Web design, for a long time, has existed under the garb of graphic design. In the beginning, the web sourced extensively from print in order to attain legitimacy. A Swiss-pattern accuracy, rigid typographic hierarchies, and grids have impacted a chaotic, young medium. All these principles provided credibility and structure to websites when the internet was trying to locate its grounding. However, in recent times, these roots have restricted the growth. That means, what once assisted website design today risks holding it to itself, more so as AI impacts the way online experiences are developed.
Regardless of several years of borrowed conventions, the website never functioned as print. Instead, it is interactive, responsive, and fluid by nature. Additionally, designers have spent several years using screens such as static pages and developing pixel-perfect mockups that shook when the browser got resized.
The ‘print-first’ perspective had avoided the medium. The breakpoints, dropdowns, and active content don’t abide by the magazine and poster rules. With the advent of AI, this disconnect is difficult to ignore. Hence, unlike conventional graphic design, AI refrains from designing fixed artifacts. Instead, it creates adaptable outcomes that shift depending on user behavior, data, and context. Any website design firm must keep this in focus.
Graphic designers naturally bring discipline to the designs of their domains. But there is also an excessive pursuit of control that graphic designers require. In print, achieving perfect symmetry, precise kerning, and “fixed” layouts produces a very well-defined look for printed material. On the web, the same level of control creates an overly delicate look for web pages, which ultimately hinders their ability to adapt to differing devices and emerging technologies.
With the progression of AI technology, web layouts are automatically changing over time. The attempt to be perfect can often produce significant liability. The need for adaptability and a shift away from a static system of control is imperative. However, the web designers are educated and trained to use poster art designs and grids as their ultimate representation of the ideal graphic design.
AI doesn’t have any loyalty towards design heritage. That means it has nothing to do with prestige, aesthetic purity, and legacy. It assesses success through performance, accessibility, conversations, and retention. Also, this utilitarian perspective clashes with a practice that has its roots in historic impact and reverence.
Since AI-centric design is gaining prominence, website designers grounded themselves in the principles of the print era, which risked misalignment. Additionally, the future will have an affinity towards systems that change fast and not static compositions. Leading names in website design, like BigDropInc.com, pay attention to this and help businesses in designing their site.
Final words
Graphic design proved to be a potent starting point for website design, but it is not the final place. The future is for the website designers or design firms who embrace imperfection, welcome AI, and develop adaptive systems rather than online posters. Just by moving away from its own shadow, website design has a chance to hold ground for itself. That way, it is in sync with its real website nature and AI realities.
