Web design plays a very important role in bringing your business online. There are huge varsities of web design options some are extremely expansive and some are not at all. Internet marketing is tricky but there is one secret that I would like to share with you.
Simplicity always wins on the Internet.
You site ma have images text and some heavy movies etc but of all these things the only thing that will send your message thru is the text as for real business world in the Internet people still read and decide.
You web site design can be incredibly frustrating. You'd think that with so many possibilities platforms of what-goes-where it'd be pretty easy to land a design that works, yet you will find yourself stucked before: working hour after hour on a design that refuses to look right.
1.Design from
the inside out
This is some of the best
advice anyone ever gave me about
web design (thanks Cameron). A
lot of designers start off a
design by focusing on the
header. Often times what's
inside the page is what makes it
look good; the header is
supplementary. Try leaving the
header alone for awhile and
working on some elements in the
body, you'll be surprised at how
much easier it is to design a
page once you've got a solid
body going. The next time you're
designing a header with no body
imagine yourself adjusting a tie
in front of the mirror, but
being completely nude. (yikes)
2.Put it on
paper first
My whiteboard is my
salvation. Pencil and paper
works too. I read an article
years ago by a designer who
would draw dozens of little 2x3"
mockups in his spiral notebook
before even opening up a graphic
design program. It helped him
identify where elements were
going to be placed and what
options looked best . The best
part of creating mockups this
way is the speed at which you
can burn through possible layout
ideas. Sketch something,
scribble it out. Sketch
something else, scribble it out.
Do this ten times and you've
probably got a fairly decent
idea of how to the page should
come together. I've used a few
wire frame applications like
Axure, but I've still found
myself to be my most efficient
while bathed in the saucy aroma
of whiteboard markers.
3.Seek
inspiration offline in the real
world
If you've paid attention to
anything design related in the
past two years then you've no
doubt seen a few of the
countless CSS galleries and
design showcase websites that
popped up. These are excellent
sources of inspiration, but
sometimes a bit of offline media
can be just what you need to
spur some fresh ideas. Open up a
newspaper or magazine, go to the
grocery store and look at the
packaging, watch a television
ad. Pay attention to things that
are applicable to your design
such as typography, color, and
element placement. Ask yourself
questions like "What is it I
like about this magazine ad?"
and "What is about this
packaging that just works?"
There's a lot you can learn from
observing traditional media. A
few years ago a co-worker of
mine lent me a book full of
Russian posters and print ads
from the 1920's. The lessons
learned from looking at some of
the material were invaluable - I
was particularly impressed by
how they were able to cram a ton
of information into a tiny area
but kept it from appearing too
"busy."
4.Learn to
let it go
Ever make a button that
looks ridiculously awesome but
just doesn't belong in your
design? You put so much effort
into your ridiculously awesome
button, you'll go to great
lengths to make it work. You'll
bend the laws of space and time
to make that goddamn button look
right in your page.
Learn to let it go. Save the button and file it away. Although you've lost this battle, you'll soon have an arsenal of ridiculously awesome buttons you can use in designs later on.
5.Step away
from the computer
We've all heard this before:
If you're having a difficult
time with something, leave it
alone for awhile and come back
later. It'll probably be easier
after you've had a bit of a
break and your mind has settled.
Regarding web design, I've
noticed this always plays out in
a certain way: If I'm hating a
design I'm working on and I
shelve it for a few days, a lot
of the time my reaction upon
returning will be "Holy crap
that's fantastic!" On the
flip-side, I'll often toil away
long into the night working on
what looks like the best design
I've ever created. The next
morning I'll look at it again
and cringe at the horrible
abomination I've created. The
moral here is to give your
design some space.
6.Be
absorbent
No art is born in a vacuum.
Learn to effectively pinpoint
what it is you love about other
designer's work and incorporate
it into your own. Don't steal
designs, but don't deprive
yourself of external stimuli
either. Become better at
identifying why you love the way
something looks. When I come
across a design that blows my
mind, I try to pick it apart
what aesthetically makes it
tick.
The Tangerine Tree is a good example. Sure, it looks wonderful, but why? Personally, I love the way the designer has taken a very modern set of shapes and applied them against a vintage medium: Cartoonish bubbles and clouds that appear to be cut out of distressed paper. When looking at this design I ask myself: What could I do with textures like that? What is it about those shapes and icons that look so remarkable?
7.Don't be a
one-hit-wonder
Try to avoid using the same
techniques over and over again,
even if you've done really well
with them in the past. Gradient
rectangles are my crutch - I
have a terrible habit of using
them whenever I feel like a
design isn't working. "This
design sucks...I'll add a
rectangle with a gradient fill!"
The result is usually something
that I'm unhappy with because it
looks the same as all my
previous work. Try imposing
yourself with silly rules, such
as "No drop shadows today" or
"2D elements ONLY." Locking
yourself out from certain design
habits forces you to learn new
ones. My happiness as a designer
coincides with my ability to
produce something that looks
great but is different from
anything I've done before.
8.Seek input
from others
This is a tricky one. There
are so many ways to ruin a web
design, especially when the
wrong kinds of people are
involved. Be careful who you ask
and find people who can provide
constructive criticism. I've
seen many great designs die at
the hands of
aesthetically-challenged
secretaries who have printed a
few corporate bake-sale flyers
in the past and consider
themselves to EXPERTS at all
things design. If anyone ever
tells you that your design
doesn't "feel right," or that
they "just don't like it," you
might want to look elsewhere for
input. Find someone who can tell
you specifically what's wrong
and how it could be improved.
Grow some thick skin, too. Don't
assume every criticism is an
attack on your work of art. Roll
with the punches.