Web Design Struggles
23 Feb 2023The first thing people see when using an online service is their website. To make a good first impression, the site should at least look decent. But if you’re not an expert in graphic design, or actually have no idea what you’re doing, where do you start? That’s where UI Frameworks come into play, as well as the convenience associated with them.
Graphic design is (not) my passion
I’ve designed web sites with pure HTML and CSS before. It was fine, actually, if a bit tedious. The hardest part, personally, was picking out colors and fonts. When I tried out Bootstrap, thinking that it’d somehow revolutionize my opinion on site-designing, I was surprised to discover I felt the similarly as to when I’d gone without it – the process just went along faster. Granted, it was super useful, but didn’t really help my color theory issue. I also found that learning how to use it was a slight challenge in and of itself.
Tools of the Trade
In practice, pure HTML/CSS is like using a thread and needle, while Bootstrap is like busting out the sewing machine and letting it do its thing.
Bootstrap certainly does deliver a lot of good things to the table. Much like a sewing machine, it can cut down the time to make a website by a drastic amount, which is useful when you’re on a tight deadline. Plus, its default templates are easy on the eyes and match the sleek, modern aesthetic popular amongst big-name websites today. Many popular sites have utilized Bootstrap, showing its use in the industry.
Screenshot of Etsy, a site made with Bootstrap.
However easy Bootstrap is to use, however, there are still areas it struggles in. Bootstrap websites can end up looking somewhat same-y if you look at a lot of them. It makes sense – the framework delivers easy-to-implement templates at the cost of customization. To follow up on the sewing metaphor, it lacks the sort of detailing achievable with a thread and needle. If you want to customize things pre-defined by Bootstrap a certain way, it’s harder and more confusing to do so versus if you had just written it yourself.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Bootstrap is a convenient way to make good-looking websites, at a slight cost of customization. Despite its utility, it can’t instantly teach you color theory or graphic design. It can give you tools, but you cannot substitute tools for knowledge of aesthetics. That being said, unless you’re designing for an art museum or the like, it’s more than enough to get you started.