Elements of Graphic Design for Your Website

We've all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make you cringe as soon as they load. But how do you keep your website from becoming, well, ugh. You could hire a professional web designer, and that's expensive, or maybe you already hired a professional, or someone who claims to be professional, and you don't like what they're doing with your site. It all comes down to the K.I.S.S. principle; keep it simple stupid. And you're probably asking well what does this really mean for web design.

Here are some basic graphic design/web design principles that you can use on your site:

1. Background, be careful what color you use for the background of your site. Yes I know that you're trying to get noticed, but really they've already decided to look at your page so why does it have to be orange? Seriously though, consider how long you want people to be on your site, half an hour, one hour, more? Whatever the time chose your background color and then sit in front of your computer and stare at it, for awhile. Is the color easy to look at? Difficult? Does it make your eyes water? Does it make you calm? If you can look at the color for about fifteen minutes without a problem you're okay.

2. Text, related to the above be careful what text color you use. Follow the rules above for determining a text color. It should be easy to read, and look at.

3. Font, no more that three fonts on the entire website. I mean that! A big mistake that I see a lot of times is the use of more than three different fonts, it get's hard to read no matter how neat you think it looks.

4. Font size, no more that three font sizes either. Now I don't mean three font sizes for each of the three fonts you've chosen. I mean no more than three fonts with a total of three sizes throughout the entire site, and if you can get by with less even better. It will simplify your site.

5. Scrolling, this is a big one literally. I've been on too many sites where I had to scroll down so far that my computer beeped at me. This is really important on your main page. Keep it very sparse, generally any information that someone has to scroll more than one full page down for will not be read.

This is only a start of course but it's a start and it is on these issues that I see so many problems. Always remember that simplicity is best.

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

About The Author

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

eco-friendly cleaning service Bannockburn ..
In The News:

The Federal Trade Commission says criminals are posing as IRS agents, law enforcement officers, or other officials, often over the phone or online, to steal thousands of dollars at a time.
AI phishing scams now use voice cloning and deepfake technology to trick victims, but Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals warning signs to watch for.
Inversion Space unveils Arc, a reusable reentry vehicle that can deliver up to 500 pounds of cargo from orbit to anywhere on Earth in under an hour.
Red flags like processing fees, urgent countdowns and requests for full Social Security numbers expose fraudulent settlement sites targeting consumers.
Comprehensive analysis of Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps examines usability, routing accuracy, data handling and features across the top navigation platforms.
Expert analysis reveals whether wired Ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi connections are safer for home internet use, plus practical steps to secure your network from attackers.
Australian construction robot Charlotte uses sand, crushed brick and recycled glass to 3D print fireproof, floodproof homes with reduced carbon footprint.
Cybercriminals are using fake invitation emails to trick recipients into downloading malware and stealing personal information and data.
Flying drones could help retailers fight a 93% increase in theft rates as Flock Safety promotes airborne security systems to track suspects and deter crime.
The Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter brings you the latest news on the emerging technology every Saturday, highlighting top stories.
Hacker group Radiant stole data from 8,000 children at Kido nursery chain, demanding ransom and directly contacting parents with intimidation tactics.
As 18 states implement bell-to-bell cell phone bans, creative students use Google Docs, iMessage on MacBooks and Post-It notes to stay connected in class.
A sheriff's captain says deputies often spend hours writing reports between calls, but Axon's AI program, Draft One, helps them save crucial time in the field.
Sora 2, OpenAI's new video-generation app, can create AI-generated videos based on a singular prompt. The results are both mind-blowing and terrifying.
iPhone and Android users can reduce Wi-Fi calling battery drainage through settings adjustments, background app limits and stronger Wi-Fi connections.
Work email scams are becoming harder to detect as criminals use AI and spoofed addresses to trick employees into opening malicious attachments and links.
From her Arizona living room, Christina Chapman ran a covert hub that helped North Korean operatives infiltrate U.S. firms, netting $17 million in stolen salaries.
UC Santa Barbara researchers developed a soft robotic intubation system that achieved 100% success rates for experts and 96% for paramedics with minimal training.
Scammers exploit probate filings to target grieving families with fake fees and debts, Kurt "Cyberguy" Knutsson reports.
Automotive giant Stellantis becomes latest victim of widespread Salesforce breaches affecting companies like Google, Cisco and Adidas this year.
A woman from Washington reunited with her missing Maine Coon cat Louie after 11 days using Love Lost, a free AI-powered pet recovery platform.
Expert cybersecurity tips help Mac owners remove malware infections and strengthen defenses with antivirus software, password managers and system updates.
Meta's AI chatbot training rules bans sexual roleplay with minors and block access to child abuse material as regulators scrutinize its safety measures.
Online banking users face a new threat: web injection scams that overlay fake pop-ups to steal logins. Here’s how to spot them and protect your accounts.
Meta introduced Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger while launching a School Partnership Program for U.S. educators to report bullying within 48 hours.

The Brutal Truth

Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More

Website Creativity: Why It Matters Now More than Ever

If one more business owner tells me their website sucks... Read More

Professional Web Design Companies - How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off

Building a website that is exactly what you want and... Read More

6 Reasons Why A Website Is Crucial To Your Business

Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More

10 Reasons Why You Need A Multilingual Website

The internet continues to grow and has become the default... Read More

E-covers for Your Niche Market

When creating an e-cover the what's the first thought that... Read More

Your Graphics- Are They Really Working For You?

(Making Your Graphics Work For You)It's no secret that a... Read More

How To Shop for a Web Design Firm?

While few companies can boast as we do that our... Read More

Building Your Website to Save You Money

Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE... Read More

How To Set Up A Professional Website On Your Own Using Web Templates

To create professional websites is not an easy task by... Read More

Effective Website Design For Massive Traffic

STEP 1:Do your homeworkPlan and think about your content. Think... Read More

Increase Sales on Your Website! Use Graphics!

How many times have you clicked on a website only... Read More

Should You Bother Learning HTML to Build Webpages?

The most popular method to build webpages today is to... Read More

Why Dot-Coms Fail - a Webmasters Perspective

Everyday we hear that another company goes out of business.When... Read More

Questions to Ask When Designing a Website for Clients

Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More

Database Driven Website

The solution lies in creating a 'Database driven website', through... Read More

Ten Fatal Mistakes That Make Web Sites Stink

Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create... Read More

Website Conversion Secrets Revealed

In my last article entitled, Maximizing The True Value Of... Read More

Welcoming Your Website Visitors

Imagine you're going on a blind date. You've heard wonderful... Read More

Why Do Images Disappear from a Webpage?

In learning webpage design, I encountered many problems that took... Read More

Are You A Bill Clinton Webmaster?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked about... Read More

Power of Squeeze Pages for Realtors

Squeeze pages are a very hot topic in the internet... Read More

The Most Important Question To Ask About Your Web Site!

When you design a website how do you start ?Do... Read More

How To Attract People To Your Web Site and Leave Their Contact

If you have a website, you want your visitors to... Read More

Converting Print Advertising For Use On The Web - A How-To

Contrary to the beliefs of some, advertising for web and... Read More

cleaning lady near Lincolnshire ..