MAD in... Webdesign

I've been blabbering about how M.A.D is part and parcel of everyday life. But, what about something more related to the creative industry?

Thought I'd start with webdesign (since it's something that I've had my nose in a couple times). How is M.A.D integrated into designing a simple, say, blogskin?

Well, let's first talk about the process of designing a blogskin.

You come up with a theme for your blog (or maybe you based the theme something you've created). From the theme, you conceptualize which parts of the blog goes where, and what content should be given a space on the skin. After you've decided what content is in and what is out, you proceed to lay the skin (ie. Layout of the blogskin). After you do the layout, you would either apply it to your own blog, or upload it onto, say, blogskins.com and hope that viewers like your blogskins and download them.


Now, let's split up the elements:

1. Design - the skin itself, the layout of the skin

2. Marketing - the conceptualization of the theme and what content is in, what content is out.

3. Advertising - uploading it onto a portal for others to view and download.

Now, what about if you use it on your own blog?

Chances are, if you use it on your own blog, you want to achieve:

1. Visual Appeal
2. Drive more traffic to your blog
3. Possibly some comments from viewers on how well done the skin is.

Knowing what you want to achieve is equivalent to Marketing. After you've applied the skin, you'd probably blast out to your friends, "Hey! I've just changed my blogskin! Go take a look!" That's Advertising.

So you see? Even in the simplest, and non-profit, design, M.A.D comes into play, whether you realise it or not.

Posted by: Vivienne, Programme Executive, School of Communication + Design