When a person reads, speaks or hears the word ‘art,’ what is the first image that pops up? For most it is awe-inspiring visuals, for others, it is a subjective interpretation that generally leads to a warm and snug feeling. Now when we use the word web design, does that evoke the same emotion? The answer is no. Yes, the aesthetics of a website have value but when designing a site, a warm and cosy feeling is not the goal. This dichotomous thought gives birth to the never-ending debate: is web design art or not?

We spoke to one of the premier web design company in Chennai, DigitalSEO, to find the answer to this question. Ms. Pranavi of www.digitalseo.in/web-designing-company-chennai/ says –
“For clients sometimes a site is like a painting or sculpture that decors a place. Viewing a website in this manner is not smart business. A site is a platform that is useful and made through a meticulous process which generally involves quantitative data created through calculated decisions.”

To further explain, why web design is not merely art let’s take an example.

Imagine a painting hanging in your office. It is an emotional piece that has power in it and meant to motivate you. But once it is bought, nailed and hanged, it is not interacted with. It may beautify your workplace and be part of a conversation with new clients, but you or your customers do not physically interact with it. Now think of a website, it is made so that your customer can communicate with you through it.

That is the main difference between designing a website and art. The former is created to be a platform for communication while the latter is just for beauty. Web design is not meant to be for decoration. It is used to build a place that customers can use.

Good web design assists in human interactions like:

1. Clicking
2. Reading
3. Tapping
4. Scrolling
5. Searching

In the words of a man who succinctly defined art and web design: “Designers create something to use. Artists create something to appreciate.” For the layman, it means web design is not art. Though, it bears saying that designing does incorporate elements of art. There is nothing wrong with thinking of a site as something beautiful that attracts customers. But the goal is to drive business, and it should come first.

Creating a website that is pretty is pointless; it doesn’t add value to the company or the audience. Pleasing is the user is not the objective; it is to ensure that they convert to paying customers. So, think of web design as 80% science that requires hard decisions and 20% art that necessitates aesthetical work related to the visual element. Don’t take our word for it, try browsing a beautifully made site and then look through one that is was made quantitatively. You will feel the difference within a few seconds. The latter will be easier to use and more informative for you.