Tropes of Web 2.0 Logo Design

[Macbeth]

In the spirit of spurring on conversation - and eager to get one of the first posts on this new section (Jason just pipped me, I see ;)) I thought I'd start a discussion about web 2.0 graphic design.

Everything on the web 2.0 scene seems to be covered in gloss and varnish, with half-shines, drop-shadows, and subtle embosses being as commonplace now as scrolling marquees and animated .gifs of envelopes flying into blocky IBM monitors were about ten years ago.

For people looking into giving their site a coat of lacquer - that on one hand I think I should be objecting to, but on the other, admittedly, think is pretty snazzy - may I suggest this comparison (http://www.fontshop.com/fontfeed/archives/the-logos-of-web-20/) of web 2.0 logos, which covers a few of the design tropes, and for a broader redesign, this guide (http://webdesignfromscratch.com/web-2.0-design-style-guide.cfm) looks excellent also.

In the mean time, anyone got any advice on the subject, or pointers, or guides?

[Juparis]

A very helpful guide, Macbeth--I thank you for sharing. I'll no doubt start glazing my own sites similarly. I have a question though, and it doesn't necessarily need a definitive answer, I'm just looking for discussion.

Do you think this new fad of psuedo-3D effects, highlights, shadows, and color schemes is doomed to the same path of those seizure-inducing GIFs and effects of the 90s? By which I mean to ask, is this just a temporary style that everyone's trying to mimick?

Better yet, are there any styles or schemes that remains just as popular today as they were when they were first conceived? And how can we achieve that unique, individual look or style to our website that will (hopefully) last longer than many of these fads, and won't require constant revamps?

Just to try and get some chatter goin'. :]

[Macbeth]

Well, a major difference between implementation of modern designs compared to designs of the past is the introduction of human interface guidelines... Websites are doing a lot more today to increase accessibility than they did even only a few years ago.

A lot of web 2.0 site design has been arranged around aspects of HIGs. Furthermore, web designs are built to be more and more reminiscent of desktop interfaces - which is quite sensible, common aspects to interfacing greatly improves the state of the user learning curve - and are becoming more and more successful at it with developments like AJAX.

In that sense, then, certainly elements of current design styles will persevere, as approaches to accessibility remain consistent. Some design features are more favoured now due to the tendency of designers to semantically code, which is a style I certainly hope we maintain. Of course, web designs reflect real-world fashions as well - there will of course be design tangents and developments in step with the changing tastes of real-world consumers.

At the minute, I see two main camps of modern online design - the 3d-halftone-reflective-drop-shaddowed interfaces, with strong colours, and the spartan, minimalist styles with simple, large, and easy to read headings, paragraphs, and navigations. I don't think it is a case that one will "win over" the other, though, they each have their applications. Certainly, however, the minimalist look appears to be a throwback to very early designs: it is perhaps better applied nowadays, as it only had prevalence before due to the limited ability to style sites at all - we're talking way, way, way before CSS was even an apple in its developers' eyes, after all.

Maybe, like real-world fashions, everything comes around. I'm not looking forward to the return of the flashing-rainbow-.gif, though :/.

(Mind you, one day, smoking jackets will be back in fashion, mark my words.)

[juan1]

:)Web design is the illustration of the business. It is considered to be the tool which gives the first impression of a business.
A suitable Web design is chosen before the launching of the business in the market. It is important that the Web design is unique for the identification of a particular business, not a typecast logo.
I am giving you a website link which helps you alot http://www.logoguru.co.uk
:D