Web design is the design of web pages, websites and web applications. The term also refers to web-based graphical user interface (GUI) design using images, CSS, and one of the HTML standards.

Some people distinguish between "web design" (the graphics and user interface design) and web development, which includes "web design" as well as web server configuration, writing web applications, dealing with security issues, etc.

At first, web design utilized a simple markup language, called HTML, that included some

formatting options and the ability to link pages together using hyperlinks. It was this feature that distinguished the Web from other communication media and Web design from other design disciplines. The unique characteristics of the World Wide Web and the unique behaviour it encouraged in users made Web design unlike any previous form of design.

As the Web and web design progressed, the markup language used to make it, known as Hypertext Mark-up Language or HTML, became more complex and flexible. Things like tables, which could be used to display tabular information, were soon subverted for use as invisible layout devices. With the advent of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), table based layout is increasingly regarded as outdated. Database integration technologies such as server-side scripting (see CGI, PHP, ASP.NET, ASP, JSP, and ColdFusion) and design standards like CSS further changed and enhanced the way the Web was made.

The introduction of Macromedia Flash into an already interactivity-ready scene has further changed the face of the Web, giving new power to designers and media creators, and offering new interactivity features to users. Flash is much more restrictive than the open HTML format, though, requiring a proprietary plugin to be seen, and it does not integrate with most web browser UI features like the "Back" button.