Transcript Web Design * Worldwide Differences?

Web Design:
Worldwide Differences?
Juan Burgos
Who am I?
• Puerto Rican - exactly why Dr. Moshell gave this topic.
• Does web design differ in different countries?
Design knows no regional boundaries
• Globalization needed to be most efficient – the web is a global
business.
• Leads to questions of localization or standardizing design.
• Studies show that users do notice a difference in countries
designs.
• Visual appealing
• Usability
• Western standards are more welcomed
Design as a language
• Form of art.
• Design is a reflection of culture.
• Emotions, romance, politics, etc. are all
conveyed.
By Victor Candia
By Daniel Aviles
Color & Culture
• Color for animals is camouflage.
• You’re designing for your audience, different colors/symbols
have different meanings.
who?
Color & Culture
• Huge role in emotional connections, we see the world
differently.
• For example:
• White is the color of mourning & death in China
• Purple is the color of death in Brazil
• Yellow is sacred to the Hindus, but is sadness to Greeks and
jealousy to the French
• Who is your audience?
• Who will view your site/designs?
Culturally-Flexible Website
Design
• Websites are still the “same”, just in a different language.
• Follow current design trends
• Think “international” from the beginning, even if you’re
designing for an English-speaking country.
• Localization – designing for the region.
• Know your target market!
http://www.impala-webstudio.fr/
http://www.toolofna.com
Where to start?
• Unicode:
• Computing industry
standard, promotes
consistent
representation of text.
• UTF-8
• Culture:
• Affects the way we see
the physical world, as
well as meanings.
• Culture (cont.)
• Design uses real-world
references
• Shopping carts,
buttons, menus, etc.
• Consider what visual
representations you are
using.
• RESEARCH
Technology?
• High-speed internet is the norm here, but what about
undeveloped countries?
• Some (parts of South America, Africa, & Asia) are still waiting
for high speed.
• Text-only version of your site is an option.
Flexible Web Design - Language
• Written language
plays a role.
• German words are
generally longer than
the English
equivalent, what do
we do as designers?
• Separation of design
& content.
• Avoid fixed width
structures with text
inside.
• Go = gehen (german)
• CSS
Conclusion
• With all the factors considered, good design will always be
good design.
• Regardless of language barriers
• Factor in your audience when designing & always keep them in
mind
Citations
Arandilla, Rachel . "Graphic Design Examples Worldwide: How Nationality Reflects In Artworks." 2011
2011: n. page. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/worldwidegraphic-design/>.
Arno, Christian . "How Web Designers Can Adopt a Global Mindset." (2010): n. page. Web. 12 Mar.
2014. <http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/how-web-designers-can-adopt-a-globalmindset/>.
Mountassir, Yassine. "Localization of design: the effects of country specific graphical web design
elements on the evaluation of homepages." . N.p., n.d. Web. <http://essay.utwente.nl/
62214/>.
"Color Meaning in Different Countries: Does It Matter for Website Localization?." (2013): n. page.
Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.adaptingweb.net/2013/01/color-symbolismwebdesign-localization.html>.
Questions
1. As a web designer, what should we do to create globalized
websites?
2. What role does culture play in creating visually appealing
websites?
3. What is an example of cultural differences in design?