No question about it, web design is an art.
Finding the right blend of style and usability is a delicate balance that few, if any, fully master.
Which is why I am so tired af reading bullet-pointed lists demanding what you should and shouldn't do while building your website. These dictators of web design are under the mysterious illusion that they have stumbled upon exactly the right balance of functionality and beauty.
Do you think Michelanglo painted his Sistine Chapel after reading an article entitled, "10 steps to perfect renaissance art"?
Hmm. What these designers are really saying is, "My view of what makes a good website is more valid than yours and any opinion to the contrary is doomed to failure".
There are no right and wrong ways to design a website. Every technique you have ever been told is wrong, can be utilised succesfully in the proper setting. And, equally, every technique you have even been told is right, can be a complete failure in the hands of the inept.
Next time you read an article on web design, remind yourself, this is just one opinion. Not the right one, not the wrong one, just an opinion.
In fact, better yet, stop relying on the articles for ideas. Instead, spend your time visiting websites that exist in reality, not in the mind of the imaginationless writer.
Visit web sites designed by the amateur coder and visit websites designed by professionals. The internet is brimming with original ideas and they are not the sole domain of the expert. Anyone can come up with something new or different.
If you are building your own website, visit a few hundred others first. Pick out the good, the bad and the ugly and use this as a springboard to create your own masterpiece.
If someone with more experience wants to offer you advice, listen to it, but don't automatically assume that they must know better. Have the courage and conviction to experiment and decide for yourself what works.
Because although the techniques of art can be taught, the imagination of art cannot.
David Congreave is owner of The Nettle Ezine, the newsletter for the home business -- online.
David lives in Leeds, in the United Kingdom with his wife Leanne.
Last Thursday afternoon I was working on a garage door... Read More
Designing a website is hard job, and requires you to... Read More
Color is everywhere and conveys a message even if we... Read More
You spend time and money promoting your website; but what... Read More
Here's the single most important part of your website: YOUR... Read More
Seeing is believing.One trick to increase your visibility as well... Read More
1. Loading time:try to be below 20kbless number of imagesspecify... Read More
Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some... Read More
The question that I most frequently hear from people is... Read More
The effective design is this one, which is maximum simplified,... Read More
Think of the people who visit your site as blind... Read More
The Psychology of ColorAre you using the best colors for... Read More
Wether you design your business brochures, flyers, web page, or... Read More
Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes... Read More
Tips to brand your websiteInclude your logo in all pages.... Read More
As a web designer, I have a personal interest in... Read More
A Double Ad Tracker is an Ad-Tracker that points to... Read More
When you develop a sales brochure, you have a mental... Read More
The Internet has seen an explosion in so called 'lance'... Read More
The HTML editor is usually a webpage design software that... Read More
Your web site is the key to your success on... Read More
As a graphic designer, you are sitting on a gold... Read More
Probably you know someone who has created a web site... Read More
Whether a business has just got off the ground or... Read More
1. What's the purpose?The most fundamental thing to do before... Read More
This is the second part of a two-part article about... Read More
Your web site should be-visitor friendly to navigatesearch engine friendly... Read More
Typos, misspellings, hideous grammar, exclamation overkill and run-on sentences all... Read More
Remember the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams,... Read More
One of the most popular methods of traffic generation is... Read More
Ever wonder how HTML color codes are put together? For... Read More
How many of the visitors to your web site take... Read More
In this article, I will attempt to cover the basics... Read More
Graphics are fun, but if you put in too many... Read More
There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More
When designing elements for your webpage, you will often be... Read More
If you are one of those who wonder how people... Read More
We've all read the countless publications about effective web site... Read More
Where does a person start when setting up a website?... Read More
The internet is full of web design companies pleading for... Read More
Out there in the WWW there are thousands sites using... Read More
Want to know what the worst thing to say on... Read More
10 Ways Web Site Text Can Impact Your Reader's Buying... Read More
Even after you've managed to bring traffic to your site... Read More
Let's look at what your user wants to see at... Read More
One of the biggest problems with Web sites is that... Read More
If you'd like to create/maintain a website, having some HTML... Read More
For most people graphic design does not come easy. Unfortunately... Read More
Want to see an excellently constructed website? As a writer... Read More
If someone doesn't know you personally, will they trust you... Read More
Web Design |