Web design is a skill and occupation that utilises a number of separate and interrelated computer disciplines. Web design can be defined as the act of creating web content, that is normally published via the World Wide Web and accessed through browsers and other dedicated Internet applications.  There are a number of ways to design web content and services, many of which utilise dedicated web design software titles and packages.  The number of separate disciplines involved in web design mean that a number of software applications may be used together, although some of the larger titles are able to perform a lot of the work within a single software environment.

Some of the disciplines that are involved in webdesign include graphic design, computer programming, animation, writing, search engine optimisation (SEO), interaction design, and information architecture.  It is common for professionals to perform each of these individual disciplines in their own dedicated software environments, and then to put together the results in a specialised website designer software application such as Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage.  The range of information technologies, computer languages, and file formats needed for comprehensive web design mean that only the largest software titles are able to act as an all-in-one solution.

A quick look around at some of the websites on the Internet will show you a huge range of different designs and approaches to web development.  Traditional web design utilised HTML and other markup languages such as XHTML and XML.  Subsequent evolutions to online design have incorporated a number of new languages and software tools, such as cascading style sheets (CSS);  client and server side scripting tools like Javascript and PHP;  database technology such as MySQL;  and a number of multimedia technologies that provide video, audio, and animation integration.  New dynamic content management systems (CMS) are separating content and design from the websites themselves, by using a ‘placeholder’ type of system that allows for a new level of user interaction.

No-one knows for sure what is in store for the future of Internet design and development, although current trends are towards new levels of interaction, dynamism, and multimedia integration.  As the Internet continues to grow in both size and scope, new software tools are sure to come along, and old tools will be revised to include new technologies and protocols.  Any web design software that is going to compete in the future market will need to use as many of these new technologies as possible in order to stay relevant.