Elio L Arteaga Mfavic3400 Visual Design For Globalized Mediahistor ✓ Solved

Elio L. Arteaga, MFA VIC3400 – Visual Design for Globalized Media History of the Internet The Internet began in 1969 as a scientific/military research program named ARPANet (The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). Consisting of four computers, three in California and one in Utah, the experiment was to develop the world’s first system of transferring information reliably in the event of everyday network outages and possibly even the occasional global thermonuclear war (this was the Cold War era, after all). Packet-switching—a system that enables small “packets†of data to be sent independently of each other to the destination computer—enables reliable transmission of data, and is the basis of the Internet today.

But the entire look-and-feel of the Internet was not at all what you’re familiar with today. Most computer monitors displayed green, mono-spaced, all-caps type on a black background; if you’ve ever seen the 1983 Matthew Broderick movie, WarGames, you know what I mean. In 1985, ARPANet was handed over to the National Science Foundation. The NSF increased the network by opening five new supercomputer centers making the Internet an efficient way for government agencies and educational institutions to share information. Hobbyists joined the Internet and used it to send e-mail to each other, and access university libraries and government databases.

The Internet was opened to business and commercial interests around 1990. The World Wide Web was born. Graphics, photographic images, text, sound, animations, video, and interactivity came to the Internet. Companies called Internet service providers (ISPs) provided the general public with access to the Internet, usually for a monthly fee. Today, over a billion people worldwide log on the Internet’s 23.6 billion Web pages every day!WorldWideWebSize.com (2016).

Web Technology Surfing the Web is easy and fun—a non-computer-literate person could type an easy-to-remember Web address, read the text on the page, view the images, and click on hyperlinks, identified by blue underlined text and also by the mouse pointer arrow turning into a pointing hand icon. The language of the web is HyperText Markup Language, version 5, or HTML5. HTML specifies the content and structure of web pages. HTML tags are “semantic,†which means the tags themselves must have meaning in relation to the page. Stylistic attributes such as colors, layout, fonts, sizes and background images are specified through Cascading Style Sheets, version 3, or CSS3.

CSS separates the visual characteristics of web pages from its content, enabling different appearances for various media: desktop, mobile, or print. Web pages are uploaded to a Web server, and become visible to anyone on the Internet. Typing in the page’s Web address (or URL) fetches that page and displays it on the viewer’s Web browser. Clicking on links within a Web page causes other pages to be downloaded and displayed on your browser. The illusion is that one is navigating through cyberspace, while in reality, pages are linked to each other, and clicking on the hyperlinks causes other pages to download and display on your computer’s browser window.

First Generation Web Pages When the Web was first established, only scientists used it. Consequently, design was not an important consideration. The scientists’ goal was to efficiently transmit information, so the design of the first-generation Web pages resembled scientific dissertations. Observe the design of Monsters in Galactic Nuclei created by John Kormendy and Gregory Shields of the University of Texas at Austin, Department of Astronomy: stardate.html The text goes all the way from the left to the right side of the page, as if it were a sheet of paper fed into a typewriter. Text jumps over images, rather than wrapping around them.

All the titles are centered. Second Generation Web Pages As the general public began using the Web, it became clear that people wanted something they were already familiar and comfortable with. Web pages were a new technology; and most people still preferred to get their news from traditional sources such as newspapers and newsmagazines. The design of Web pages needed to resemble the design of printed pages in order for the Web-surfing public to embrace them. Web programmers created new tags to specify columns and other layout characteristics.

Second-generation Web pages exhibited column layouts similar to those of their traditional media counterparts: newspapers or magazines. Consider the Miami Herald Web site: A banner running along the top of the Web page containing the name of the newspaper, a blue navigation bar along the left resembling a table of contents, and a vertical column grid are all characteristics of printed newspapers that have been translated to the electronic format of second-generation Web pages. Third Generation Web Pages Audiovisual technologies, such as ShockWave Flash (.SWF) and HTML5 Canvas, emerged in recent years that enrich web pages with media content. These are the third-generation Web pages. Consider Nike’s website, in which the static grid navigation of second-generation Web pages has been completely eliminated, replaced by video, music, and fluid, interactive navigation windows. / Long Scrolling Sites The immense popularity of mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) has led to designs that enable unique human behaviors that never existed before.

It’s possible to hold your smartphone in one hand and scroll with your thumb. This has led to the design of sites in which all the content is on only one page. To see all of it, just scroll. For example, see the web site: Parallax Scrolling Sites With a little bit of extra coding that tests the position of the viewport in relation to the top of the web page, you can create engaging animations called parallax scrolling sites: Responsive Web Sites One of the most important evolutions in web page design is that of responsive web sites. Responsive pages query the width of the browser window and change the layout of the page depending on whether it is viewed on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer display.

Example: the World Wildlife Fund website. Desktop Smartphone Tablet Conventions Conventions are concepts that don’t need to be explained to anyone, because (in theory) they should already be able to understand them. Internet Web pages make use of various conventions that go without saying, so I’ll say them anyway. The most successful sites incorporate their navigation grids along the top and left margins. Why?

Millions of people all around the world use different sized monitors. Web pages begin loading from the top-left corner, so if the navigation grid is placed on the right side or along the bottom, visitors with older, smaller monitors might not be able to navigate within the Web site, or they might have to scroll every time they need to change pages. It’s rather common to see navigation grids arranged along the top and left edges, but they’re like that for a reason. As an example, take a look at the Apple website: Notice the navigation bar along the top of the Apple.com Web site. It is based on the metaphor of the index tabs.

In a metal filing cabinet, you pull out a drawer and inside are horizontally stacked folders; only the little index tabs along the tops of the folders are visible. You grab a folder from its index tab, pull it up and it’s open. On Apple.com (and others) a row of index tabs across the top are really links to other parts of the Web site. When you click on an index tab, the reality is that the browser downloads and displays another page, but the illusion is that the page comes to the front of the stack. The index tab appears in a different color to let the visitor know what part of the Web site they are viewing.

This convention enables people to intuitively grasp this new technology because they are already familiar with filing cabinets. It also enables visitors to understand the scale of the site, and to keep track of where they’ve been and what they’ve yet to see. Another conventional technique used in Web sites is to repeat the site’s logo on the top left corner of every page in the site, and to link the logos to the site’s home page, the first page visitors go to when they type the site’s URL. The reason for this has to do with the popularity of search engines like Google and Yahoo. Typing in a search term in a search engine displays a list of results, which could potentially take visitors to pages buried deep within the destination Web site’s hierarchy.

Clicking on the logo in the top-left corner enables visitors to find their way around the site, by quickly going back to its home page. For example, let’s say Google took you to this page in CNN.com. A glance at the index tab navigation bar along the top reveals you are in the Politics section, but a quick click on the CNN logo on the top-left corner of the page takes you back to CNN’s home page. Perhaps you might be asked to work on Web sites one day. With the explosive growth of the Internet, the Web is touching all areas of advertising, newspaper and magazine publishing, news Web site publishing, public relations and streaming video production.

It’s almost mandatory nowadays for an entrant into these fields to possess skills in web design. Successful candidates will build their skills by reading books, taking workshops and learning as much as they can. Knowledge is what separates the successful candidate from his or her peers.

Paper for above instructions

Understanding the Evolution of Web Design: A Historical Perspective

Introduction

The Internet has radically transformed the way people access information, interact, and conduct business. Understanding its evolution is crucial for anyone involved in visual design for globalized media. This paper outlines the historical progression of web design, from ARPANet to modern responsive websites, emphasizing technological advancements, design transformations, and the user-centered approach important in today's design practices.

The Genesis of the Internet

The journey began in 1969 with ARPANet, a program initiated by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for military and scientific research. Initially comprising four computers, ARPANet employed packet-switching technology to ensure reliable data transmission even amidst network disruptions (United States Department of Defense, 2023). This pioneering effort laid the groundwork for modern-day Internet architecture but did not prioritize visual design; the interfaces were stark and utilitarian, with a monochromatic display of text characters.
In 1985, the National Science Foundation took over, expanding ARPANet into a broader network that invited hobbyists and educators, allowing them to communicate via email and access databases. While this era opened doors for information-sharing, the user interface remained rudimentary, emphasizing functionality over aesthetics (Naughton, 2022).

The Birth of the World Wide Web

The Internet's significant turning point occurred around 1990 when the World Wide Web emerged, allowing graphic design elements to flourish alongside text (Berners-Lee, 2010). With this inception, web pages began to incorporate multimedia, enhancing user experience dramatically. Flash animations, images, and enhanced text layouts became the norm, making the Internet accessible and appealing to a broader audience. Companies began providing Internet access, democratizing information sharing globally.
This revolution was bolstered by HyperText Markup Language (HTML), which provided a structured way to craft web pages. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) would soon follow, allowing designers to separate content from presentation, enhancing the visual experience for users. Thus began the transition from simple text pages to more interactive experiences on the web (W3C, 2023).

First Generation Web Pages: The Scientific Aesthetic

The initial web pages reflected their scientific and academic origins—they were text-heavy and often devoid of visual appeal. Content was presented in a linear format, resembling typewritten documents (Pant, 2021). Any additional media, such as images, were minimally integrated. A classic example is the "Monsters in Galactic Nuclei" page from the University of Texas, which epitomized this primitive aesthetic. The focus was on the delivery of information rather than engaging interfaces.
This lack of design sophistication posed challenges, as users were accustomed to traditional media formats that employed more structured layouts and appealing visuals.

The Shift to Second Generation Web Pages: Emulating Print

As the public embraced the Internet, the design ethos changed from purely functional to incorporating familiar visual structures of print media. Second-generation web pages began mimicking newspapers and magazines, featuring multiple columns and organized layouts to meet user expectations (Lentz, 2020). This paradigm shift marked the beginning of prioritizing design alongside functionality.
Prominent examples include popular news websites, which integrated banners, navigation bars, and grid layouts familiar from print media. The Miami Herald's website is a prime example of this trend, wherein the layout was methodically structured to facilitate easier navigation for users transitioning from traditional media (Mann, 2019).

The Third Generation: Multimedia Richness and Interactivity

With the advent of audiovisual technologies in the early 2000s, web pages transformed once again. The integration of technologies such as HTML5 and Adobe Flash allowed for enhanced user interactivity, leading to third-generation web pages rich in multimedia content (Kumar, 2019). This evolution ushered in a visually dynamic web, allowing brands like Nike to develop interactive advertisements and engaging platforms for customer interaction.
The focus shifted to user engagement, with an understanding that compelling visuals and interactive content could captivate audiences more effectively than traditional static designs.

Modern Trends: Long Scrolling and Parallax Designs

The rise of mobile devices catalyzed significant changes in web design, necessitating approaches advantageous for smaller screens. Long-scrolling and single-page layouts became prevalent, allowing users to engage with content more fluidly (Smith, 2021). This continuous scroll experience mimicked social media interactions, which were gaining popularity at the time.
Parallax scrolling emerged as a popular design element, creating depth and engagement by layering content that moves at different speeds as users scroll. This technique creates a more immersive experience reminiscent of video games, enhancing storytelling and user interaction (Harris, 2020).

Responsive and User-Centric Design

A critical advancement in web design style is responsive design, which adapts layouts dynamically based on the device being used—be it a smartphone, tablet, or desktop (Marcotte, 2010). This adaptability ensures a seamless experience across devices, significantly influenced by the increasing prevalence of mobile browsing.
Conventions also play a vital role in design, making interfaces more intuitive. Navigation grids are strategically placed for user-friendliness, reflecting an understanding of users' expectations based on visual logic derived from previous media (Goodwin, 2021). For instance, the placement of a logo linked to a homepage ensures visitors can easily navigate, epitomizing the importance of user-centered design elevated during the Internet's evolution.

Conclusion

The evolution of the Internet and web design has significantly impacted visual design strategies. From the utilitarian interfaces of ARPANet to the immersive and responsive designs of today's websites, the transformation underscores a continual adaptation to user behavior, technological advances, and aesthetic trends. As designers, embracing this history can enhance our understanding of current practices and guide modern visual design commitments to meet evolving user needs.

References

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