I have been a professional website designer since May,
2000, working for an excellent company in the Glenwood Springs,
Colorado area. They place high demand on the quality of sites
designed for them.
My personal philosophy of web design is: "Less
is More". I don't believe in crowding as much
information as possible into a page. I like to have
"space" around the elements. I try to develop a design
that enhances the site, but doesn't dominate it. Web sites
should be simple for 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 introductions 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
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.
FEATURES
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!
Flash is smoother than the average slideshow, and can
easily be adapted to any site. The quality of Flash when using
text is generally better than when include text on photos, due to the
methods of optimizing photos for the web. It becomes a question
of need vs. budget. Flash is generally a more expensive item
than a basic slideshow.
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 flash header on my home page, as an example of my
ability with Flash. You will notice however, it only appears on
the home page and not the subsequent pages of this site - where it
would be redundant.
