Web design is a comprehensive field that integrates various skills, including web graphic design, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, and coding, to produce and maintain websites with a focus on client-side aesthetics and functionality, alongside usability and accessibility. The World Wide Web was proposed by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 and launched between 1991-1993, initially consisting of simple text-only HTML pages. Significant early developments include the 1993 Mosaic browser, which pioneered graphical elements, and the formation of the W3C in October 1994, which established common web protocols to ensure interoperability and prevent proprietary control.
The "browser wars" of 1996-1999, primarily between Netscape and Microsoft, dramatically accelerated web design's evolution, leading to the widespread adoption of technologies like Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript, and Dynamic HTML. This rapid competition and standardization transformed the web from fragile, text-heavy structures into the dynamic, visually rich, and interactive experiences integral to modern daily life.