Web design has gradually become an important part of graphic design. Graphic design used to deal primarily with written text and photographs. But graphic design has moved beyond the traditional print format. These days, a graphic design artist is just as likely to work solely on a computer then with a pencil and sketchpad. If you are unamiliar with the fundamentals of web design, here is a brief overview that will give you some insight into the basics of web design.
Many new graphic designers overlook the fact that the best web design focuses primarily on content. When it comes to the best web design, content is king. Although you may find it tempting to fill a Web site with all the latest features, bells and whistles, remember that the website exists to serve content. Your job as a graphic design artist is to build the best website. What makes a good web site? The best websites are naturally intuitive, easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and allow the user to easily access information. This is not always as easy as it sounds. Building a web site with good usability can be surprisingly difficult to achieve if you don t understand the fundamentals of good web design.
When building a good web site, your goal is to make it easy for the user to find the information they need. Use many descriptive titles for each page; subtitles are also a good idea. Provide an easy way for users to move between the home page and other pages, and make it easy to return to the home page no matter how far a user has traveled. Connecting all the different pages on the website creates the feeling of unity and order. In general, you should try to keep your page under 100K. Anything higher will make it difficult for some users to navigate the page with ease. If you offer any downloads on your web site, make sure you label them if they are higher than 100k.
Here are some more fundamentals of good web site design. You should always construct your webpages so there is information at the top of the page. This will keep the visitor reading and engaged while the bottom of the page loads. A good load time with a medium high speed connection should be about ten to fifteen seconds. If your website has more than thirty pages, you should provide a search option so that users can easily find the information they re looking for. In general, keep the graphics to a minimum. A clean, crisp design is always in style.
Before launching the website, make sure to test it for any errors or technical issues. The easiest way to do this is to try out the Web site on numerous different computers, browsers and platforms. Your goal in web design is to make the web site as accessible as possible. Sometimes, it can be difficult to achieve this, especially with so many competing platforms and web browsers. But it is definitely possible to make a website work on a variety of platforms, although it may make your job harder. Make sure to provide at least one method for feedback, whether it is an email address or a reply form, so that visitors can describe their experiences on the website and report any problems.
Author Resource:
Visit Brian Scott's website, http://www.FastCashDesign.com and learn about freelance graphic design. For graphic design jobs, visit http://www.GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com
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