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Posts Tagged ‘Graphic Design’

Getting Started On Web Design

June 10th, 2010 Adriana Noton No comments

Many people out there think that web design is really hard. After all, there are thousands of programs out there to create web pages and millions of people going to expensive colleges every year just to learn all about web sites! However, things are not nearly as hard as you would think.

The first thing a good site has is good content. People visit web pages for what is on the page, not how the page looks. Ger out some paper and start listing things you would like on your web site. Things like “links”, “About me” and “Home” are always good starting points.

Once you know what you want on your web site, it is time to start organizing! People like it when it’s easy to tell what is where but do not like a flood of links to click. If several similar things go together, it usually is OK to put them on the same page. For example, “About me” could also tell your hobbies and favorite music instead of having separate pages for your music, your hobbies and you.

Once you have all your information narrowed down to a few nice pages, it’s time to design your layout. The three keys are visibility, ease of use, and compatibility. If you have those three things down, your site will be great.

Visibility is not about site popularity, it is about how easy it is to read things. Choose two contrasting complimentary colors for your site. Remember: the greater the difference in color shades the easier it will be to read! This is why colors like black and white work so well. Avoid using patterned backgrounds as it makes things hard to read.

People like it when a web page is easy to navigate so ease of use is important. All the important pain pages should be listed on a nice, clear menu that is featured in the same place on every single page. If you have any subpages linked off your main pages, a site map link added to the footer of each page is also a good idea.

The most important of the three concerns is compatibility. If they can not load your web page, they will not be able to enjoy it! Do not use things like flash or silverlight as they do not work on all browser or all operating systems and can crash slower computers. Also, check your web site across several browsers to make sure the code works well. Using W3C compliant code will generally help things out a lot.

Once you get down to the basics, web design is not very difficult. Just keep in mind the three keys of compatibility, visibility, and ease of use and organize your site well and you will be doing fine. Do not be afraid to make your own web page yourself. Give it a try and you may be very happy with the results.

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How To Utilize The Difference Between Web Design And Web Development Effectively

March 5th, 2010 Adriana Noton No comments

Many people are interested in using the Internet to promote their business. Knowing the difference between web design and web development is important because while the terms are often used in place of one another, they are two very different things. Being able to speak with the people who are creating your website and use the proper terms can help reduce misunderstandings and speed up the creation process.

You need to remember that web design and web development work together when creating a website. They are both part of the process that begins with a customer’s concept and ends with a well-built site that is easy for customers to use. A company that is good to work with will help guide you through the steps from beginning to end and can help deliver a beautiful website on time and on budget.

Web design has more to do with the way a site looks rather than how it works. All of the things that people look at from the style of type that is used to the color of the type itself is related to web design. As well, the placement of navigational buttons, the textures and colors of page backgrounds and even banners and logo positioning fall into this area of website creation.

You may think that a website that is simple may look plain but often it can look quite professional. When you are undergoing the web design portion of your site building, you should be able to give the designer an idea of what you like and what you do not. Often, a designer will give you mock-ups or samples of what your site will look like. You can then approve a design or refine what the designer is trying to do so that you get a site that you can be truly happy with.

Once the look of the site has been determined, the web development process begins. Unlike web design, the development process involves the programming that allows the site to function. It is important because a badly programmed site can actually load improperly. It may also make it difficult to incorporate items such as a shopping cart to allow the selling of products directly to clients directly from the site.

A site that uses good web development principles will load smoothly and without much delay. This is important because you want to make sure that your site will load quickly even on a slower Internet connection. Remember that not all clients have high-speed connections and the last thing you want is to lose clients because they are getting frustrated.

Experience is important when it comes to selecting the company that will create your site. If you can, make sure that you have one where there is both a designer and a developer on staff. This means that sound design principals can be used in order to make a beautiful looking site and the development staff can programming things properly so that everything works as it should.

The right company can mean the difference between a site which attracts customers and a site which can actually drive them away. By understanding the importance of both web design and web development you stand a better chance of getting that seamless and visually beautiful website you have always wanted.

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