Web Design and Graphics

Internet years are like dog years; much, much shorter than calendar years. This directs to the somewhat sore entrance that no web project can function in terms of long timescales. A web -application that gets two years to enlarge will be obsolete long earlier than it is released. In fact, in our experience, the life of a web project is more frequently deliberate in weeks than in months. The pace with which web projects have to be finished clearly puts the association under substantial stress.

Very frequently the clients don’t know precisely what they want to attain through the web application. They might not even have a plain thought of the target users. They very over and over again perplex their own purposes with the user’s causes for using the application. They are concerned about hackers and viruses, but want to present highest entrance to their users. The difference between yesterdays internet projects and the web applications of today is the truth that the latter carry the user’s errands, in dissimilarity to just providing in order and advertising jive.

Web technology, while in a stable state of development, places some serious restraint on web – applications. mainly in judgment to stand -alone applications that run on a normal P C. Very little “cleverness” or program logic can be programmed in the web application, error handling is very poor and the border is made up of chronological conversation. These issue, and many more, can make scheming a usable boundary quite challenging though not unfeasible.

So the average web project is often faced with
- clients and users who frequently have very fuzzy ideas of what they really want to attain.
- a disparity between the client’s and the users’ objectives. – technological fetters that confront the idea of functional applications.
- high expectations the web developers should create something concrete within tremendously short time -spans.

These cost-effective, technological and managerial constraints often result in an approach that can look like the Wild West.

The mobile phone has hard to believe reach – users have their phones with them at home, in the car, at work, in the store. Mobile devices are used on the go, are geographically susceptible, and are chiefly used to regain context-sensitive information swiftly: looking up a phone number, examination an address, reading a restaurant assessment, or finding a map and directions. Because the mobile atmosphere is a overwhelmingly different experience, it does not make sense to basically point mobile users to a fixed website and miss out on the exclusive potential of the mobile environment. Designers must not think of the mobile location as a poor proxy for desktop sites and applications. in its place, we must consider what works best within the context of real-world mobile browsing, and transport happy and functionality customized to the platform. In some cases, this means offering a separation of satisfied and functionality. It might also mean contribution satisfied and functionality sole to the mobile platform. Benefits of the Mobile Web

• Portability
• Location awareness (GPS)
• Accelerometer (measures tilt and motion. It is also competent of detecting turning round and motion wave such as swinging or shaking)
• nearness sensors (The iPhone screen blacks out when you put it to your face)
• Electronic scope
• Picture & video ability
• Phone connection and the ability to move faultlessly from browser to phone
• Multi-touch gesticulation support & content whooshing
• World-wide market dispersion

Challenges of Designing for the Mobile Web

When designing for the mobile Web, broad usability and convenience principles for the desktop surroundings still apply:

• Deliver useful and forceful content
• Give functionality and design that fit the user’s context
• Write standards-compliant XHTML and CSS code
• Follow convenience rule
• Use clear and brief language
• Make the site easy to steer

Some of the confront we face with the mobile platform include:

• difference in machine usability
• lesser screen size
• diversity of screen sizes
• many browsers
• Connection speed and dependability
• Lack of peripherals
• Input dissimilarity
• One-handed organize of devices

Here are some essential web design tips that every web site should follow. Design your web site by following these tips and I guarantee that visitors will have a great first impression of your site.

1. Fast Loading web site designs - This is the number 1 tip that every web designer should follow. You might design a web site that looks fantastic but few people are going to see it if it takes a long time to load. Your designs should be optimized for the web and should not take more than 15 seconds to load. Remember, you might have a great design but very few people are going to see it if it takes a long time to load.
2. Clear Navigation - Once a visitor has come to your site you need to make them go through your site. To do this you need to have clear navigation. Make sure all your important links are at prominent places. Preferably right on top – that’s usually where a visitor first looks. Make use of menus on the right and the left. Try to link to as many pages of your site. Let your information be accessible from all parts of the site. You never know what a visitor may be interested in. Try to also use the footer for your important links.
3. All Resolutions - Today, there are computers with all kinds of resolution. They range from 640 x 480 to 1024 x 768 and go even higher. Your job is to design your site for all these resolutions. The best way to do this is to design your site in terms of percentage and not pixels.
4. Browser Compatibility - Make sure your site is browser compatible. Your web site should look good in Netscape as well as in Internet Explorer. Don’t stop designing your site as soon as you find that it looks great on IE. Usually Netscape gives some problems, especially when you try doing complicated HTML designs. But don’t give up too soon, usually with patience these problems can be easily fixed.
5. Readable and professional looking fonts - Don’t ask me how many times I’ve clicked out of a site just because the font is in Comic Sans and the color is a bright pink or green. Just by looking at the font you feel that the site is not a professional site. Don’t use Comic Sans and other fancy fonts that may not be available on most computers. If the font you use is not available in a visitors computer the web site will use the default font of your computer which is much worse. So try to keep to common and professional web fonts. The fonts that I always stick to are Arial and Verdana.
6. Minimize the use of images - I believe that sometimes simple designs are the most effective for the web. Keep your site simple but neat. Don’t clutter your page with big, bulky images that take ages to load. Instead use tables creatively and design eye – catching icons that will draw a visitor’s attention to a particular section of your site. Tip – Visitors are usually more interested in content than in design.
7. Use of white space - Try not to clutter up your page with too many images, backgrounds and colorful fonts. Again use the Keep It Simple principle by minimizing the use of graphics and using a lot of white space. White space gives a sense of spaciousness and overall neatness to a site. Notice the white space in our site.
8. Check for broken links - Always check for broken links within a site before uploading it to your web server. In Dreamweaver you can check for broken links by right clicking on any file in the Site Files Window and then clicking on Check links – Entire Site. If you don’t have this facility you need to upload your site and then check it using online tools like Net Mechanic.