Functionality, usability and clearly structured information before graphic design:
Ugliness has never looked better. I have spent the last few days examining a surprising trend in web design that has made ugly websites look absolutely irresistible. ….
The Surprising Truth About Ugly Websites
As a person who puts business before technology, a profitable website is an unbelievably attractive website to me.
But “Functionality, usability and clearly structured information” is graphic design! That’s what it’s all about. While those aspects are often overlooked in favor of the more dramatic aspects of design, that is the true core of graphic design. A designer is presenting his information in the best way possible. Sometimes that means elegant design, sometimes garish is more appropriate.
You are right, it should be.
But I see a lot of websites created by graphic designers who don’t know a thing about webdesign and forget that there is more to creating websites then making it look good.
Good graphic designers know a lot about structuring information, about the limitations that are part of the medium, separating content and style, usability and everything else.
But again you are right, real graphic design is more then make-up.