10 Essentials: Design

Home > Build > Design > Articles > Essentials

by Aaron West

2. Design

Many people forget how crucial a site's design is. There is a fine line between a well designed site and an over designed site. You can enhance the design of a site (colors, graphics, etc.) by planning it in a similar fashion as you planned the entire site.

First, figure out what color scheme you want. Establish what colors represent you the best. Usually two colors is enough. If you're unsure, try renting a book on color theory in the library, or look online for color theory resources. You don't want your colors to be too subtle, nor do you want them to be too vibrant.

Now sketch out your graphics/buttons. Try to keep the colors down. Lots of colors are not only distracting, they are also larger files. You want to keep your graphics clear, easy to decipher, and not too involved. If you plan to have any effects, such as rollovers, try to do it as subtly as possible.

Before you begin creating your graphics, I recommend that you lay the site out without graphics. Instead use tables and table backgrounds to illustrate the color of the site. Create a rough draft of your home page. If this is a team project, show your draft to other members of the team and listen to their opinions. If you are doing this by yourself, show it to friends, family, or anyone who is willing to give it a look. Sometimes the best feedback can come from people who aren't web savvy.

If you, or others, aren't satisfied with the draft, create another one and repeat the same process. Create as many as it takes and don't work on anything else until you've settled on a final layout.

Once you're satisfied with your layout, start creating the graphics and plugging them in. You may find that what you had initially planned doesn't work with the final layout. That's okay. It's inevitable that adjustments will be made during the creative process.

Once you are satisfied with the graphics, then move on to the other pages. I recommend keeping a similar look and feel throughout the site. If you feel that doesn't work for you, then I urge you to use the same process for every page with a different or varying look and feel.

Planning

Speed