![]() | |
![]() |
Custom Web Site Design Strategies
Web site design has certainly, in the past decade, evolved tremendously. More clients now are demanding custom design, as opposed to the 'cookie cutter' sites of yesteryear. Where once there existed a limit as to the types of fonts used, the types of coding languages used, and the styles themselves, there is now the possibility for more variety in Web site design than ever before. This has come about because of the advances in technology that did not exist even a few years ago, and it has opened up many creative avenues for Web site designers in the creation of custom designs. Web development overall, has to be more competitive, and take into consideration the needs of clients now, when literally billions of Web sites compete for attention online on a daily basis. A Web site is the first impression the owner of an E-commerce business makes on their own potential clients, and the competition factor, has now led to the burgeoning of more creative designs and implementations to deal with this competition factor. Web development now needs to speak to the needs not only of the clients that are building the Web site, but the needs of the visitors who are, overall "potential prospects' of the Web site owners. E-commerce needs have created some rather unique approaches to Web development, from the most beautiful to the most garish, unfortunately. In an attempt to have their own E-commerce sites 'noticed', some business owners have become too individualistic, and there does abound many sites that are not easily navigable, nor especially pleasing to the eye. A Web designer needs to use good judgment when making choices about how much is 'too much' individuality. Web site designers can avoid the pitfalls of becoming overly creative, and yet do much now to make a client's site, very appealing and eye-catching by keeping a few simple rules in mind: A. Are the colors pleasing to most visitors, without being garish and hard to view? B. Are the fonts easily read by most visitors, which means not too large (too much scrolling), or too small, (too much squinting)? C. Is the navigation and usability of the site what it can be? Can visitors find features easily? D. Is the site clean and uncluttered? It should never look like your grandmother's attic, where thirty years of junk abounds in every corner! At the same time, the E-commerce functionality can be maintained with advanced creativity, as navigability and usability can be implemented flawlessly also. The new advances in technology now have led to the following changes that increase the ability to improve creativity: 1. A staggering number of font sizes that can be flawlessly implemented to distinguish a site. Up until just a few years ago, Web masters were limited in the choice of fonts, and font sizes. Times New Roman and Arial were the two standard fonts used, as some browsers could not effectively display other fonts with any reliability, changing fonts that were not Times New Roman and Arial into the Sans Serif, which is not all that attractive. This was a big deterrent to the creative use of fonts. With new embedding technologies, this is no longer a real problem, and many designers are now using great new fonts that make a site 'stand out' effortlessly. 2. Original layouts can be more easily implemented due to the emergence of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) technology. Prior to CSS, it took much work (and therefore much money) to create designs with 'punch' as every design demanded hours upon hours of work with HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), the old standard for writing and creating custom designs. CSS has freed Web designers from these restrictions, and of course, saves clients a great deal of money spent on man hours, leading more clients to demand great looking custom designs. 3. Navigation and usability have also increased, once the restrictions were lifted from the creation and development of custom sites. Oddly enough, for some reason, many years ago, it was thought 'common knowledge' that all sites should contain a left-hand navigation bar, and nothing else. This was the old standard that designers had used for decades and no one thought to question this practice. This gave rise to sites that were for the most part 'cookie cutter' varieties, each having the same standard layout and left-hand navigation bar layout. Creative use of right-hand navigation bars and other techniques have created sites that are very much different in layout and navigation than the old standards, and this has not proven to be a detriment for most E-commerce businesses. In fact, uniqueness seems to be more memorable, and may indeed be a competitive edge in itself. 4. The emergence of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML technologies has opened up a whole new world of creative fonts, creative color schemes, and creative layouts. With WYSIWYG, designers can see exactly how a site will appear all through the process, eliminating much of the time consuming trial and error that preceded this. Even novice designers and those that seek to create their own site can benefit from WYSIWYG, as most Web site creation software and online sites used for Web site design incorporates this technology, which is easy to use for almost anyone and requires no coding language knowledge. 5. Better flash techniques have also been discovered and employed in the past several years, leading to greater effectiveness of flash sites, and faster upload speeds (a problem with flash prior to the technological advances was slow loading). Sites that employ flash now have a more professional look and feel to them, and flash is used often now in the construction of online videos and games that appear on sites and educates and entertains visitors. The past decade in technology has indeed lent itself to the emergence of superior creativity in Web site design and Web development by Web masters. Gone are the old days of stagnantly designed sites, the 'same old, same old' fonts, dull colors, and slow-loading and ineffective flash. It seems now, that the sky is the limit with customization of sites, and this can only be called one of the best developments of this century. Beautiful sites, that will hopefully bring beautiful results to personal and E-commerce clients, are now standard, and the future looks brighter than ever for Web site designers and developers! Copyright 2005 Nathan Sire Nathan Drew Sire, President of Captain Media, services the web design/development market. He's been developing code since the age of eight. You can read more about his company at http://www.captainmedia.com or contact him at info@captainmedia.com
MORE RESOURCES: Design Inspiration Directories : SparkBites Trend Hunter Carbon Digital Unveils Revamped Website, Elevating User GlobeNewswire Web Design Trends for 2025 crescentvale.com Web Domain Protection Software Market Size and Growth Forecast by Application, Type, and Region openPR.com Framer Launches AI Features to Supercharge Web Design, Democratizing How Stunning Websites are Built The Joplin Globe Unveiling the invisible hand: how AI is reshaping web design UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Financial Institution Website Redesigns Trend Hunter Web Pacific Lutheran University Web Design Sacramento by Kova Team Offers Tailored Digital Solutions for Sacramento Businesses FinancialContent Fresno Web Design Company Crafts Marketing Strategies to Attract High-Value Clientele FinancialContent Mozaic - Web Design for blockchain startup DesignRush 2/6/25 – EXPLORE OUTDOOR HAWAI‘I SITE WINS WEB DESIGN GOLD Department of Land and Natural Resources - Hawaii (.gov) Taylor Swift uses unlikely design element to drop major Easter egg – is Reputation coming? Creative Bloq A Surge in Mobile-Optimized Web Design Reported for Wellness Brands Across New York: Laser by Aleya Stays Ahead of the Curve Yahoo Finance California Privacy Penalties Focus on Quality Checks, Web Design Bloomberg Law News Boomcycle Digital Marketing Unveils Revamped Web Design Agency Service for Enhanced Online Success NORTHEAST - NEWS CHANNEL NEBRASKA California Tourism Leverages Interactive Web Design to Engage Gen Z and Millennial Travelers: You Need to Know Travel And Tour World Best Web Design Companies Forbes ChatGPT was tasked with designing a website. The result was as manipulative as you'd expect Fast Company 15 Web Design Trends for 2025 DesignRush 8 Best Apps for Web Designers in 2025 DesignRush Digital Silk Helps California Automobile Brands Redefine Online Showrooms with Interactive Web Design Yahoo Finance Best Website Design Inspiration: Amazon DesignRush 11 Best Interactive Website Designs in 2025 DesignRush 16 Best Modern Website Designs of the Moment DesignRush 18 Best Tech Website Designs in 2025 DesignRush Web 3.0 And The Evolution Of Website Design: What You Need To Know Harlem World Magazine The Future of Web Development: Trends and Technologies on the Horizon IoT Business News 10 Best Medical Website Designs (2025) DesignRush Lululemon Athletica Website Design Review DesignRush USPS Website Design: A Detailed Overview DesignRush Web Design Statistics By UI/UX, Market Size, Web Development, Industry and Demographics Coolest Gadgets Best website design service of 2024 TechRadar 5 Upcoming Web Design Trends for 2022 SitePoint Grink Website Design Analysis DesignRush |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
What Does Your Website Say About Your Business? QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and two employees, and our product really can't be sold online. Do I really need a website? -- Robin C. How to Make Your Site Attractive to Potential Link Partners Every now and then, I receive a link exchange request from someone who wants a link from my directory (my high-ranking directory directly accessible from the index page), and in exchange, they're willing to link to my page from one of their zillions of link pages about 18 jumps away from the home page. Needless to say, the proffered page has a Google PageRank of 0, and chances are it's not even indexed by any search engines. How To Create A Professional Website In Less Than A Week Here's a really simple way.. 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Website When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing features, however "cool" they may seem to be. Usually, keeping things simple and consistent are the best way to go. Build It And Build It Cheap! There are several very good reasons why you should consider building your own web site versus having someone do it for you. It's more cost efficient, you can make it much larger in content, you are more involved in how you want the pages to look, and I have actually enjoyed learning the dos and don'ts of website profiling. Its No Good Having A Killer Product If You Dont Have A Killer Website Read the title of this article over a couple of times in your head so it really starts to sink in.So what does this title really mean. Having A User Friendly Website Let's look at what your user wants to see at your website.1. How to Hire The Right Web Design Firm Regardless whether you manage a small business, charitable organization, or Fortune 500 company, choosing the right web design firm can quickly become a full-time research project. With thousands of design firms to choose from, what factors truly determine which design firm is best for your business?The primary considerations for choosing a web design firm are:* Price* Customer service/access to support* Credibility indicators of the design firm* Portfolio and design experience* Other services offered (domain renewal, hosting, SEO)* Turnaround timeLet's take a closer look at each consideration in detail, and explore how to identify and qualify the right design firm. Simple Steps To Proper Web Design Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has grown beyond all expectations. Each and everyday there is a new website that is being developed. Do You Hate Your Website? Web Site Sales To Hit $316 Billion Over The Next 6 Years What dollar amount does your web site contribute to this $316 billion dollar trend?Have you spent thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands on your web site only to discover that it attracts more flies than customers?Do you hate your web site, your web developer or your entire IT department?Do not despair! You are not alone!A great web site is crucial in order to effectively communicate to a business's target audience. It is important for Chief Executives and small business owners to pay close attention to the effect that their web site has on their business. Good Content Pays! Traffic to a site can be a blessing or a curse. Visitors who find what they are looking for, are engaged in what the site offers, and/or come away with a positive impression become the site owner's best allies and customers. How to Make a Website (Minus the Headaches) There is nothing wrong with making your own website if you are looking to save some money. Be prepared however, for your finished product to resemble an after school project; cutesy, homemade touches and all. If Content is King who is Queen? It's been said again and again, when it comes to getting people to visit your site (and stay there for more than 5 seconds), the quality of your content rules supreme. But once you've bowed to interest, saluted relevance and kow-towed to originality, who else must you pay homage to for recognition in the court of website stickiness?The two jewels in the crown of Presentation, for it is of course Presentation who is Queen, are structure and graphical design. Owning Your Own Web Site Is A Must Owning your own website is a must if you are doing businesson the Internet.There are so many factors involved in creating a web site layout and or design that there is really no right or wrong design. Bad Web Design: ActiveX ActiveX uses an interesting method for enforcing security .. Why You Should Hire a Professional Website Designer Your web site should always adhere to standards!A professional web site designer will provide you with a standard compliant web site that is cross-browser supported.What does this mean to you? Why should you care? Any site that isn't standard compliant can "break" in older browsers, or simply not display at all in, say, text-based browsers. Finger Eating Garage Door Reveals Breakthrough Web Design and Linking Strategy Last Thursday afternoon I was working on a garage door and regrettably loosened the torsion spring too much. This spring is what relieves or neutralizes the weight of the garage door so the openers can work without burning out and so you don't have to be Arnold Schwarzenegger to open it. How Not to be Ripped Off by Your Website Designer As web designer my self, I have had the unfortunate luck of speaking to too many of my clients who have been ripped off by a web designer somewhere along the line. Whether it be that the designer never really finished the website, took the deposit and was never heard from again, or finished the website with less than promised quality. Tips On Effectively Organizing Your Navigation Not all links are created equal.While all of your links may be important, you must sort and prioritize to come up with an effective navigation scheme. Using Your Personal Website To Clinch That Job! With an increasing number of employment portals emerging, it is apparent that internet tools do help bring the job-seeker and the potential employer together. A sophisticated job search engine enables the job-seeker to have a smaller sample of relevant job openings instead of going through countless newspaper advertisements. ![]() |
home | site map |
Webdesign-box © 2006 |