Why Digital Design Agencies are the Forerunners of the Digital Age
December 10th, 2012
The digital age, is also known as the computer or information age. Following the
industrial revolution, the economy developed into an information society where data was being manipulated. The evolution of this led to the digital age where micro-miniaturisation and technology became prevalent in our daily lives. The information age influenced networking and accelerated global communications, shaping contemporary society. All of which proceeded from the Internet in 1969 that was designed to connect a network of computers and ensure the survival of information via re-routing, if any points were disabled. Initially it was created by DARPA – The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, accountable for the military technologies within the US Department of Defense. It began focusing on emails and file transference, until it merged in 1991 with the World Wide Web. Having been invented in 1989 by British Scientist Tim Berners-Lee and Belgian informatics engineer and scientist Robert Cailliau, the internet was created as a global platform. This is where websites now reside to impart information on a vast array of subject matter, ranging from business promotion to e-commerce. Digital design agencies are responsible for the design and development of such websites, mobile applications and other digital interfaces. Already leading the digital generation in online technology with the accessibility of data, they are forerunners in the computer age as older forms of media become obsolete.
In the world of user experience, design, digital products, multiple services and web apps follow suit. Technology in the digital age involves interactive, visual and industrial design. Consensus building, project management and user research, are all required to produce a desirable product or service. Some of the challenges the design business helps find solutions for include interface creations and enterprise web applications. Social media and educational technology are exiguous examples of the benefits from the digital age. The integration of new technology with various practises is fostering innovation, such as the evolution of coding frameworks. Additionally, the widespread usage of mobile phone applications has begun to influence how designers and developers incorporate the smart phone user experience in to websites. In turn, the potential of emerging technologies and their effect on online sites during the digital age, has begun to transform the tools available for education, encouraging the growth of every individual who applies themselves to learn from the work of digital design agencies. The harvesting of knowledge within the online community in new and different ways, combines the shared visions, goals and beliefs committed to improving the cybernated future. Websites (in the form of social media or other), present creative strategies that function for the user to profit from auto didacticism. Design agencies brainstorm with clients to present their augmented reality as best as possible.
“What’s more is that the very notion of our actions, our endeavours and especially our mistakes, being perfectly archived is somewhat terrifying to say the least, no matter what level of accepted virtue or morality we may possess. There is a stronger sense of urgency to obtain success and well-being in these modern times. People are more intellectually engaged than ever before, because of the Internet.”
~ Lallana, Emmanuel C. and Margaret N. Uy, The Information Age
With future generations being nurtured on technology and thriving on media, it’s clear that digital tools have become the most efficient means of engagement. Information is now delivered via multi-media, visual imagery and simulations. Currently the most cherished digital device amongst consumers is their mobile phone. As the most recent smart phones run on advanced computer operating systems, it is no surprise that websites and mobile applications shape everything that we view and use. Whether this means wireless internet, integration with retailers, businesses and brands all of which are mobile optimised, the digital impact this has on society is highly influential to say the least. The monopoly of iPhones, iPads, Android phones, tablets, game consoles, smart televisions and other smart phones amongst consumerism, is a sign of the times. The excessive use of social media and computer technology are evidence of the evolving possibilities in the market. Future-proof web strategies for businesses, high quality graphic design solutions and intelligent creativity, are factors that attribute to leadership of computer based companies in the digital age. The value of such service can generate a measurable return on investment.
Design agencies in particular, are responsible for the aesthetics and functionality of virtual products. As with any invention, the mastermind behind the creation requires design. Digital multi-media has become a phenomenon due to its ability to disseminate information, connect people rapidly and evolve thinking of new ways to use technology. The progress of such technical knowledge means that its uses and forms of presentation will change, whilst remaining a major component in the present lives of technology communities and global ones. When harnessing the power of social media tools, it is also building momentum in the digital arena. Present and future generations embrace the creations of digital design agencies as they facilitate transformation. These computational resources lend to collaboration, sustainable reform, company development, personal growth and the strategic partnership between clients.
The web, social networking and digital tools for the computer age, allow us to chronicle our lives and businesses meticulously. The programmed landscape and the software that is integrated into our existence have become unparalleled for internet users. Network intelligence is revolutionising the way society communicates exponentially. In the philosophy of business, digital design agencies provide sustainable innovation that executes their client’s criteria to inform their target market. The popularity of meme making, gaming and digital arts, galvanises the design of websites. Netizens that are born into an environment that is the digital era or has manifold access to virtual worlds, have a higher propensity towards processing information technology. Human intelligence has been greatly enhanced via digital media manifesting thoughts that are voiced through screens. Humans are on the verge of crossing the lines between the imaginary and the digital. The symbiosis between our minds (the human computer) and (CPU – central processing unit) the brain of synthetic computers, allows the merging of worlds where heavy duty technology and compatible software, shape enterprises. This initiative dovetails with the broader goal of supporting all communities. Computer literate users illuminate the extraordinary possibilities of the future, in the age of technology where the interaction between man and machine is rampant.
“From the start, the World Wide Web has been a vessel of quasi-religious longing. And why not? For those seeking to transcend the physical world, the Web presents a readymade Promised Land. On the Internet, we’re all bodiless, symbols speaking to symbols in symbols. The early texts of Web metaphysics, many written by thinkers associated with or influenced by the post-60s New Age movement, are rich with a sense of impending spiritual release; they describe the passage into the cyber world as a process of personal and communal unshackling, a journey that frees us from traditional constraints on our intelligence, our communities, our meager physical selves. We become free-floating netizens in a more enlightened, almost angelic, realm.”
~ Nick Carr, From The Amorality of Web 2.0
Some design agencies are just web-based, whereas others incorporate print as well. Also online sites that attract the most traffic like Wikipedia, have to ensure they continue to maintain and improve their service for visitors. Digital design agencies find different solutions for all of them, whether it is e-commerce or social media plug-ins for Twitter, Facebook, Linked In etc. The challenge lies in there being so much competition, that the goal becomes orientated towards standing out via exercising innovation. The only limitation is the tools currently available such as coding languages. However, in creating and manufacturing websites and other digital platforms, agencies should aspire to be leading visionaries. Here at Digital Mosaic, the depths of our creativity not only yield projects where art mirrors life and vice versa but also informs audiences of what futuristic possibilities could exist, with the improvement of appearance and performance. Some examples include our online recruitment websites for Pizza Express and Kraft Foods, where we pushed boundaries using Html5, CSS and jQuery.
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