Friday, June 27, 2008

Tips For Excellent Web Design Practice

By Chris Channing

One of the biggest online industries right now is the web design industry- with its many demands to create the newest and biggest thing in awe inspiring websites. Web design may be a big industry, but it isn't the easiest to get a foothold in. In order to best "wow" the competition, there are a few practices to keep in mind.

The first concept to understand in web design standards is readability. This is something too many beginners forget about when trying to make an overly stunning design. Font sizes are generally accepted to be 12 pixels in height for maximum readability, and going higher never hurts. A contrasting font color that is readable against its background is also important for keeping visitors free of frustration.

Navigation is an aspect of web design that is a very close second to readability. Without proper navigation, a website will not provide the average Internet user with proper information on what they can access on the website. It isn't the 1990's anymore, and that just isn't acceptable! Pretty rollover effects and menus aren't a necessity, and the average navigation box is more than sufficient for most applications in web design.

How accessible a web design is to the user is another important factor that dictates how many Internet users can even access the website at all. Different web browsers use different engines to read how a website is coded. This means that how the website appears in one browser may be totally different in another. In some cases, it might not even render at all- meaning extra work needs to be done to standardize the design among multiple browsers.

How well one's creativity can flow is another important aspect that dictates how well a design is received. Using a wide range of colors, shapes, and different types of fonts can do wonders for a design project. Try to keep colors contrasted orr supplemented nicely, as "loud" and gaudy layouts are usually very good for readability as they are quite distracting. This remains to be a decision to the designer, however.

Lastly, it's a good idea to make use of previously popular web design tactics. Newer and better forms of web design options are great to engage in, but the popular forms of web design options have been made popular for a reason- they are visually appealing and they just work. Thus, it's always nice to conform to certain web design trends even if a unique look is desired. It isn't always so much as trying to create a unique design as it is trying to create a unique experience for the Internet user viewing it.

Final Thoughts

Web design is a very tough industry to get into. There are many aspects in design and coding that need to be learned, and much of it isn't something that's going to be learned overnight. Thus, aspiring web designers should try to strive and mimic other designs and coding principles before trying to make the next big thing in web design. We have to walk before we can crawl- and patience is definitely a virtue in the concept of web design.

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