A quite mystique phrase is used over the internet world for the last few years. Web 2.0 - the miracle?? Let´s discuss. Lets have a critical check on it first… and this is meant in the true sense.. In my believe it is more the design, the fonts, the appearance which moved in the so called Web 2.0 sites.
History in African Masks What do have african masks to do with this question? Lets have a short look back to some development many years ago in art. We had a similar change in the world of design a bit more than 100 years ago, when “modern art” started to boom. Up to the end of 19th century, the known art was “boring”. A great development took place when a new simplicity of design, created based on african masks and african figures, started to become popular in Europe. Actually the old african artists had carved their african masks in a puristic, simple and valuable style, that even today you can put african masks on top of a magazine. What is their secret?? It is the high level of abstraction of the african masks, with items like ears “great” in size, the natural color worn by many years of use, and the clean carving really resembling to the pictures of todays web designers.
So lets draw the first majour conclusion: it is simplicity, which is a key factor. And it might well be the case, that this is the strongest factor. Simple layout, simple fonts.If you add some great colours you are nearly done.
But let us have a closer look at some typical examples of Web 2.0 websites. One nice example is a place about fonts. Yes, one of these boring places with piles of fonts - or not? Well, have a look yourself to a font site a great experience. A nice example for such a modern design website with fonts depicts the combination of a simple but unsual design, strong colours, great visuals … and the best fonts you may find.
A very different item is a health site about hair loss. Health sites tend to be clean white, boring one could say. This site about hair loss is looking different. Why not? Web 2.0 gives you the possibilities to show it the way you prefer - whether its about fonts or hair loss. Certainly one can not take only pics for such a serious item, but even a hair loss site can beginn with something astounding.
Both sites - the site with fonts and the web directory - are quite puristic in concept. Actually it is not a question of having thousands of clours. But you can use them if you have the right site. In contrast to a web directory anime sites are usually colourful - too much indeed in most anime sites. Anyhow, noone would like an anime website where only grey shades can be seen. So this nice example of an anime website draws its attraction from the simplicity. No text, just one picture to see. Only if you go accross the picture with your mouse, you come to the services this anime site offers.
So, whether you take fonts, anime, web directory or african masks - you can come from history and will glimpse into the future.