Common Web Design Sins

The World Wide Web has changed the way we communicate with each other throughout the world. The great thing about this, is anyone is authorized to build a website and share his or her talents, opinions or wares. Sadly though, not every person who creates a website has an eye for design and many amateur sites have committed the same four sins or design faux pas.

Font-a-Palooza

Typography snobs are a bit of a laughingstock in some circles, but proper font choice is a subtle but vital part of graphic design. At a time when word processors such as Microsoft office, with their endless graphical options, became available to the public, everyone wanted to create their own "unique" design statement. Courier New evoked an old typewriter; if you wanted to make things fun, you could always throw in a little Curlz MT. Not only were these funky fonts distracting, but they looked unprofessional and completely out of place; they made the websites look cheap and were difficult to read. Is there anything more sinful than using one horrible text font? A dozen differing fonts whimsically strewn about the page. Going font crazy was a clear sign that the website owner had no idea what he or she was doing.

Clashing Colors

When designing a website, even the most basic page, you're certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to design elements. There are hundreds of colors to choose from for the font, the background, the hyperlinks, and many other elements. How often have we seen a website that is totally unreadable due to colors that are too similar in hue, or so bright that you need polarized sunglasses to view it. Worse yet, if they chose to use a different color for every letter of their headings, creating a rainbow effect. Even if you do have every hue at your fingertips, it doesn't dictate that you have to use every one of them in your web design.

Speaking of Background Faux Pas...

Everyone has pictures that they love. However, taking that image and making it into a tiled background is one of the worst sins of them all. These sins aren't just limited to backgrounds and images either: looping background music was a horrendous assault on the eardrums of unsuspecting web surfers.

Clip Art? How Original

So you're a web user, struck with a sudden burst of inspiration for a website of your very own. You're seized with the anxiety that if you don't get this idea out on the Internet by the end of the day, it will be too late. So you leap into action: choosing colorful text and finding the perfect back drop, ready to proudly announce your existence to a waiting public. You're looking for a few images to liven up the page and you discover that your computer has a massive clip art file that reflects every idea and concept you want to portray on your webpage. But everyone has seen that clip art thousands of times; it smacks of an amateur rush job, instead of a website with some investment and thought put into it.

It's a relief to know that many of these sins no longer occur on modern websites, although there are still a few DIY sites out there that didn't get the memo on updated web design techniques. If you're setting out to create a website of your own today, take a cue from the professionals: take advantage of design templates available from Wordpress, or keep your design choices simple - the KISS principle does apply. The users on your site will appreciate it.

Together with his design team, Gary Klingsheim, of Moonrise Media, is dedicated to providing distinctive web design services for clients from all areas; creating stunning Social Network, Mobile, E-Commerce websites as well as providing Web App Development, Managed Website Hosting and more. Join  Gary Klingsheim on Quora  to learn more about web design, online marketing and more.

The Future of Web Design

Web designing has undergone dramatic changes during the last few years owing to the evolution of technology and fast changing user preferences. Web designers who have not updated themselves with the latest changes face the risk of their skills growing obsolete. The fact is that in order to survive in the web design industry, a designer needs to keep himself tuned with the current trends. Knowing what to expect in the future will help you be prepared for it.

HTML 5

When HTML 4 was introduced, it brought a lot of positive changes in terms of design convenience as developers were allowed to use specialised fonts while creating text. HTML 5 brings the promise of a better tomorrow with advanced features like canvas elements, API, Geo elements location, audio and video tagging as well as rag and Drop functions. In fact, a recent IT survey has proved that nearly 45% of web users have already begun using HTML 5 compatible browsers.

WebGL

Web based Graphic library is a recent technological feat, which is yet unknown to many web developers. WebGL is actually an extension of the graphics library that transforms the JavaScript into a super enhanced programmable language, which has the capacity to generate high level graphics. These graphics allow the end user to experience an interactive session if the web browser is compatible to the GPU of the card. For a more detailed understanding of WebGL, check out Chrome Experiments.

CSS3

For years, CSS3 has been an important tool connected to website layout, web design presentation and font styling. Traditionally, CSS3 has been criticised for having a lot of limitations in terms of editing font styles and creating customised text boxes. The new version of CSS3 has brought a slew of advanced features and font customisation solutions to the table. Some of the new features include animations, box transformations, transitions and shadows.

The uncertain future of Flash

Adobe flash has been considered one of the biggest tools for web designers for quite some time now. However, recent prediction in the web designing world says that the popularity of Flash is set for a major decline. Still other technology experts argue that Flash will probably continue to exist with altered modalities. Whatever Adobe does to resolve this issue, web designers specialising in Flash need to upgrade their skills fast.

Responsive Web Design Importance

Essential factors to keep in mind for responsive web design importance

Web design is a very important factor that ensures a perfect web presence of a company in the virtual world. But a web design is of no use if it is not responsive. In order to have a responsive web design, several factors need to be kept in mind. Today, a lot of things need to be kept in mind when designing a website like designing it for multiple platforms. Designing solely for the purpose of a desktop or laptop is not enough these days. It is essential to keep in mind that regardless of the kind of browser or a device used by a user that is accessing the website, the website will translate without any hassles in an effortless manner.

The images that are used in a website should be flexible and they should be able to be resized automatically so that strategic use of images can be made. Since it is relatively tough to adjust and integrate images on the layouts of mobile, this factor needs to be kept in mind. You should also make sure, when you do use an image, that it is programmed in such a manner that it is not only resized but also fits in properly as per the limitations of a mobile layout.

Day by day, internet traffic on hand held devices like mobiles is increasing. As smart phones have become the trend of the modern times and it has helped people to stay connected every time by offering net connectivity, it has become all the more important to give heed to responsive web design. The norm that "one fit, fits all" is no longer existing. Everything is unique and a responsive web design approach has become important to be followed.

As we are all aware, in any site, the content plays a major role and this is the parameter that is affects the success of a site. Besides content, the experience of a user while navigating is another factor that needs to be kept in mind. This ease in navigation will help people to visit a site and go through the contents ultimately resulting in the success of a site. Using any preferred device, the user must be able to provide excellent user experience.

Today, users have understood the responsive web design importance and hence comprehensive labelling is also used. In order to fit the limited space in a mobile limit, the content is relatively compressed, sometimes the website contents get jumbled up and it is very difficult to decipher the letters. Search engine robots usually get confused in case of jumbled up content unlike human readers. In order to stay on a safer side, it is recommended by the experts to label the text and use subheadings extensively so as not to lose out on search engine rankings.
Moreover, regular monitoring and checking should be done so as to ensure web presence. Any glitches whatsoever should be smoothened and put it correctly.

http://www.epsilonium.com

I am an internet marketing executive. Also expert in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Strategies, SEO copy writing/editing, Keyword Research. I have interest in internet marketing, web design, web development security, health, business, auto motive area. I often write about the same topics.

http://www.epsilonium.com

Is Website Design an Art?

There is a sharp controversy among the artists, designers and experts: is good website design an art? To know it well, we should understand the difference between art and design? What are the characteristics that separate one from the other? Though, both the artists and designers create visual compositions, using the best of their knowledge, experience and expertise, but the purpose of their doing so is absolutely different.

Now let me discuss on these points:

1. Good art inspires and evokes emotion. Good design motivates.

A good artist starts painting on a blank canvas and keeps doing so until he can draw a complete picture of his feeling and thinking, taking the elements that he thinks would definitely help him sharing his feeling with the audiences in the most effective ways. An artist's intention is to build a strong emotional bond between him and his audience.

On the contrary, a designer's liberty is restricted by pre-assigned message, idea, action, and the purpose of making the design. He has a fixed point to start and end it. A designer's job is to discover something with the elements that already exist and serve specific purposes. His purpose is to motivate the audience to let them feel a desire for doing something like buying a product or using a service.

2. Good Art is interpreted. Good design is understood.

Art being a creation has no limitation. It cannot be circumscribed by any, definition, explanation and interpretation. Therefore people with different opinions, cultures, tastes, and levels of education explain an art-work in different ways and viewpoints.

Say for example, the great art-work Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci has been interpreted in many ways by the Romantics, Scientists and Skeptics. Scientists say that Mona Lisa's smiling is nothing but an illusion created by peripheral vision. Romantics say Mona Lisa is in love. Skeptics say nothing happens.

In contrast, the purpose of designing is to convey a message and motivate audience to do something. So a designer's sole purpose is to make people understand a message: what is the usefulness of his products or services.

3. Good Art Is a Taste. Good Design Is an Opinion.

Art is a taste that results in various opinions. Say for example, a piece of art seems to one good or bad depending upon his taste, liking and disliking. If he is a champion of modern art, a piece of traditional art will seem to him age old and obsolete.

Design, too, depends upon taste. But the difference is that a design is considered successful and good only when it can fulfill its purpose of motivating people for doing something.

4. Good Art Is a Talent. Good Design Is a Skill.

Art is a talent. It is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and expressed through drawings, paintings, sculpting by an artist. It is a natural ability and inborn-quality. It requires skill as well as talent. It cannot be taught.

But design is a skill that can be taught. It can be improved and developed by hard practice. Therefore, from the above discussion, we can easily come to the conclusion that design is not an art.

Web design being a significant part of design, it is not an art. An artist has the liberty to express the way he thinks. It may be a personal interpretation and subjective reaction of him. On the other hand, a designer has to reflect the way other people think. It is the objective-reflection of how his target people and his client will take. He is to fulfill the goal of building a website.

Suman Jalal
An Advance Learner and Modern Writer
Writes Articles On:
web design
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Web Design

Web design deals with the area of designing a good website and in the long run updating and maintaining. With the internet boom, every company wants to have an online footprint and a website is the best way to showcase one's skills and business and kindle the curiosity of potential customers.

The layout of a website depends on its functionality and use and hence what applies to one industry cannot be generalised to others. But at the same time, it is important to choose a good web design company to ensure that one's ideas are translated into reality and a friendly and positive image is created in the virtual world. In businesses where the customer base is worldwide, a website is the first gateway to showcase the reputation and capability of a company.

Every web page needs to be functional and aesthetic while at the same time being easy to navigate and comprehend. Content needs to be precisely written with good sentence structures and grammar to ensure that the viewer interest is not lost. It is easy to put in fancy visuals and have all the colours in the palette incorporated on a webpage but essentially, the message needs to be delivered. Incorporating SEO or search engine optimization ensures that the website is noticed by search engines and as the number of visits to a website increase, better are the chances of business expansion and reputation enhancement. Thus a good business needs a work of online art to showcase itself.

Web design companies need to be chosen carefully and the following points are some of the key indicators that can help you make a good choice.

• Experience in the business area
• Market reputation and promised capability
• Client Portfolio
• Responsiveness to requirements and demands
• Delivery time
• Latest project samples
• Proven track record in the given domain
• Company policies and client interaction procedures of the web design company
• Extent of services offered in case of future expansion
• Website maintenance & redesign services
• Cost effectiveness, efficiency and value for money

Thus when making a choice, one has to strike a judicious balance with one's own budget and requirements in mind. At the same time, the web design company must be capable of translating ones vision with minimum supervision and guidance since frequent discussions take a toll of valuable time.

Some companies have made patented software so that the clients can communicate their requirements effectively. Through this program, the clients can decide the basic content and layout of the website. Everything right from the number of tabs and pages required to the type of design, animation etc. Thus a fairly accurate idea of the client requirements is got without any hassles. Once the requirements are got, work begins earnestly towards finalising the design. Using this kind of advanced technologies has helped companies cover greater distance within a short time under all weather conditions!! After the initial design, client meetings are held and real time testing carried out to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

The best way to attract traffic to your website is by using a good SEO (search Engine Optimising) provider in your city who has a good reputation. SEO is not merely adding keywords but also deals with enhancing the content and capture the imagination of the readers.

Thus it requires a basic understanding and a keen attention to detail all along the process of website development. With the internet growing up to the next generation, the sky is truly the limit to what one can achieve in the online world.

Top Web Design Mistakes You Must Avoid

As you use the internet, you probably notice that some websites just aren't attractive. While quality web design isn't difficult, many website owners fail to achieve it. It's important to create a website that is user friendly. After all, you want to keep visitors coming back. A poorly designed site will quickly drive visitors away. To ensure you design your website the right way, here is a look at some of the top website design mistakes you need to avoid.

Mistake #1 - Providing Poor Navigation

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid when designing your website is providing poor navigation. If visitors are unable to get around your site easily, they probably will simply leave and find another website. Good navigation can actually keep visitors on your website longer. While you want to keep navigation simple, it needs to be very effective as well. Go with navigation that is user friendly, since it can actually make or break your site.

Mistake #2 - Making Visitors Wonder Where They've Landed

Don't make visitors wonder where they've landed. Each page on your site should clearly show visitors that they are on your website. This is especially important when visitors land on pages without first coming to your home page. Make sure every page links back to your home pages as well.

Mistake #3 - Very Long Pages

Very long scrolling pages are another big mistake to avoid when working on web design. Most users aren't going to want to keep scrolling unless they really think there is something good below. It's a good idea to split up pages if you can. If splitting the page won't work, make sure you have navigation and content options at the top of the page to make it easy to navigate through the long page.

Mistake #4 - Slow Download Times

People today don't have a lot of patience. They want to get the information needed quickly. This means that slow download times are going to be costly. If your website takes a long time to load, most visitors will simply leave and find another website that meets their needs. This means that you need to focus on fast download times when working on your site's website design. This can be done by reducing image file sizes and by limiting the number of images used on each page of your site.

Mistake #5 - Including Too Many Ads

Visitors don't come to your site to see the ads. While ads offer you a great way to earn money, they can be distracting to visitors. Using ads is fine, but make sure you concentrate your designing efforts on the content of the site, not on the ads. Make sure you have a good balance between your content and the ads you include on your pages.

Mistake #6 - Failing to Update Information

Last, failing to update information is another big web design mistake you must avoid. Visitors don't like seeing information that is already outdated on your website. This means you need to review and modify your website regularly to avoid giving people information that is outdated.

Creating an appealing website is important. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can make sure you create an excellent website that is easy for visitors to use and enjoy.