Graphic design has been likened to a wine glass. When we drink wine we barely notice the glass it’s served in. It’s the same with graphic design: people absorb the messages that graphic designers use their skill, training and ingenuity to make, yet rarely stop to think how the message is constructed or how it affects the viewer.
This is a great analogy for graphic design. And, of course the same can be said good web design.
For me this also crystallises what I consider to be the difference between ‘design’ and ‘decoration’. It’s the reason that I contend that ‘fashion design’ and ‘interior design’ are less exacting disciplines than ‘product design’ and user interface design’.
