Archive for October, 2007
published by Dan in Website Design
The primary and most powerful tool any web designer has in his disposal remains to be his very own creative mind. However, since we are talking about web design the computer and other software are just as indispensable to come up with a good web design. To be a good graphics designer though one has to know which tools to use and of course be adept at using them. For a good graphics designer even Microsoft Word can be used effectively when used aptly. Of course the range of software/application a web design company has in their toolbox shows their flexibility and thus, ability to come up with excellent and highly customized designs.
The basic graphics design toolbox should contain at least:
- an image editing software
- a page layout software
- a multi-media development software
- an image development software - ex. Adobe Photshop
Note that Adobe Photoshop can be sued simply to edit images and not to develop them from scratch. This is true for many graphics software. There are many powerful graphics design tools that are often used by many for simpler purposes than they were intended. With this in mind, when I listed the kind of software above I meant the a web design company should have a graphics designer highly skilled (and not just dabbling) with the software.
Remember the ability to come up with a good design lies not only in the creativity of a graphics designer but also in being skilled in using the tools available to him and knowing when to use them.
published by Dan in Web Development | Website Design | Website Standards
One of the things that you need to be able to do to be a good web designer is to write W3C compliant code. I have mentioned this time and again but I cannot stress this enough. If you are new at web designing this may be one of the biggest hurdles in your way. If you find that the sites you design do not pass the W3C markup validation service though, don’t be too down on yourself. The truth is that the web is littered with sites that do not have validated code. Of course, this doesn’t mean that it is alright for you to keep on designing sites that are not W3C compliant. As a new web designer, this only means that you should start learning more about W3C and the current web standards and guidelines that it has developed and set.
To get started you can visit the New Visitors page of the W3C site. It could be a trifle bit overwhelming though since there’s just too many information to digest at once. I suggest that once you’ve read about the basics and skimmed stuff you are interested in that you head on to actual tutorial sites like W3Schools, where you can find free tutorials on everything from basic HTML and XHTML to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia and WAP. Do not try to learn everything at once! Start polishing your coding skills one language at a time. In the meantime, while you are still polishing your coding skills, give your existing clients the best service possible by getting someone who’s already good at it to join you and work as a team.
published by Gary in Website Design
Every web site needs a good web design and in fact there is so much scarcity of good web design that people are eager to pay premium price to make sure that their web sites are attractive as well as easy to use. So if you have an eye for good design and you are comfortable with learning new technologies then you can make a reasonable living designing web sites for various clients.
What do you need to be a professional web designer?
- You need communication skills so that you can independently promote your web design services.
- You should always be ready and eager to learn and implement new technologies.
- You should have some knowledge of the prevalent graphic designing tools.
- You should have some working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and a bit of scripting.
- You should definitely be artistically inclined or know some people who can create great layouts.
- And sometimes it helps if you know Flash etc.
Once you have made sure that you have the skills you need a web site to promote your work and showcase the work that you have already done. You will also have testimonials from your past clients. You will require a convincing copy on your main page and good content on other pages. Competing on the search engines for web design frankly is going to be a tough nut to crack but somewhere you will have to make a beginning. You can either higher and SEO company to increase your search engine visibility or you can on your own spend some months optimising your website.
What to your clients expect from you as a web designer?
- Great designing abilities
- Ability to create pleasing color themes
- Writing W3C compliant code and possibly no errors
- Knowledge of manipulating graphics and images
- Working knowledge of JavaScript and other scripting languages
- Exceptional service
- Transparent communication
Some may add low cost to the list but I have personally experienced that cost does not matter to clients who appreciate a good service.
published by Dan in Website Design
- Be consistent. This refers to all design elements whether this be the layout from one page to the next, in the imagery style, typography, or use of color. Consistency is important not only because it usually results in a more aesthetically pleasing design but also because it makes the site easier to navigate.
- Keep it small. This does not refer to your images and fonts but to the file sizes. Make sure the images you use for the background, header, borders, and whatever other elements you decide to use is of a reasonable file size. While internet speeds are definitely fast and is not as big a problem as it was a decade ago there are still internet users that have slow connection speeds. Make sure you do not make loading the site a big hassle (or even almost impossible) for those still on dial-up. A good web designer will advise its client for the need to offer two versions of the site (for those with slow and those with fast connection speeds) if it is needed.
- Keep your audience in mind. I already mentioned the importance of getting feedback from the intended audience in my previous post. However, this time keeping your audience in mind means that the design factors should be based on the audience’s needs/preferences in the first place. From the planning stage a web design consultant will make sure that the profile of the intended audience is clear to them.
- Color can be your enemy or your friend. The use of color is essential to come up with a pleasant looking (and non-boring) web design. However, the use of too much color can be a turn off, resulting in a garish looking site. A good web design firm should always have a graphics design specialist to help with color choices and overall look.
published by Dan in Usability | Website Design
As in anything when planning your web design there are certain rules of thumb to follow. There’s almost always and exception to the rule but knowing the basics is already half the battle. Below are some the most basic web design rules any good web designer should know:
- Concept and content is more important than a good web design. This might sound funny coming from web designers but it’s the truth. A great web design might help a website with bad content but only for a short while. In the end people will realize the emptiness of a site and stop returning. That said, a good web design consultant will give feedback to a client if the content obviously sucks.
- Graphic design is meant to highlight or support the content (whether the content be text, images, or video). This means that a good graphics design will not compete with the content, which is why the best web designs are usually elegantly simple.
- Just because it looks good to you doesn’t mean that your audience will like it. Remember taste varies from person to person. This is why you should always get a second opinion or feedback….especially from members of your audience. At the same time make sure that being “pretty” isn’t the focus of your web design but overall USABILITY.
- Stick to the norm. There’s a reason why most websites share the same basic layouts - because those layouts are proven to work. So unless you are really sure about what you are doing or you want to perform an experiment or study, then it is better to stick to the tried and true.
published by Dan in Usability | Web Development | Website Design | Website Standards
Apologies for almost having forgotten to delve deeper into the difference between the two. The first time I mentioned the importance of knowing the difference between the two what I neglected to emphasise is that, aside from merely knowing the difference, a good web design company should be skilled in both aspects of web development.
Building a website entails much technical knowledge. Just like in building a house or any building for that matter, the builder is essential to make sure that the infrastructure has a solid and functional design. Builders or engineers know the regulations, the code, which is why you can be sure that with a builder the foundation is secure. This is also true for websites. Those that focus on “building websites” make sure that the code is clean, follows web standards, works properly and all those things that are taken by many for granted but are essential. They are the “behind-the-scenes” designers.
Designing a website, on the other hand, is a more creative process. It involves the navigability/usability and the over all look of the site. Designers are like the architects and interior designers in one. They make sure that the website looks the way you want it to, giving your website a unique look that is apt for your website’s purpose. Designers are also very much concerned about the experience of the visitors and aim to not only impress but ensure that they have an easy comfortable time, hence taking care of usability issues. Designers are very important since they make sure that the first impression is a good one, and as we all know first impressions can make or break you.
With the difference between building and designing a website cleared up it is obvious that there really is no such thing as building versus designing. Choose a web design company that subscribes to BOTH ideas or else you will end up with either a solid but really bland site or a pretty site that keeps on giving errors.
published by Dan in Tools & Resources | Usability | Web Development | Website Design | Website Standards
Despite all the signs I previously mentioned that pointed out that a web design company is a good one to work with, they’re all pretty meaningless if you cannot gauge the technical knowledge of the web design company. This is especially important if you do not know anything about web design since there are plenty of smooth talkers out there that might convince you of the superiority of the web design services, when in fact they’re just a start up company that lacks technical knowledge and experience. Now there isn’t anything wrong with start up web design firms after all everyone has to start somewhere. My point is simply that you should learn to check whether a web design firm really does know what it’s supposed to be doing.
To check the technical knowledge of a web design firm here are some simple tips you can follow:
- Go to their website and check it using the W3C Validation Service for code errors. All you need to check their website is to enter the website’s URL on the empty box labeled Address and click on Check. If there are lots of errors then their website isn’t W3C compliant. Steer clear from such web designers.
- Use several browsers (aside from Internet Explorer) to see how their website displays for each browser. While the website will more probably than not look different in some browsers you will want their website to still look presentable and be navigable.
- Do the same thing (steps 1 and 2) for their client’s websites. While some may do their best job with their own sites you would want to see the same effort going into the development and design of their client’s site.
published by Dan in Web General | Website Design
Aside from the previous six signs we have enumerated other things that point to a good web design company include:
- A clear and detailed project price quote - Some web design companies quote hourly or daily rates. While this isn’t a clear sign that those web design firms do not give quality work it is preferable to go with a web design firm that will give you a per-project price. This means that you will be paying based on their output which makes sense since you do not really have a solid idea of how much work they get done in an hour. Per-page price quotes are also not that good an idea since pages differ in the amount of work they entail with static pages being really easy to do while database systems or search systems will take hours upon hours to finish. A per-page quote with the same price quoted for each kind of page indicates that the web designer might not realize/know the real amount of work it entails to finish the entire project.
- Clearly outlined legal issues - A web design company that outlines the legal issues clearly even before you raise the topic is a good sign. Make sure that they state that the artwork they use are used with permission from the original artist, or better yet, custom-made by their graphic designers. This will prevent future problems regarding copyright issues. Furthermore, make sure the issue of who owns custom code and graphics made by the web design company is clear to both you and the web design company you chose. This is important because if it is owned by the web design company then you will have legal problems if you want to use the same image or program for other purposes in the future.
published by Dan in SEO | Web Development | Website Design
Aside from having a great website, good people skills, and postive feedback from previous clients the other signs of a good web design company include:
- Knowing the difference between “building” and “designing” a website - I will go into detail about this aspect in my next post. For now let’s just say that you want to hire a company that wants to not just build but design you website for you. Find out the company philosophy on building vs designing and if they tell you that you’re just being contrary and there is no real difference then that is not a good sign. Plus, that means that they do not have really good people skills.
- Custom designs - There isn’t really anything wrong if a web design firm offer template designs. After all some clients do not have a need for customized web page designs. However, it is a good sign if the web designers offers custom designs too. This means that not only do you have more choices but that in case you have specialized needs they have the experience and know-how to be able to make the needed changes in the template design (if that is what you chose).
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Although there are SEO companies that you can hire to do you SEO for your site if you pick a web design company that offers SEO services then it will entail less worries for you as well as (usually) lower fees. If they do not offer SEO service they may have a sister SEO firm, which is also a good sign.
published by Dan in Web General | Website Design
Last time I gave the the basics of choosing a good web design company. However, I did not really give more detailed tips on what to look for to be able to determine if a web design firm is really any good. While there are plenty of factors that come into play to be able to be a good web design company I personally think that a good one should exhibit most if not all of the signs listed below.
- Great website - A website is not great only because it looks nice but because it is has meaty, relevant content, is easy to navigate, and ranks pretty well in search engine results pages.
- People skills - A good company will have people who have good people skills. This means well written email replies and courteous answers on the phone. People skills are important not because they want to be able to reel in potential clients (although of course that is important to them too) but because it takes someone with good people skills to be able to communicate with a client effectively and so be able to discern the client’s needs. If they cannot understand you needs it will be impossible for them to come up with a website design that suits YOUR customers needs.
- Customer feedback - Again this was already mentioned but I can never stress enough the importance of knowing what their previous clients think of their web design services.
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