There’s no doubt a web designer’s tasks have changed dramatically. In the early years of the internet, web designers needed an in-depth understanding of HTML to create websites. As technology advanced, they needed to know not only HTML but also languages like PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and more.
Many web designers use advanced programs and website builder tools, making creating sites faster and easier than ever. Mainly due to the constantly evolving responsibilities of web designers, people have often claimed web design work was becoming obsolete and would be dead in 2023.
Key takeaways:
- Why people say web design is dead
- The impact artificial intelligence (AI) has on web design
- The latest trends for web design
Why Do People Say Web Design Is Dead?
There are many reasons why people believe web design is dead or will be dying in 2023. The following are among the most commonly cited reasons:
- Website builders: These advanced tools allow you to create a website without the need to perform any coding. Instead, the tool covers everything and can make attractive sites. But web designers see the best website builders as the latest tools they can use to meet their customers’ needs. Like JavaScript and PHP helped push web design forward, so did website builders.
- Templates: Many websites rely heavily on premade templates that create the layout and other design factors. These can be purchased and installed in seconds, making site design extremely simple for many. Just because these templates are made and sold separately doesn’t mean web designers aren’t involved. The designers who made the templates themselves are proof of this.
- Content management systems (CMS): These often function alongside website builders and allow you to easily add and customize site content without any coding requirements. Like website builders, a CMS is another tool a web designer can use.
- AI: AI and machine learning (ML) advancements have helped spur various innovations within web design. There are even AI systems that can create websites without human interaction involved at all. While these systems continue to become more advanced, the human touch is still needed for a customized web solution.
The future of web design
While there’s no doubt that the field of web design continues to evolve and innovate, it definitely won’t fade away in 2023 or anytime in the foreseeable future. The demand for skilled web designers is only increasing, and that trend will likely continue.
Is AI Replacing Web Developers?
AI is advancing amazingly and will impact nearly every industry imaginable, including web design. It can create websites and complete various tasks that not many years ago would require the direct effort of a human. What AI cannot do well, however, is design innovative and creative websites that properly reflect the needs of each client.
This is especially evident when it comes to creating websites for businesses. Every business has its corporate culture, logos, and products to add to its website. When an experienced web designer creates a page, they can take all of that into account so that the result reflects their business properly. This isn’t something that AI does well, at least for now.
Entry-level positions
The one area of web design threatened by AI technologies is entry-level positions. Web designers who don’t have much experience or aren’t exceptionally skilled may lose their job opportunities to computer systems that can provide similar results. Meanwhile, top-tier web designers should look at AI as a set of tools rather than a threat to their job.
What Are the Newest Trends in Web Design for SMBs?
As proof that web design isn’t dead, you can look at some of the new and innovative trends in the industry. Professional web designers develop these trends, seamlessly blending the latest technologies with user experience (UX) and business needs:
- Directed web usage: One of the most exciting trends is when designers create a customized UX that directs someone’s unique experience. If a website determines that one user is likely to be interested in a specific product, it’ll guide them to that part of the site.
- Standing out from the crowd: Using web templates has been a popular tool for millions of websites for years. That trend is starting to fade away as web designers are helping their clients to stand out from the crowd by creating personalized websites.
- Accessibility: This trend is long overdue and almost certain to stick around long into the future. Web designers are making a conscious effort to ensure their sites are easily accessible to all potential visitors. This includes hearing- or vision-impaired people, those who don’t speak the native language of the site, and more. Making a site accessible to everyone is a trend that makes sense.
- Consumable information: Web designers are working on many ways to make important information easier to consume for visitors to a page. This is done using animations, infographics, soundbites, and other great tools.
New trends are always forming, and old ones are being phased out — making the web design industry so exciting. It’s also one more reason we can be certain web design isn’t dead in 2023, nor will it be for many years.