Comments on: How Much Do Standards And Trends Dictate Your Web Design?

By: elizabeth

elizabeth — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:57:00 +0000

This is my first time reading this blog. Definitely won’t be my last though, really enjoyed it.Can’t recommend this blog highly enough. Yet another great post.

By: Design Outside The Lines | bkmacdaddy designs

Design Outside The Lines | bkmacdaddy designs — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:19:02 +0000

[...] rebel like me realize the importance of design trends and best ways to respond. I recently wrote a guest post on Pelfusion.com discussing design standards and trends and challenging us all to break out of the expected to [...]

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:00:32 +0000

I agree, people should think outside the box, use their own inspirations to guide them (depending on the project of course). On one hand, businesses tend to like the standard, they don’t feel they have to push the boundaries.

Secondly though, if someone did something completely original one day and no-one copied or used some form of inspiration from it, then by definition wouldn’t it become a design failure? Otherwise, how do we define it as a success.

By: This Weeks Twitter Design News Roundup N.27 « Vieclamdn.com Blogs

This Weeks Twitter Design News Roundup N.27 « Vieclamdn.com Blogs — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:08:25 +0000

[...] Reading: How Much Do Standards And Trends Dictate Your Web Design? from [...]

By: Brian McDaniel

Brian McDaniel — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:06:07 +0000

Good points, Sahan. I have not personally designed any websites that I would say break out from the typical trends. I have created a few with elements I haven’t seen before but I would not be so bold as to think I originated them. That is one of the reasons I wrote this piece – to challenge our thinking (including my own) and to get us all to consider trying some new things.

Thanks for the comment!

By: Sahan

Sahan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0000

Yes, it’s true that it’s hard to do a masterpiece from scratch and people go and look for inspirations, and not only you 95% of designers change the designs he sees, actually he redesign the inspiration (sometimes). But what will happen if something like this happened, you get an idea from others. some other guy also get an idea from yours and so on, wow what will be the outcome if the original inspiration goes in 20 hands ? . The thing I’m trying to tell is, if few people create a one design it’ll be a good one, if one person create it by him self… you get the idea

Also what’s the design you created.. ?

(Sorry for my english)

By: This Weeks Twitter Design News Roundup N.27 - Speckyboy Design Magazine

This Weeks Twitter Design News Roundup N.27 - Speckyboy Design Magazine — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:19 +0000

[...] Reading: How Much Do Standards And Trends Dictate Your Web Design? from [...]

By: Ferman

Ferman — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:56:09 +0000

i would like to say only about design….the resemblance you see in design is due to navigation bar only. I have to mention here before the navigation of SM was different, but mine is same for last 12 months, and they changed to the current one…i am not saying they copied my navigation style what i am saying is they just followed the new trend of WordPress navigation…rest there is nothing similar in design

thanks for you comment Dylan i take everything positively , just dont’ be anonymous when you comment…it fakes you

By: Brian McDaniel

Brian McDaniel — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:43:32 +0000

Dylan,

Thanks for your input. As I mentioned to Chris (above) this is not my site, so it is not my design. I am a guest author so I am unable to edit, delete or do anything else with comments, nor would I if I could because I believe a true discussion should be wide open for anyone to express their opinion, even if it’s something I disagree with or is an attack on me personally. As far as I’m concerned, you are more than welcome to express yourself however you choose.

I’m not sure how my comments are “belittling” Chris or Rob. I think if someone disagrees with me or attempts to insult me, I should be allowed to respond, don’t you? I admit, it is a bit of a pet peeve of mine when people leave insulting or belittling comments but avoid identifying themselves with a legitimate email or website link. It just seems cowardly – as though they want to say their piece and disappear, rather than have a constructive discussion.

I would love to hear more of the details of how you have formed your opinion of me, but I imagine that if you took the time to get to know me you would probably change your tune, since I am most definitely not the person you have perceived. Still, you have helped me to see myself from another viewpoint that I have never been challenged with before, and for that I am grateful. I hope I can learn from it and become a better writer and person through the process.

Thanks again.

By: Dylan

Dylan — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:19:49 +0000

Brian, this is actually the first article of yours that I’ve ever read, but I’d like to express my “2 cents”. First of all, I doubt you will even “approve” this post, and I assume it will be quickly deleted (or “edited”) if you do. Anyway, your writing style comes across as very “pompous” and “arrogant”. I understand that you have industry experience, but constantly citing yourself and your accomplishments (you being a web designer, blog author, guest author on Pelfusion, astronaut, cowboy, former NFL runningback, etc) especially while belittling anyone who doesn’t agree with you (See the post by the “Chris” gentleman, and “Rob” to a certain extent), just isn’t professional. Your site does, “by the way”, slightly resemble the original design of the “Smashing” Blog, but I’m sure you already knew that.

Aside from that, the article “is” well-written and informative. However, since I am a professional copywriter, I’d like to inform you that “quoting” non significant words in your posts and comments doesn’t help the reader. I really just imagine you constantly “air-quoting” with your fingers during normal conversation. Also, when you quote “words”, it should be to imply a different connotation of the word, rather than its normal usage. You should probably “cut that out” in future posts. Although you likely know this already, as you are also currently a Copywriter, English Grammar Professor, Quantum Physics & Thermonuclear Engineer, and ominous deity. Keep up the great posts. Food for thought…

By: Brian McDaniel

Brian McDaniel — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:23:34 +0000

Just to clarify, Chris: I am a guest author on Pelfusion, so your thinly-veiled (and not surprisingly anonymous) attack is just plain wrong. But thank you for taking time to read the good points.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:21:48 +0000

I think a great way to break-on-through, is to look outside of web design for inspiration. My most recent client wanted something DIFFERENT. BIG. NEW. Well, I actually went went somewhere very tradtional to find inspiration…the museum! I got great ideas about color, composition and layout, without being influenced by other web designs. Finding inspiration from other web designers is great, but sometimes we can’t forget where we came from, you know…we first started getting inspiration from a tangible world, not a digital one. Great article though! Thanks

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:43:44 +0000

I think you bring up a lot of good points in the article. But it would be very difficult to listen to someone who has done such a great job taking all of their “inspiration” from Smashing Magazine’s blog. Maybe you can free yourself of these standards and trends next time you create a re-design.

By: Brian McDaniel

Brian McDaniel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:28:57 +0000

That’s probably another reason we stay “within the boundaries” of what we understand that visitors to websites are willing to do and experience. I wonder if users would not be so quick to give up and move on if less websites looked the same and they became accustomed to a new experience every time?