May 11th, 2010
The look of websites is ever changing, and while trends come and go in web design, the basic rules behind elegant, user accessible websites never change. That’s not to say that the design of your website shouldn’t necessarily make use of these trends.
One of the most popular design trends over the last couple of years has been the “Web 2.0″ style of websites. While “Web 2.0″ can be an ambiguous term, in design it refers to the oversized sans-serif headings, extensive used of gradients, striking elements and rounded corners, among many other things. A lot of popular websites make use Web 2.0 styling, and when used correctly, it can be very easy on the eye.
However, the common theme among these aesthetically pleasing websites is that they follow the basic rules of web design. A couple of these rules are:
- prominent, easy to use navigation
- consistency throughout the website
- consideration towards the F-shaped pattern for web reading
- content should always be the focus of the page, not an afterthought
There are dozens more rules, and all of the best websites follow them. These rules will always be more important than any trend, and any website that follows them will be off to a great start. Making use of current design trends has it’s positives; it shows the user that your website is modern and “cutting edge”, and that you have taken time to create an eye pleasing website.
Trends will always change in web design, and while they can give your website a fresh, modern feel, it’s vital that you don’t forgot about the basic, underlying concepts behind good design.
sam
design
trends, web design
April 27th, 2010
No matter how well you think your website is designed, it can all be wasted effort if your typography isn’t up to scratch – and I don’t just mean typography within graphics. Your website content should always be in a readable, web-safe font which is appropriate for the subject matter.
How not to do it.
Nothing ruins the credibility of a business quite like content in the “Comic Sans” font. Not only is it unprofessional, it’s ugly and outdated. But the font family isn’t your only concern – the size of the text can also make or break your website. No one wants to use a magnifying glass to read your website, but at the same time, no one wants single words to fill up the entire screen.
A web-safe font for content is also imperative. A web-safe, or “browser-safe” font is one which is a font found on all operating systems by default, and although the embedding of fonts can be done using JavaScript , it is best avoided for large blocks of content (at least until this option is available in HTML5, which is just around the corner).
Always ensure that you choose the right font for your business in order to create the right impression.
sam
design
design, typography
March 30th, 2010
I’ve tried and tested many an IDE in my time, starting with Macromedia Dreamweaver 3 many years ago. Dreamweaver served my needs brilliantly for quite a few years and I was in belief that I wouldn’t ever need another IDE, but as I started coding in PHP and moved to clean handcoded XHTML and CSS from table based layouts, I found Dreamweavers clumsiness just started to get in the way. I also found it slow over the network as all of my files were stored on our Linux testing server.
So the hunt for an alternative started. After a while digging around for a new IDE, I came across a neat little program called Aptana. Whilst it was still in heavy development, I was amazed how quick it was and how rich the PHP functionality was compared to Dreamweaver. I tried it out for a while and eventually ditched Dreamweaver and started using Aptana for all my web design and PHP coding.
I happily used Aptana for quite a while, but when they decided to ditch PHP support for version 2.0 in favour of Eclipse PDT and concentrate more on Ruby development, I was forced to start my search again. The PDT functionality was not a patch on Aptanas PHP support, so I was (as were many Aptana users) rather disappointed with Aptanas decision to do this.
Anyway, so began the search for a new IDE which supported PHP. I tried all sorts from NuSphere to Zend but eventually came across Netbeans. Although PHP support was in its infancy, I was impressed with the functionality in Netbeans and it had far fewer bugs than Aptana 1.5. So I installed, started using it and I’m happy to say that our entire team are now using Netbeans for our PHP and web development. Its PHP functionality is improving all the time, has good support for CSS, JavaScript and HTML. There is the ability to upload your projects via FTP and SFTP and best of all, it’s FREE!
So if you’re looking at changing your IDE, I would recommend giving Netbeans a try.
mark
design, development
October 26th, 2009
there's nothing like Christmas in July
Have you ever visited a friend’s house and admired their living room with modern furniture; leather sofa, glass table, cosy fireplace, and feature wall. Suddenly you notice the HUGE Jon Bon Jovi poster hung in the corner with torn edges curling up, the Christmas tree next to the lamp even though its the middle of summer, and the life-size cardboard cut-out of David Beckham leaning against the television. All of a sudden this beautiful, modern room has turned rather tacky.
Think of your website as a living room, its important to stick to a common theme in the design. The use of a modern fonts, crisp colours, and subtle drop shadows can all go to waste if you’re faced with a huge header image not using a similar theme. If you cannot produce well taken photography it might be worth looking into stock photographs for better images that are more suited to the overall design and theme of your website while portraying your business in the right light.
And nobody wants to see a Christmas tree in summer (unless you’re in Australia of course).
Photos courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons license from users We Are CS
bhups
design
August 20th, 2009
Simple answer: No.
How would you like it if I strapped you to a chair and made you listen to the Teletubbies song on loop for over an hour?
If you find you can’t resist putting your favourite Vengaboys song on your website/blog at least have the courtesy to put a prominent stop button somewhere for those that might not share your taste…
#Tinkywinky, Dipsy, Laalaa, Po… Teletubbies Teletubbies, say…#
bhups
design
August 20th, 2009
I’m sure at one point or another you will have come across a website that seems to have it all, the glamour, the dazzle, the wild animation of a skeleton doing the Moonwalk. But just how appropriate is it for your website to have such novelties?
Most likely the website you are looking at will have been done using elements of Flash, requiring the user to have Flash player installed on their computers. Some sites even go as far as being completely built using Flash, which is not really recommended, reason being it’s not ideal for SEO. Effectively what you have is pretty much a one page website.
Then there’s the fact that large amounts of animation could overwhelm the use; how are they supposed to focus on the information on offer when the vertigo-inducing loop on show is too distracting? That said, using flash subtly in your xhtml website can work to your advantages, perhaps adding a bit of elegance.
So yes, use Flash if you’d like, just don’t overdo the “bling bling”.
bhups
design
July 22nd, 2009
So, you’ve decided to start up your own business, and hey why not have a website designed to get your company out there? Great stuff.
But wait, you need a logo first. Surely you can just create something quickly on Microsoft Word, throw in some clip art while you’re at it right?
Wrong.
The design of a logo can be vital in the overall look and feel of your website, let alone the message your company sends out.
No matter how well your site is designed, if there’s horse manure at the top of every page you can pretty much guarantee your catering company won’t be the success you initially thought.
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by tainting your business with a bad logo.
So, you’ve decided to start up your own business, and hey why not have a website designed to get your company out there? Great stuff.
But wait, you need a logo first. Surely you can just quickly create something on Microsoft Word, throw in some clip art while you’re at it right?
Wrong.
The design of a logo can be vital in the overall look and feel of your website, let alone the message your company sends out.
No matter how well your site is designed, if there’s horse manure at the top of every page you can pretty much guarantee your catering company won’t be the success you initially thought.
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by tainting your business with a bad logo.
bhups
design
