In today's web, the means of production lie in the hands of the few. We want to change that, and help create a more beautiful, diverse web.
We want to democratize access to the tools and knowledge required to build beautiful, well-coded websites, web apps, and — eventually — digital products of all kinds.
Building the web won’t be easy. It’s a rich, dynamic environment, and that means that the tools we build for it need to be complex.
We simplify web design and development not by removing functionality or limiting your vision, but by translating code’s abstractions into concrete visual effects.
In so doing, we get the artist as close as possible to the medium itself.
We will push the boundaries, and do things that weren’t possible before. We don’t think, “Is it going to be hard?”
We just do it.
–Sergie Magdalin, Chief Design Officer, Webflow
If the web is “dying” — if it’s being homogenized — it’s because too few people have the power to create on the web. With few creators comes a constrained vision. By empowering more people to create for the web, we can diversify not only what’s built, but how it’s built.
Our voice is that of a hip, professional fired up by their vision of democratizing design; making beautiful, usable products; and helping others find both the inspiration and power to make those products themselves.
We have a vision for how the design process should work, and want to get you on board with it, because we believe it’s the right way.
When it comes to our product, we’re confident and serious, but not stiff or distant. We care about our customers’ dreams and struggles. We’re not above sharing our excitement and cracking a joke now and again, especially on the blog, forums, and social media. Positive emoji and hilarious GIFs are right up our alley.
Everything we do at Webflow is about empowering our customers. It's not about the effort we put into building tools and features — it's what designers can do with those tools that matters.
We want to give you the tools and knowledge you need to build your vision — not to tell you exactly how to do it. When we provide tips and knowledge, it’s not that we believe it’s a matter of “this way and no other,” but “we believe this is the best way.”
When our customers encounter problems, we’re there, ready to help. We acknowledge their thoughts, opinions, and struggles, but don’t just blindly adopt their stance. Because we have a strong vision for the future of design, we’re not going to act on just any advice, negative reaction, or momentary trend. When we’re challenged on something, we respond intelligently, not with outrage.
We know the web design world inside and out, and we’re ready to share that knowledge wherever and whenever we think it’s useful. We’ve always got an authoritative reference at our fingertips, and we’re happy to share it.
Everything from our product’s feature set to our content marketing should be designed not to sell people on us, but to give them something useful and empowering. Yeah, we want you to upgrade and host with us, but only if it’s right for you.
Like our product, our content should always aim to simplify the complex. With that in mind, always use the shortest, most well-known word (i.e., say go, not navigate). Limit your use of adjectives, adverbs, and jargon. And always use the active voice — instead of saying "SEO settings can be updated in the Pages panel," say "You can update your page's SEO setting in the Pages panel."
Every website combines content, code, and design. The best websites consider how all three can work together to the greatest effect throughout the design process.
Content and functionality should be the focus of any digital product, but it takes careful, considered design thinking to present those things in the best light. The end results of such efforts should be available to anyone, on any device, regardless of location, ability, or wealth.