by Hamish Long
You can have any colour you like as long as it's #000000*
How has the design of our courses changed over the last 10 years? It hasn't! Well, when I say that, I mean the core elements behind the design haven't changed - they are sometimes referred to as the three pillars of good web design: HTML, javascript, and CSS (cascading style sheets). This latter pillar has become more prominent in my workflow over the last three years or so, as developments in our Imago system have enabled us to really utilise the power of CSS, providing flexible tailoring without the need to hand code.
In terms of graphics, the volume of designed objects within a course has dramatically increased over the years. Seven or eight years ago you would only see graphics in the knowledge pages. Interactive graphics might appear in every two or three knowledge pages. Today we have interactive graphics in almost every knowledge and activity page. Experience and increased efficiency are probably the two main reasons behind these improvements. But not only that, we now create customised gateways and splashpages - these splashpages are often developed further into fully functioning websites with guest areas, and members' areas providing access to the courses.
But how has the actual design of the web graphics changed? When I started in web design twelve years ago it was all about rounded corners and bevelled edges, and the general graphical look and feel tended to err on the illustrative side. Later there was say a five year period when graphics became flatter and squarer, and photographs were increasingly used. Although some of our clients have specific requirements, generally, over the past few years, we've been combining both illustrative and photographic elements along with subtely bevelled buttons and drop shadow icons.
I suppose that's how progress is made in many industries - you keep the best bits from the past, develop, and move forward. Take fashion for example - imagine if people today were wearing clothes that were only really acceptable in the Eighties...
* #000000 is the web (hexadecimal) colour for black.
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