I will agree with you. PHP got to do with development issues. Designing need your artistic eye and that is all. You can map you design using simple HTML and CSS and that will probably be sufficient.
I agree with the previous two posts. My point of thinking was that the future of web design will be in how well that web design supports the functionality of the website. Web design can mean putting up a nice picture of the website in front of the visitors, such as setting up a "Flash" intro on the home page with little use for visitors other than to impress them visually. Too much of web design can sometimes do more bad than good. Greater focus will be on the website's functionality rather than on "the looks", that is where PHP and so on come into the picture, they effect the web design in an indirect way. Look how the Facebook looks like, white background and a few simple elements on top of it. That's the successful web design today, the kind of that does not stay there like a barrier between the visitor and what the website has to offer, web design that expresses the functionality of the website at its best. That's how I see it.
Klog -I'm using PHP to control the daily rotation of image in my sig . . . and have done so for last 7 years. PHP seems to be just recently noticed as an innovation in the way a web site is "controlled" but it is very useful I think, and will be moreso in years or even months to come. My image is actually controlled to update automatically at 2AM evry 24 hours....that in itself is pretty cool. I don't need to bother with digging a new one out of some folder and have to uplaod it to my web template and then re-publish the new page to my server....it's all done by the PHP script. I only wish I was proficient in writing PHP scripts as I had someone else write it for me, several years ago. All I needed to do was upload a year's worth of new images (365 in a folder) to my web page, save it, and then publish the site to my web host. I had the PHP script writer access my site directly at my web host's server and configure the script directly himself . . . so I was fortunate enough to find someone to actually do this for me and the dude was well worth what he charged. He then gave me another sub-script to offer my clients who would want to add my image on their site, so it was as simple as that. I think PHP is alot more valuable than flash since it has more of an intrinsic value as opposed to just alot of "bells & whistles" in how a web site looks. The looks part, I don't much care about. But if a web site has something of intrinsic value that will hopefully be of interest to visitors, that is what counts (PHP comes directly into the equation) whereby I can offer something of value to my visitors because of that PHP script. Thanks for all the valuable thoughts....
If only Google, Yahoo! and Bing could successfully index flash websites, i think flash websites would rule the web.
When I land on those flash-oriented web sites, it takes forever to load.....at least it seems that way....then alot of noise or music (thunder & soundeffects) and video-type presentations begin....all for what? A little "Click Here To Enter"....it's more comical than impressive. Just show me the web page. I sound like Cuba Gooding in that movie Jerry McGuire...."show me the web page!"
Thanks for the article. I personally believe next year will be more about abstract designs but in a simple 'clean-cut' format.
wow this information I was looking for a long time, may be applied for next year, next year's website design should be more simple text does not need much more texts..thanks
Flash will only be a popular chioce when all of the computers and browsers support flash capabilities.
These search engines can index flash but that doesn't mean to have flash websites. Indexing flash website by search engines wont do any good to you. Remember, the search engines the motive of better user experience and to my finding and experience I feel flash is not that much effect NOW. So, I would prefer having textual website supported well by optimal graphics and ONLY a little optimized flash if required otherwise it's okay. That is the real frustration of flash websites. Ever I come across such website, I simply quit it and to go for other website. Yes, that is assumed to be one of the trends along with typography and hand made sketches too. So, it will be good enough and attractive too. It was too true but not anymore. Now a days, even most of the browsers support flash capabilities but the trend towards flash is losing in my opinion. No matter how appealing and cool website and graphics you can design but how well it is optimized for the users and for the search engines. Now, if you look at the search engines they are more keen towards page load time and even 10 sec page load time is much considerable to be reduced. So, now think of the flash being a little or well compressed and optimized so to give a better experience of web surfing.
If anyone of you knows Deviantart - there you`ll find some great Designs and you can easily follow a trend. I also believe, that handdrawn stuff is out but simplicity is in. So you might wanna go with a simple design but still keep it stylish. Huge Banners however are quite disturbing if they are not give you a first impression of all the content so everything`s easy to understand... Anyway, thanks again for the link! Cheers
Since that is going to take a while, you should all look at javascripts. They can do very much fash work but it needs lots and lots of programming.
If that is web design .... We should close the store.. Are you f* serious ? you call that web design? jesus