Web Site Design
Web design has come a long way over the past few years. Even skilled designers have often struggled with various incompatibilities and lack of industry direction. Recently, web standards and industry best practices have begun to emerge.
The web is a unique medium however many of the principles used in other design industries hold true.
Typography, imagery and colour
Whether you are looking for a minimalist look, a flashy in your face design or something in between, it is the combination of typography, imagery and colour that will grab the user's attention. These three design elements combine to form the valuable first impressions which are so important on the web.
Ease of use and accessibility
Once a site has a user's attention and they decide to browse further, it is ease of use that becomes important. If a user finds it difficult to locate what they are looking for, they will generally move on. These days the level of tolerance of poor navigation is extremely low. Web sites should also be accessible to as many users as possible including those with disabilities.
Easy to maintain
Once a site is up and running, regular updates are important if users are going to return. It makes sense that the task of performing web site updates be made as easy as possible. The best way to achieve this is through the separation of content from presentation. That is: one place for the site information and another place of the layout. This means you don't have to wade your way through pages of HTML tags to find the item you want to update. It also reduces your reliance on technical specialists to keep your site up to date.
Optimised for the web
People read web pages differently to reading a book or a news article. Web users typically are looking for something and scan a web page for the item of interest. Placing the important things first, including plenty of headings and organising information in lists or tables helps users find what they are looking for more easily.
Search engines are the most common way people find web sites. The search engine sites produce guidelines for web site structure so that they can easily index the site content. There is a much higher probability of being found on the web if search engines like the site.
Future Proof
While it is impossible to say that a web site will work with future technologies, it is far more likely if the site design and development follows web standards. We are committed to web standards and we make sure all our sites conform to them.