Web Design Tips Part 1
Everywhere throughout the Web, there are amateurish sites that are polluting the scene. Highly offensive web pages are sprucing up like scions, headed by unaware webmasters with a knack for completely disregarding basic design theory. From colour scheme to framework all of the way to page layouts, there are websites out there that receive an F grade from the Web fashion police. Let's take a look at some of the ways we can avoid having an "ugly" website.
One pet peave of countless web browsers everywhere is clicking on a link and being stuck on another website's frame structure. In addition, there are those frames that should scroll but don't due to a miscalculated setting. Frames can either make or break site layout. They can help in dividing and sorting pieces of critical information, but if you're using it as a "cutsy" way for browsers to navigate through, it'll end up in the garbage. The only time frames should be used is when you're adding an application that needs to split the screen into different frames like chat room clients and mail applications. If frames don't help site navigation, it should be avoided completely.
So-called savvy web designers love to spruce up websites by adding a tiled background. Tiled backgrounds are very bothersome and make websites look like a deck of playing cards. Besides having the same thumbnail image popping repeatedly on the screen, it subtracts from the overall professional look of the page. The best thing is to add a nice plain background.
Remember, patterned backgrounds do not work because they make eyes move away from the actual content of the page. Follow the professional lead by using background images that work into the overall gist of the site, rather than just thrown there for effect. If you notice carefully, professional looking websites also use coloured tables to neatly separate their informational content instead of throwing it all paragraph by paragraph down the website like a mini report. Follow their example and create a website you can be proud of.
One pet peave of countless web browsers everywhere is clicking on a link and being stuck on another website's frame structure. In addition, there are those frames that should scroll but don't due to a miscalculated setting. Frames can either make or break site layout. They can help in dividing and sorting pieces of critical information, but if you're using it as a "cutsy" way for browsers to navigate through, it'll end up in the garbage. The only time frames should be used is when you're adding an application that needs to split the screen into different frames like chat room clients and mail applications. If frames don't help site navigation, it should be avoided completely.
So-called savvy web designers love to spruce up websites by adding a tiled background. Tiled backgrounds are very bothersome and make websites look like a deck of playing cards. Besides having the same thumbnail image popping repeatedly on the screen, it subtracts from the overall professional look of the page. The best thing is to add a nice plain background.
Remember, patterned backgrounds do not work because they make eyes move away from the actual content of the page. Follow the professional lead by using background images that work into the overall gist of the site, rather than just thrown there for effect. If you notice carefully, professional looking websites also use coloured tables to neatly separate their informational content instead of throwing it all paragraph by paragraph down the website like a mini report. Follow their example and create a website you can be proud of.