Boxy Trends

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about “out of the box” website design. The advent of CSS has given us as designers, developers, advertisers, whatever, wherever, the ability to break out of the grid and really push things to a new level on the web.

Since the beginning of the web–well, at least the popularization of the web–we’ve seen people making websites that look the same, act the same, feel the same, and are the same. They all have a product or a service to sell, information to impart, or agenda’s to push. The more and more I think about it, the longer I study the results of “sameness”, the more I am inclined to think that doing things inside the box might not be the way to go.

All In the Grid

In order to be found, navigated, and remarked upon, there are certain inescapable ideas you must include in a website. For instance, you must have a user friendly navigation menu, text readable by computers, easily definable sections, maybe a logo or major header to identify the website or owner of the website, along with a plethora of others. The simple fact is, to an extent, you must follow the rules.

The web is full of rules. The W3C dictates how browsers interpret HTML, CSS, XML, etc. and they dictate to us how to code our websites so they act correctly on the browsers. The HTML Schema is a rulebook. We’re in an industry built upon a box, inside a box.

The Truth About Cardboard

Although most boxes designed for shipping are made of cardboard, we know that it is a flexible, easily bendable, but also fragile material. Websites are, in many respects, the same way.

Flash gave us animation and rich content, but limited our ability to author entire sites due to incompatibility and SEO deficiencies.

Javascript adds a lot of customizability, but is cumbersome, hardly renders correctly cross-browser, and has a fairly steep learning curve for anyone not well versed in programming.

With every new technology or media format that emerges, a door slams shut on its wide-spread use before it can really take off.

So, how do we break out of the box with our design efforts?

I think the simple answer is to stop trying to create websites altogether, and start creating unique messages that reside on the web. When you can pull yourself out of the “web designer” mind frame and start looking at what the web for what it is, the largest avenue for delivering your message to the masses the world has ever known, you’ll open yourself up to new ideas.

I’m reminded of a recent article featured on A List Apart about Redesigning vs. Realigning, in which the author explains the difference between slapping a new skin on your site, and rethinking the way the website works.

I want to challenge you to take it one step further and rethink the way the web works. What can you make your website do that nobody else has done? The man behind Million Dollar Homepage had it right. Creating something unique, something memorable isn’t about following the rules. It’s about creating something nobody’s done before.

Easy in theory

Yes it is. Finding your own million dollar idea is a much harder thing to do. Especially in a world built upon a box inside a box. The ideas are out there, be daring enough to try them.

Remember that designing a website is not just about the imagery, the typography or the CSS. It’s about the structure, the substance, and even the purpose behind a website. Design something new, something out of the box, and someone will notice.
I’m not telling you to throw out the rulebook, just to look beyond the rules and strictures, and create something truly unique.