It’s completely normal, I think, to question whether one’s field of work is thriving or, on the contrary, is on the verge of extinction. Web Designer magazine broached this topic in its October issue, and with good reason. Faced with the growing popularity of blogs and all-inclusive packages sold by Web hosts, the magazine posits whether this trend is likely to interfere with—or outright murder—traditional Web design techniques. I just want to know if I should start thinking about a career in one of my other areas of expertise—macramé, for instance.

I think I can wait before I start taking those orders for hammocks and handbags; Web design isn’t dying, it’s evolving. Web design is linked to technology that is progressing rapidly and unpredictably. Ready-made designs were, according to many, an inevitable consequence of Web development. The advent of Web 2.0—the interactive Web—opened the Web to the general public. It was a welcome progression, because it offered new potential and new avenues for designers. Pre-fab sites acted as catalysts to raise standards and foster new methods of designing for the Web.

Technological advances and sites like WordPress, Drupal, or even Google Site, have made creating a Web site extremely easy and open to anyone. Any Web designer will tell you, though, that having a Web site isn’t everything—you have to stand out from the crowd. The most popular Web sites (Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) all have one thing in common: they’re unique. Their design may be simplistic, but they have all succeeded in carving a niche and eliminating the competition. And that’s where the pre-fab sites are lacking; unfortunately Web site templates are often too similar to one another and are missing a couple of key features, i.e., passion and creativity.

No, tasteful Web design is not a dying art; it will always have a place on the Web—it’ll just become increasingly exclusive and professional.

Read the Web Designer article (in two parts):  part 1 |  part 2
For basic macramé techniques:  Basic macramé