| |
| |
|
Elements of Graphic Design for Your Website
We've all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make you cringe as soon as they load. But how do you keep your website from becoming, well, ugh. You could hire a professional web designer, and that's expensive, or maybe you already hired a professional, or someone who claims to be professional, and you don't like what they're doing with your site. It all comes down to the K.I.S.S. principle; keep it simple stupid. And you're probably asking well what does this really mean for web design. Here are some basic graphic design/web design principles that you can use on your site: 1. Background, be careful what color you use for the background of your site. Yes I know that you're trying to get noticed, but really they've already decided to look at your page so why does it have to be orange? Seriously though, consider how long you want people to be on your site, half an hour, one hour, more? Whatever the time chose your background color and then sit in front of your computer and stare at it, for awhile. Is the color easy to look at? Difficult? Does it make your eyes water? Does it make you calm? If you can look at the color for about fifteen minutes without a problem you're okay. 2. Text, related to the above be careful what text color you use. Follow the rules above for determining a text color. It should be easy to read, and look at. 3. Font, no more that three fonts on the entire website. I mean that! A big mistake that I see a lot of times is the use of more than three different fonts, it get's hard to read no matter how neat you think it looks. 4. Font size, no more that three font sizes either. Now I don't mean three font sizes for each of the three fonts you've chosen. I mean no more than three fonts with a total of three sizes throughout the entire site, and if you can get by with less even better. It will simplify your site. 5. Scrolling, this is a big one literally. I've been on too many sites where I had to scroll down so far that my computer beeped at me. This is really important on your main page. Keep it very sparse, generally any information that someone has to scroll more than one full page down for will not be read. This is only a start of course but it's a start and it is on these issues that I see so many problems. Always remember that simplicity is best. Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal About The Author Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Create A Web Site That Builds Trust If someone doesn't know you personally, will they trust you enough to do business with you just by visiting your web site?Most people view organizations - and web sites - they don't know with great skepticism. Given all the identity theft and viruses running around, people are understandably cautious and somewhat skeptical when they go to a new web site. How to Choose a Website Design Company The internet is full of web design companies pleading for your business. They all look great! Not sure which company to select? By following these simple steps, you'll be able to select the perfect designer for your business. Top Ten Ways to Increase Web Sales - Part 1 You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer. Your Web site visitors don't care about you. Dont Overdo it! Have you ever been to site with so much ad clutter that you wanted to just leave? Odds are you have, and odds are even better that you did in fact leave! Always refer back to the KISS philosphy. Keep It Simple Stupid!1. Professional Web Design Companies - How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off Building a website that is exactly what you want and has all of the components you believe will impress customers is not easy. Your website needs to make searching and buying as easy as possible for your visitors and sometimes it is best to seek help on your website design. What You Should Ask a Web Designer Before You Hire Him You've thought about it and you're ready to go. You're ready to give your business an online presence. Successful Websites Don't Set Out To Sell What are websites? Are they sales tools for vendors and service providers, or are they electronic guidance for potential customers? Put simply, are you selling or are you helping?Your answer to this question may determine the success of your website. So think carefully?How we define what a website is all depends on which side of the fence we're on. The Most Important Question To Ask About Your Web Site! When you design a website how do you start ?Do you start with the banner graphics at the top, or the order page or maybe the sales letter ?All of those are areas that have to be created but they're really not the place to start.The place to start is by answering one simple question about your site. Can a Webpage Created Without HTML? The HTML editor is usually a webpage design software that has a GUI(graphic user interface) which makes it easier to design a webpage using the File Menus. This is good for the non-programmers and non-technical people. Very Cheap Website Design Services Are you looking for somebody to build you a website, however do not have a very large budget? This is the position many people find themselves in and are on the lookout for very cheap web design services.There are companies out there or people who are just starting out in a career building websites who to start with will often offer their services at a very reasonable rate, basically to build up a portfolio. What Your Website REALLY Says About You And Why It Matters Everything you say and do says something about you. This has never been more true than in a text based environment like the Internet. Website Polls For You And Your Visitors Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple and many times just as beneficial, for two main reasons. One, they let you create a more interactive website for your visitor. Web Design for Dictators No question about it, web design is an art. Finding the right blend of style and usability is a delicate balance that few, if any, fully master. If Content is King who is Queen? It's been said again and again, when it comes to getting people to visit your site (and stay there for more than 5 seconds), the quality of your content rules supreme. But once you've bowed to interest, saluted relevance and kow-towed to originality, who else must you pay homage to for recognition in the court of website stickiness?The two jewels in the crown of Presentation, for it is of course Presentation who is Queen, are structure and graphical design. Why Not To Use Web Design Templates For Your Website In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a business may be tempted to take the "more convenient" route in launching a website - buying a template and customising it.Website design templates are like off-the-shelf websites and are targeted at people who believe that launching their own, unique and differentiated website is costly and time consuming, which need not be the case. Choosing A Color Scheme When you begin the design of your Web site, one of the first things you need to do is decide on a color scheme. Although choosing colors seems like a relatively easy proposition, it's not easy at all. Do You Hate Your Website? Web Site Sales To Hit $316 Billion Over The Next 6 Years What dollar amount does your web site contribute to this $316 billion dollar trend?Have you spent thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands on your web site only to discover that it attracts more flies than customers?Do you hate your web site, your web developer or your entire IT department?Do not despair! You are not alone!A great web site is crucial in order to effectively communicate to a business's target audience. It is important for Chief Executives and small business owners to pay close attention to the effect that their web site has on their business. How To Design A Web Site I'm not a professional web site designer and openly admitthere is a lot that I don't know. But if you're a beginnerI probably know more than you do, so listen up. Good Web Design - What Is It? There is unlimited possibilities when it comes to designing a website. Flash, Database, content management, Client Login, etc,etc. To Flash, or Not to Flash When considering whether or not to incorporate Flash into your website, you must also consider the target market you are trying to reach.For instance, a website which serves as a depository for articles and information catering to lawyers would probably not be a good candidate for a Flash "makeover".
|
| home | site map |
| Webdesign-box © 2006 |