Tips For Excellent Web Design Practice

Posted by Chris Channing

June 29, 2008

by Chris Channing

Building the best design out there isn’t going to be easy. But in the process of practice and adhering to common design principles, web designers can get a good start on making their own unique designs. But before this can be done, there are guidelines in making a generally sound web layout.

Before all sorts of colors, tables, and shapes are created- the concept of the readability of a website needs to be learned. The reader of the website is the target here, and how well they can read the content is the goal that needs to be achieved. Common practice states that a 10 pixel font or higher is sufficient, but going for bigger fonts is always appealing to Internet users.

Almost as important as readability, the fact comes to be that without proper navigation, the design isn’t going to be able to go very far. Intriguing CSS drop down menus have become quite popular among websites who follow trends. Other websites stick to the standard HTML menus that are strung along top and side navigation boxes. Either way, always have links to common parts of one’s website- this helps both readers and search engines find what they need.

Next is the factor is accessibility. Not everyone has the same tastes in web browsers. And in some cases, older computers will only run certain older versions of browsers. Because of this unfortunate aspect, designers need to code their web design layouts with multiple browsers in mind. Popular browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera- and it’s generally best to make a website standardized in each and every one of them.

How well one’s creativity can flow is another important aspect that dictates how well a design is received. Using a wide range of colors, shapes, and different types of fonts can do wonders for a design project. Try to keep colors contrasted orr supplemented nicely, as “loud” and gaudy layouts are usually very good for readability as they are quite distracting. This remains to be a decision to the designer, however.

Lastly, it’s a good idea to make use of previously popular web design tactics. Newer and better forms of web design options are great to engage in, but the popular forms of web design options have been made popular for a reason- they are visually appealing and they just work. Thus, it’s always nice to conform to certain web design trends even if a unique look is desired. It isn’t always so much as trying to create a unique design as it is trying to create a unique experience for the Internet user viewing it.

Closing Comments

Coding and designing layouts is quite a profitable skill to have, but it will take time and effort to get to the skill level needed to do so for actual clients. And if the web design process is more of a personal gain situation, even more emphasis on creativity and inspiring designs is needed to make others take notice of one’s creations. Either way, web design is a fun industry and learning more on the subject is highly recommended.

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