My personal philosophy of web design is: "Keep It Simple".
I try to develop a design that enhances the site, but doesn't dominate it. Web sites should be simple for all types of viewers to use, very easy to navigate, and allow the user to find information and products they are looking for quickly.
A good web design should focus on usability. I strive to create designs that are clean, elegant, timeless, yet catch the viewer's attention. Web design must stay abreast of all the latest tools and information. However, all the new "toys" shouldn't be allowed to overwhelm a good design or hinder the viewer's ability to travel through your site.
I suggest avoiding the fads that quickly go out of style and focus on what matters most to the customer. Many viewers dislike the use of Flash introduction pages on web sites. The most used button on the internet is the "Skip" button. Remember, just because you can do a new, catchy feature on your site, doesn't always mean you should.
Color is a huge factor in designing the perfect website. Color project moods and thought even before the eyes focus on the text. (For additional information on color and color combinations, click here.)
Neutral Colors
Black, Brown, White and Grey are neutral colors.
Black means power, elegance and sophistication.
Brown means stability, earth, hearth and home. It can also be considered a warm color.
White is for purity and cleanliness.
Grey is conservative. It symbolizes security, reliability, and maturity.
Warm Colors
Red, Yellow, and Orange are warm colors.
Red implies power and gets attention. Red is the symbol for passion and fire.
Yellow means warmth and bright sunshine. However, Yellow is the hardest color on the eyes. I try to only use it as an accent color.
Orange conjures up visions of Halloween, fall, Thanksgiving, pumpkins, creativity, as well as trust.
Cool Colors
Purple, Blue and Green are cool colors.
Dark Purple is generally associated with royalty, and lavender with romance. A combination of red and purple symbolizes creativity.
Blue is calming, bring up images of the sea and sky. It signifies intelligence and trust.
Color Combinations
Be careful when selecting color combinations. The wrong colors can confuse the eye and make your site unappealing. Such as bright blue with hot pink text. Can you read the line below?
This is very difficult to read.
Or, you can find that other color combinations are quite easy on the eyes.
While this combination is not so bad.
Most websites built today have some sort of enhancements on them. Flash, animation, moving text, music, slideshows, blinking text or lights, rollover navigation (changes color or form), etc. While a little animation can enhance a site, a lot it will make site a total disaster!
Blinking, Moving, Flashing Animation
While many sites today have some part of them animated, remember that motion attracts the eye. Do you want your viewers to watch your animation or read what you have to say? I have placed a very simple slide show on my home page, as an example of my ability.
BROWSERS TO DESIGN FOR
Although over the last year or so FireFox (approx. 45%) has replaced Internet Explorer 7 (approx. 27%) as the most used browser. It is best to design for both of these. Each has different ways of interpreting HTML, so before going online with a site, I like to check the design in both browsers for viewing and java errors.
I do not design for viewing in the remaining browsers (approx. 28% combined total) like old versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Chrome, or any version of Netscape. The viewing statistics for these browser simply do not support the time and expense to my clients for me to do so.
The previous design rules were to design sites to display no wider than 800 pixels as most viewers monitors were set to the 800x600 screen resolution. However, in recent years, with the introduction of less expensive wide screen and flat panel monitors this too is changing. The current statistics now show that now only about 8% of viewers use the 800x600 setting. While most viewers now use the 1024x768 setting (at 48%), there is good number that are using higher settings (38%), myself included. I view at 1280x1024.
Basically, the higher the screen resolution (1280x1024) the more you will see on the monitor although the elements and fonts will be more at a distance or smaller in size. The larger the screen resolution (800x600) the less background area you will see on the monitor and the larger the elements and fonts will be in your monitor.
What does this actually mean in terms you can understand? Most sites are designed to scroll up and down - that is a given. But, most sites are also designed so that they DO NOT scroll side to side. If you are viewing a website and cannot see the whole page on your screen, there will be scroll bars for you to move the site from right to left. This means that the site was designed in a larger width that your monitor is set for. Generally, this is not an inconvenience you want your visitors to go through, hence the reason for designing in the smaller width.
While I still advocate using the 800 pixel width, especially if that is the setting you use on your monitor, I will design in larger widths if requested.
