Designers should take content to heart

Paul Murphy makes a valuable point when he argues that designers need to take control of content (DW 16 May) – a possibility I described in Eye magazine over two years ago.

However, we should not expect all the editorial content on the web to be interesting just because it is there. I am sure the Nature site is of great interest to scientists, but for the rest of us it probably goes over our heads. That said, the Nineties will be remembered for its paucity of original ideas, and the web reflects this as much as print.

In fact, many design companies have already risen to Murphy’s challenge. WebMedia developed MovieWeb, On-line Magic produced the best election site with GE97, Hard Media is responsible for G-Spot and MetaDesign commissions the editorial for the Audi on-line magazine.

Designers will need to collaborate more with – and better understand – the skills of editors (and other disciplines) if we are to create a new discipline for a new medium; our understanding of the digital world puts us in a strong position from which to build.

Nico Macdonald

Design Agenda

London EC1