This document is designed to help guide you through
the process of gathering materials for your website design. Collecting
materials can be a difficult process, but I can not stress the
importance of good materials strongly enough.
The effectiveness of
your website hinges on the impact it has on the perspective client.
Old, small, or low-quality images will all create a negative effect
and your clients will be less likely to shop or book online. Help me
design a spectacular website for you by providing them with good
quality images and ideas to get started. I will be glad to help
you find good quality stock photography, if needed. Most stock
photo sites now offer great photos at a very small price.
All materials and text must be provided in Windows/PC
format. I do not have the capability to open or read MAC or iMAC
files. If you have a MAC, please follow the instructions below
for images, and be sure to save all your text documents in MS Word
Windows compatible or Rich Text Format. You can send multiple
images or files either on a CD or DVD, or by email.
Click here to save or print
this information
Submission - Please submit your
materials via the following channels:
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Please submit your
electronic materials to kathybarto@yahoo.com
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Please email for a
physical address for mailing hard copy.
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Please advise if your
files are too large to send by regular email. There are
"transfer" website available for large-size files.
Due to irregularities in the local postal system,
please send your materials either by UPS or FedEx. This is
so that any lost or delayed packages (due to accidents, winter road
conditions, etc.) can be traced.
Ideas - Please provide us with some
idea of what you would like to see in your design:
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An idea of the look that
best fits your company (rustic, professional, friendly,
trustworthy, etc.).
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Colors, color schemes or
design styles you would like for the site.
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Any notes you may have on
the over all look you want for your site.
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A list of website address
for sites that you do and do not like
with a description of why you liked or disliked each. (At
least 4-5 you like and why; and at least 2 that you do not and
why.)
Images - Please provide us with the
following materials to get started:
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Good quality photos
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Your home page will
require at least one large image for the header and possibly
other smaller images, as well as possibly images within the
text. Please send us all of the images that you have so that
our designers can choose the best image(s) for the design.
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Please remember that
photos from magazines and other copyrighted materials cannot
be used without permission.
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Digital photos are
acceptable. Please submit images larger than 1000 pixels
wide. Images should be sent in .jpg, .tiff, .psd, .ai
format. Do not use .gif as this will limit the range of colors
to 256. Only use a .gif* file if the image contains
transparent area - and you cannot convert it to a .png file.
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Web images should be scanned/created at 72 dpi.
When printing an image the higher the dpi, the better quality of the
printed photos. Not so with websites. If the images are
scanned at 300 or 600 dpi, then the file size is larger and the load
time is significantly higher. The only time hi-res photos
should be put on the web are when they are intended for the press,
magazines, etc., to download them for printed articles or
advertising. If you send in hi-res photos, I will optimize
them for load time before using them in the website.
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Your images should not
be cropped or previously color or contrast adjusted.
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Images from
magazines, rack cards, and other print materials are not
always suitable for digital reproduction. The scanner will
read any/all flaws in the print and they will be highly
visible on the screen. Please send originals files whenever
possible.
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Print photos and
slides are highly recommended.
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Please do not
write on the back of prints because the scanner will read
through the image and see your writing. Plus, the
ink can be embedded in the picture below it.
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Let me know if
you would like any/all of your prints returned to you.
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Your existing logo
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If you have an
existing logo, I require a digital copy of the image or I will
need to re-create the logo.
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Logos on business
cards are not preferred to achieve the best quality result for
the web.
*.gifs limit color to 256 colors of the spectrum,
but allow transparent backgrounds and areas in the image as well as
animation. .tiff, .jpg and .png allow for 16 million colors; .png's
allow for transparency in the image, but .jpg does not. .tiff,
.psd and .ai files allow for more than one layer in an image file.
.psd files are PhotoShop files, and .ai files are Illustrator
images.
Content - This information may be
supplied during the process as it isn't as important at the start but
will be required later:
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Text for body of website
(in digital format)
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Current information
broken down in the categories so that organizing your information
into web pages will be easier.
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While we advise against
odd fonts we will follow your wishes. If you have a particular
font you wish to use, you must provide us with that font in the
event we do not already have it. (Fonts must be provided in
Windows format)
Additional Features - Additional site
features that you may be thinking of we should know about before we
begin. We may not begin work on these items until farther into the
process but it helps to know the technical level of a website before
we begin:
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Flash slide shows or
other animation
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Maps (static or zoomable?)
- if required to give the viewer directions to a store/business
location
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Reservation or secure
order forms - I will be glad to learn your program for online secure ordering or shopping
cart services, at an additional charge over and above the design
charges. Some hosting companies now offer a shopping cart
for free or low cost with their hosting services.
Odds and Ends - There are some
unforeseen items that may incur additional costs during the design
phase and they are as follows:
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Communication and
consultation with your 3rd party marketing consultants.
(Consultants are under your employ and I must bill for any
communication with them. We suggest you work directly with your
consultants and submit the resultant direction to us directly.)
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Extensive animation or
Flash
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Any major graphic work
over and above the estimate
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Late changes in
background colors or graphic elements
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I will do my best to
follow the customer’s design specifications and ideas. However,
repeated revisions of either design elements or text do to a lack
of design materials and/or constructive design ideas will incur
additional charges.
