I would argue that the best designs are the ones that require the fewest alterations over time.
Wikipedia, craigslist, HN, StackOverflow, Indeed, GitHub/GitLab, etc. arguably all fairly consistent while many other e-commerce sites, forums, social networks, job sites and so on have been all over the place and still hideous now.
Yes, they've all had tweaks over the years but none have taken dramatic shifts or bent towards "trending UI paradigms" like "flat" or "brut" which frankly I've always found rather unnecessary on any website that requires you to interact with it.
The sites I listed above are all ones I enjoy using because there's no BS in my way, it's just efficient and quiet.
Well, I don't use craigslist — but if I needed to buy a VHS player, or wanted to find a cash-in-hand gig performing in an adult film, it would be my first port of call.*
Personal portfolio? Sure, design the shit out of it. Random blog or publication? Yeah go for it as long as the content is clear and consumable.
Forum? Shop/e-commerce? CMS/CRUD? Actual web app? Data tools? Anything that actually has to be used? Make it plain and bland, but make it work and work fast.
* Do not do this.
Wikipedia, craigslist, HN, StackOverflow, Indeed, GitHub/GitLab, etc. arguably all fairly consistent while many other e-commerce sites, forums, social networks, job sites and so on have been all over the place and still hideous now.
Yes, they've all had tweaks over the years but none have taken dramatic shifts or bent towards "trending UI paradigms" like "flat" or "brut" which frankly I've always found rather unnecessary on any website that requires you to interact with it.
The sites I listed above are all ones I enjoy using because there's no BS in my way, it's just efficient and quiet.
Well, I don't use craigslist — but if I needed to buy a VHS player, or wanted to find a cash-in-hand gig performing in an adult film, it would be my first port of call.*
Personal portfolio? Sure, design the shit out of it. Random blog or publication? Yeah go for it as long as the content is clear and consumable.
Forum? Shop/e-commerce? CMS/CRUD? Actual web app? Data tools? Anything that actually has to be used? Make it plain and bland, but make it work and work fast.
* Do not do this.