Future of Web Design 2011
Last week I attended the Future of Web Design 2011 conference. The talks were brilliant and in this article I'll cover some of the big points that stood out for me.
ideas into Interfaces
Aarron Walter kicked off with an inspiring talk on independent ideas focusing on the theme of "generate, incubate and evaluate". The concept here being to explore ideas for yourself, at least getting them down on paper.
In my last blog update I talked about content being the heart of a project. We've been expanding our website strategy recently to make sure we deliver the best websites possible. Aarron showed great practical ways to sketch and wireframe ideas, a lot of which I'll be incorporating into my own design process.
Responsive Web Design
If you haven't been living under a rock for the last year you'll have heard about "Responsive Web Design" – the idea that websites should respond to all devices and situations. We've been introducing this concept into our latest projects, particularly for reshaping content for tablet and mobile device sizes.
Ethan Marcotte demonstrated his recent work that pushed this idea further. He explained how websites should not only respond to layout, but respond to the user – their interactions, environment and overall context.
His advice is a bit too technical to post here but definitely something Base Creative will be following closely.
Copywriting
Introducing a copywriter into any web design project is a necessity but sadly it's often the first thing that gets cut from the budget.
I figured FOWD 2011 would be a good place to learn a thing or two myself and it certainly was. Both Stephanie Hay and John McGarvey gave me a lot to think about. Websites that are designed around perfect content are so much more successful. As I mentioned earlier content is a big part of our whole website strategy so the more we understand copy, the better.
And a whole lot more...
If you're interesting in reading my extensive notes see FOWD Day 1 and FOWD Day 2. I've now got the conference bug and will be attending DIBI in Newcastle next week, and Ampersand in Brighton the week after!