
Nevertheless, there are ways to think creatively about content at all levels, from personal blog sites to worldwide publications. Here are a few of them:
Concern your default approach.
We are creatures of habit, including in how we inform our stories. Take the time early on to go back and ask, How could I do this in a different way? Possibly a picture essay would be more prudent than a short article. Maybe a heat map is better than a table. Specialization is essential of course, however do not let it blind you to other, often complementary ways of doing things.
Use complimentary resources.
One of the excellent gifts of the web is just how much fantastic complimentary things there is. Like, really totally free, on function. From photography to graphic design to information visualization tools to audio editing software, the resources you need to transform your material are just a click away. Our giveaways tag is a great place to start.
Provide material https://247creative.com.au/ numerous forms.
As The Marshall Project showed especially well with "The Zo", stories can discover new audiences when they take different shapes. Wrote an article? Great, why not tape an audio variation? Produced a data-driven report? Pretty cool, though is it as cool as it might be if you started plugging those numbers into D3? Only one method to learn.
Experiment.
The examples here are the cream of the crop, however it's worth mentioning there is a remarkable amount to be gotten from trying new ideas and welcoming the periodic failure that brings. Version is crucial to the creative process. If you attempt something and it does not work, great, no matter. It's the only method to get to what does work.
There is no one-size-fits-all method to material, however appreciating the story is necessary. Web innovations are extra, not the main occasion. Do not let them be the tail that wags the canine. The best outcomes come when the story agrees with how it's told. That's the sort of content that sticks to people for years.