The Digital Research Initiative
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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web.design101
 
web design considerations

Things are a little different on the Web. Graphic design suddenly becomes an unsure art. Something as seemingly insignificant as the user resizing her browser can have drastic effects on how your site is perceived. You want your message to be accessible to as many people as possible despite differences in technology, right? Then pay attention.

Clarity. Your site should be easily understood, whether it's the information you're trying to disseminate or how to move from page to page. This means paying attention to stuff like possible color clashes between your background and the text or whether your spellng is in sync with Webster.

Consistency. There should be features that are common to all your site's pages, be them graphics, design features or even just the text layout. This site as an example, you see the same bars run across the top and bottom, links in the same place and text formated the same way. This sort of familiarity breeds comfort, and that's a Good Thing.

Contrast. Too much consistency, however, is a Bad Thing. There should also be enough difference between each page to keep the user interested. For this site, you'll see later on that the bars on the top, bottom and side alternate between colors and the content is always different.

Simplicity. Pay attention now, this is key. If your site glows of simplicity, it will always be clear, consistent and have just the right dash of contrast. But simplicity doesn't have to necessarily mean boring or exceedingly orderly. The flashiest and most complex of web pages doesn't do the world a damn good if it doesn't have some sort of content.

Download time. Not everyone has a direct connection to the Internet. Your site must be as friendly to a 28.8 KBPS modem connection as it is to a 10 MB Ethernet connection.

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it doesn't matter what use a builder has in mind; he or she must use wood according to its properties   This site was created by Adam Fuller especially for students of the UNC School of Journalism's JOMC 050 Class and anyone else who may be interested. For more information, please contact daikat@email.unc.edu