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10 Essentials for Building a Solid Web Site:
Design
Many people forget how crucial a site's
design is. There is a fine line between a
well designed site and an over designed site.
You can enhance the design of a site (colors,
graphics, etc.) by planning it in a similar
fashion as you planned the entire site.
First, figure out what color scheme you want.
Establish what colors represent you the best.
Usually two colors is enough. If you're unsure,
try renting a book on color theory in the
library, or look online for color theory
resources. You don't want your colors to
be too subtle, nor do you want them to be
too vibrant.
Now sketch out your graphics/buttons. Try
to keep the colors down. Lots of colors are
not only distracting, they are also larger
files. You want to keep your graphics clear,
easy to decipher, and not too involved. If
you plan to have any effects, such as rollovers,
try to do it as subtly as possible.
Before you begin creating your graphics,
We recommend that you lay the site out without
graphics. Instead use tables and table backgrounds
to illustrate the color of the site. Create
a rough draft of your home page. If this
is a team project, show your draft to other
members of the team and listen to their opinions.
If you are doing this by yourself, show it
to friends, family, or anyone who is willing
to give it a look. Sometimes the best feedback
can come from people who aren't web savvy.
If you, or others, aren't satisfied with
the draft, create another one and repeat
the same process. Create as many as it takes
and don't work on anything else until you've
settled on a final layout.
Once you're satisfied with your layout, start
creating the graphics and plugging them in.
You may find that what you had initially
planned doesn't work with the final layout.
That's okay. It's inevitable that adjustments
will be made during the creative process.
Once you are satisfied with the graphics,
then move on to the other pages. We recommend
keeping a similar look and feel throughout
the site. If you feel that doesn't work for
you, then we urge you to use the same process
for every page with a different or varying
look and feel.
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