Web design packages have made it easy for the average person to
design their own website. However, while many of these websites work
well, they are rather simplistic in appearance; if you are searching for
a professionally designed website, then the only course of action,
really, is to consult a specialist web design company. These businesses
make bespoke websites that cater exactly to the needs of their clients.
Here we take a closer look at some of the key principles involved in web
design so that you can have a clearer idea of the reasons behind our
advocacy in using a web design company over web design packages.
Aesthetics
The first principle to consider when building a website is aesthetics: how the website will look. There are many factors to consider here.
• You must ensure that the colour scheme works, that there are no clashing colours. Many people have little idea concerning colour schemes, and because of this tend to create websites that either looks too busy, too sparse, or incongruent. Choosing a colour scheme, however, is relatively easy, you need to take a look at an artist's colour wheel and choose colours that are adjacent to each other. Colours located opposite on the colour wheel clash.
• Contrast is also something worth considering. By using contrasting colours, or contrasting fonts or letter sizing, you can draw people's eyes to various locations on the website. For instance, you may have an online retail store, and want to draw people's attention to the 'Sales' section. You can use contrast for this purpose.
Layout
The spacing between the various areas of your website is paramount to good design. This ties in somewhat with aesthetics, but needs to be considered on its own terms as it forms such an important aspect of good web design.
A professional site has writing that is easy to see, that is well spaced, and is minimal - too much writing and people will soon tire of the site. The internet has made us somewhat lazy, and people want summaries and key points only.
Make sure that there is plenty of background space to avoid clutter, which most people will find unappealing.
Usability
Usability, or navigation, is the most important feature on any website. You need to make sure that you direct people around the site logically, and in a way that they expect and need. This means having menus and sub menus which hyperlink to other pages. Make these links as easy to find as possible and give them precedence on the front page. There is nothing more annoying than arriving on a website and having to spend minutes working out how to get to where you want to go. It is essential that all of your links work and that they are logically presented.
Sizing and Font
Most websites run at between 700-900 x 300-400 pixels, and this is rather universal. Make sure that you use a standard number of pixels or some browsers will either find it difficult to open the page, or once open, the page will look cheap and old fashioned.
Most people tend to use standard fonts, too, such as Calibri or Tahoma.
Aesthetics
The first principle to consider when building a website is aesthetics: how the website will look. There are many factors to consider here.
• You must ensure that the colour scheme works, that there are no clashing colours. Many people have little idea concerning colour schemes, and because of this tend to create websites that either looks too busy, too sparse, or incongruent. Choosing a colour scheme, however, is relatively easy, you need to take a look at an artist's colour wheel and choose colours that are adjacent to each other. Colours located opposite on the colour wheel clash.
• Contrast is also something worth considering. By using contrasting colours, or contrasting fonts or letter sizing, you can draw people's eyes to various locations on the website. For instance, you may have an online retail store, and want to draw people's attention to the 'Sales' section. You can use contrast for this purpose.
Layout
The spacing between the various areas of your website is paramount to good design. This ties in somewhat with aesthetics, but needs to be considered on its own terms as it forms such an important aspect of good web design.
A professional site has writing that is easy to see, that is well spaced, and is minimal - too much writing and people will soon tire of the site. The internet has made us somewhat lazy, and people want summaries and key points only.
Make sure that there is plenty of background space to avoid clutter, which most people will find unappealing.
Usability
Usability, or navigation, is the most important feature on any website. You need to make sure that you direct people around the site logically, and in a way that they expect and need. This means having menus and sub menus which hyperlink to other pages. Make these links as easy to find as possible and give them precedence on the front page. There is nothing more annoying than arriving on a website and having to spend minutes working out how to get to where you want to go. It is essential that all of your links work and that they are logically presented.
Sizing and Font
Most websites run at between 700-900 x 300-400 pixels, and this is rather universal. Make sure that you use a standard number of pixels or some browsers will either find it difficult to open the page, or once open, the page will look cheap and old fashioned.
Most people tend to use standard fonts, too, such as Calibri or Tahoma.