Sunday, June 29, 2008

How To Properly Adhere To Web Design Practices

By Chris Channing

Building the best design out there isn't going to be easy. But in the process of practice and adhering to common design principles, web designers can get a good start on making their own unique designs. But before this can be done, there are guidelines in making a generally sound web layout.

Before all sorts of colors, tables, and shapes are created- the concept of the readability of a website needs to be learned. The reader of the website is the target here, and how well they can read the content is the goal that needs to be achieved. Common practice states that a 10 pixel font or higher is sufficient, but going for bigger fonts is always appealing to Internet users.

Being able to read a website may be the number one goal, but navigation is a close second. Navigation is an essential in today's standards, since it gives the Internet user an idea on what they can do and where they can go within the website they are viewing. Nifty little CSS menus with even niftier rollover effects can be created, but the average top or left navigation menu seen on most properly designed websites is usually sufficient.

Next is the factor is accessibility. Not everyone has the same tastes in web browsers. And in some cases, older computers will only run certain older versions of browsers. Because of this unfortunate aspect, designers need to code their web design layouts with multiple browsers in mind. Popular browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera- and it's generally best to make a website standardized in each and every one of them.

Once all the basics in standardization and readability are maintained, the act of being creative and reestablishing the norms becomes the next test. Using different palettes of colors, using new forms of shapes and blocks (The rounded rectangle box is a current favorite for web designers), and ultimately thinking of new ways to display information has become the measuring stick in how a web design project is rated.

Popularized web design tactics are still good to make use of, in spite of the fact that creativity and inspiring designs are important in obtaining. Most web design features that have become popular are popular for a reason, and keeping a few of them around won't do any harm. Most notably, the rounded text box and gradient usage of recent years is always a nice addition to any design.

In Conclusion

Coding and designing layouts is quite a profitable skill to have, but it will take time and effort to get to the skill level needed to do so for actual clients. And if the web design process is more of a personal gain situation, even more emphasis on creativity and inspiring designs is needed to make others take notice of one's creations. Either way, web design is a fun industry and learning more on the subject is highly recommended.

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