If your looking for well written books covering an array of technologies and design then check out Friends of Ed (an Apress Publishing Company). They offer the source code and sample files for all there publications which makes for a nice resource for learning something new (book purchase not required for source code download).
I’m not sure this is a real news-flash, but this weekend I was talking to someone about my job when I realized that being a Web designer was no longer “sexy.”
Back in the 90’s I’d relish the opportunity to tell people what I did. Back then it was “so cool” to be a Web designer. Now that I think about it, the further back I go the cooler it was.
And not only did others think it was cool, I actually did all sorts of sexy/cool work. Flash intros, creative “play-spaces”, lots of fun “meet the Web team” projects, and all sorts of interesting and off-the-wall paid work also.
Oh and we drank beer on the job while playing Unreal Tournament at the “request” of our CEO at one job. Can’t beat that!
Yep, Web design in the 90’s was all about “fun”, “sexy” and “cool.” Not so anymore. At least not for this Web designer.
Why do you think that is?
I think it’s because I actually know what I’m doing now.
Look at what it takes to create, what I think anyway, is a great Web site: Usability, goals, standards, information architecture, best practices, accessibility — these things aren’t really sexy.
Don’t get me wrong, there is still a whole lot of “sexy” and “cool” in Web design. It’s just that those sexy moments are less frequent.
That’s probably a good thing. It could be argued that “sexy” and “cool” played a huge part in the whole .com crash of the late 90’s. I do kind of miss those days, but I think the change has been good, for all of us.
Experiment with your user logs to measure how successful your site is at adding new readers and retaining your regular customers.†Any good business has to know who its regular customers are and how the new customers are getting their information. From this research, you can then build lasting relationships and form new ones for long-term website growth!
If you are like most webmasters or bloggers, you are constantly searching for fresh ideas to add content to your website. You are already well aware that adding more pages to your site will enhance your search engine rankings. You realize that you require more keyword phrases to find their way into searches. The question arises as to where to find ideas that appeal to your visitor traffic. The answer may lie in your own visitor traffic logs. Read the rest of this entry »
Creating a user-friendly website can be a little bit like cooking chicken. If over-cooked, nobody really enjoys it — in fact they just look forward to clearing the palette with something else. If under-cooked, we end up in the hospital with salmonella. OK, perhaps our site won’t send anyone to the ER, but it could certainly make them leery about coming back for more! If cooked properly however, it will be a nice all-around experience for all, and our friends will be begging for the recipe.
So how do we cook the perfect web-site? Well, honestly, perfection is perhaps a little bit high of an expectation, but we can get nearly there if we follow some basic rules. Oops, I used the ‘r’ word (I see you all grimacing). Sorry, let’s change that to principles! Or maybe super-fun-happy-guidelines. Ahhh — much better. Read the rest of this entry »
Every software application can conceptually be broken up into three layers: the front end, which consists of the user interface and application controls; the middle tier, which consists of the code; and the back end, which consists of the database, data structures and other assorted gremlins.
When building software, the trick is to design in such a way that when you place these layers one on top of the other, the parts fit exactly. This is far more complicated than it sounds, and fairly difficult to do at the best of times. But don’t let that discourage you - a number of tools are available to assist in this process…and one of the better ones is called a functional specification.
A functional specification can substantially simplify and streamline the process of application development. Intended to describe how a piece of software works, it provides a ready reference for software developers and aligns large and disparate development teams to a single goal. In the process, it provides technical clarity on how the different components of a particular applications are to be designed, implemented and integrated with each other, and (if used correctly) significantly reduces the time and cost component of any development exercise. Read the rest of this entry »
Functionality
Above all, a website has to function correctly. The HTML, graphics, JavaScript, CGI, forms, etc. must be seamlessly integrated and display properly on a wide range of computer systems and browser software.
Designing for the web requires expert knowledge of several programming languages and an ongoing commitment to education in order to stay current in this exploding field.
True interactivity requires both client-side and server-side technology. All forms, search functions, e-commerce services, etc. must be backed up by extensive CGI scripting and database integration. Read the rest of this entry »
Successful design complements content and reveals its inherent value. The needs of your target audience determine the content and design of your message whether it’s presented on the Internet or in print-based materials.
Logo design has come a very long way from the IBM, UPS, Levis and FedEx logos of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Great logo design is still based on fundamental design principles—type, shape, color, graphic content, tone and balance—but today, our society is a very visual one. Contemporary identity design needs to be much more dynamic and punchy to have any lasting impact.
In general, a great logo must say something about the company it represents, even in a simple type design approach. All elements should be clean, easily read, and very appropriate for the given market and audience.
A great logo delivers a clear, well defined message of uniqueness and individuality. Many times, logos are the first and only impression consumers encounter when they are shopping for a particular product or service.
A great logo must say something about the company it represents. Distilling a client’s persona, mission, or marketing approach into a single gesture or emotion that can be conveyed by a strong stand-alone image is the heart and soul of the logo design process.
Identity branding is the new paradigm in strategic business marketing. What is your unique selling position and are you branding your product to maximize that advantage?
I have developed and managed successful identity brand and image projects within the government and corporate sectors. The design of a consistent business wide brand image, cements your profile and increases recognition when media campaigns are aimed to increase your reach.
You will no doubt come across many quirky layout issues when building a site with CSS. You’ll end up banging your head against a wall time and again. This is an attempt to make the design process easier, and provide a quick reference to check when you run into trouble. Read the rest of this entry »
I sometimes ponder what a good web design is. And when doing this there are several things that immediately come to my mind. The first being the visual i.e. aesthetic component of a website. This is wrong!
The first and foremost principle should be getting the point across. If a website doesn’t do this it has failed. What a web designer should do is understand every single aspect of the project he is assigned to and then transform what he has learned about the subject into images and text that is as easy as possible to understand and navigate.
Which brings us to another principle, web site navigation. Have you ever visited a site where it just seemed like you were going in circles? Navigation will make or break a website Site navigation takes careful and intelligent planning. The larger the site, the more emphasis should be placed on navigation. I think that navigation is a key to good, functional website design.
I think that web design should be about communication above all. It should make our message heard, believed and acted upon. The final test of web design is its ability to motivate the reader in the intended manner. If a designer wants the audience to buy, to believe or to feel and if he achieves the goal he has set then he can then call himself a successful web designer.
Having said that, I think good web design is usually clear, simple, and easy to navigate. It never gets in the way of the product or service it promotes by drawing too much attention to itself. It supports and explains the product or service of the client. It is a capitalist tool first and foremost. Therefore, the true measure of web design is its ability to perform that task above all.
Color in Web design is learning how to separate the “artistic” from “technical”. “Artistic” point of view is all about usage of color so as to provoke the viewer to associate the site with its context more easily. Whereas “technical” should deal with the diversity of platforms, operating systems, browsers, and system colors (8,16,24-32 bit) Internet users have on their computers - namely the web safe palette and why I chose not to use it any more. Read the rest of this entry »
