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Get Trained for a Better Future Introduction to Design Chapter 3 What is Web Design? Mostafa Badr Definition of Web Design What is Web Design? Wikipedia: “Web Design is a skill of creating presentations of content (usually hypertext or hypermedia that is delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, by way of a Web browser or either Webenabled software like Internet television clients, microblogging clients and RSS feeders.” Mostafa Badr Definition of Web Design Web Design is difficult to define because it covers so much ground: Clients Types of contents Functionalities Mostafa Badr Web Design Basics What is a good Web site from a design standpoint? Mostafa Badr Defining Graphic Design Not about Software (just tools) Visual Communication/ Functional Art Problem Solving “Information Architects” “…The designer conceives, plans, and executes designs that communicate a specific message to a specific audience within given limitations…” Mostafa Badr Some Basics 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Logos- simplified forms Contrast- attention Visual Hierarchy- comprehension Layout- organization Integrating Type and Image Visual Themes Mostafa Badr The Design Process Defining the Problem Research (Audience, Constraints, Goals) Build your Visual Vocabulary- search for samples Build on the work of others- combine in a new original way Mostafa Badr Thumbnails Roughs Comprehensives Presentation Ready for Press It Starts With Creativity Good design is created with a basic understanding of: - Design processes - Theories and concepts of design Designer/client relationship governs the entire design process Mostafa Badr Fundamentals of Design Design elements Line, Shape, Value, Color, Texture, Space Design principles Balance, Proximity, Alignment, Unity, Emphasis, Rhythm Mostafa Badr Introduction Think of something anyone can do? Answer: Make an ugly Web page. To avoid making an ugly Web page, we need to learn the basic design principles. Four basic concepts: alignment, proximity, rhythm/repetition, and contrast + one additional: spelling Results: From dorky to professional looking pages Mostafa Badr How do users think? In order to use the principles properly we first need to understand: How users interact with Web sites. How they think What are the basic patterns of users’ behavior Mostafa Badr How do users think? Users don’t read, they scan. Web users are impatient and insist on instant gratification. Users don’t make optimal choices. Users follow their intuition. Users want to have control. Mostafa Badr Alignment Alignment: Items on the page are lined up with each other Two types of alignment: Horizontal alignment Vertical alignment. CHOOSE ONE. Choose one alignment and use it on the entire page. Don’t mix alignment. Get the text away from the left edge. This means indent your text so the text doesn’t appear in long, dorky, difficult-to-read lines. Type sits on an invisible line called the “baseline”. Mostafa Badr Example 1 Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Proximity Proximity: Relationships that items develop when they are close together, in close proximity. Be conscious of the space between elements. Group together Space them apart Difference between a paragraph and a break: <P> and <BR> Mostafa Badr Proximity Three tools of proximity: Grouping Containment Whitespace Mostafa Badr Example 1 Mostafa Badr Example 2 Mostafa Badr Example 3 Mostafa Badr Example 4 Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Rythms & Repetition Rhythm: Associate elements by repeating a common stylistic feature or arrangement Repetition: Throughout a project you repeat certain elements that tie all the disparate parts together. Repetition elements that unify the entire site: Mostafa Badr Navigation buttons Colors Style Illustrations Format Layout Typography Mostafa Badr Example 2 Mostafa Badr Contrast Contrast: What draws your eyes onto the page. Contrasting elements guide your eyes into the page, create a hierarchy of information, and enable you to skim through the vast array of information and pick out what you need Mostafa Badr Contrast Contrast elements: Style Colors Graphic signposts Spatial arrangement Exception: If you want people to sit and read through an entire piece, avoid contrast so the page can be bland and uninterrupted. Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Example 2 Mostafa Badr Squint Test Easy way to assess the overall contrast of your page Technique: Close your eyelids so your eyes are about three quarters closed, so that normal text becomes blurred and unreadable. Mostafa Badr Example 3 Mostafa Badr Contrast Create a focal point: Something must be the dominating force, and the other elements follow a hierarchy from that point down. The focus is created through contrast. Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Mostafa Badr Spell it Right! Bad spelling and bad grammar can destroy the professional effect of your web site Use spell checker Mostafa Badr Combine the principles Applying any one of these principles will radically improve the design of your web pages, you will generally find yourself applying more than one principle, and probably all four. Summary of the principles: Mostafa Badr Spelling Contrast Repetition Alignment Proximity Top Ten Good Deeds in Web Design (Nielsen, 1999) 1. 2. 3. 4. Mostafa Badr Place your name and logo on every page and make the logo a link to the home page Provide search if the site has more than 100 pages Write straightforward and simple headlines and page titles Structure the page Top Ten Good Deeds in Web Design (Nielsen, 1999) (cont) 5. 6. 7. Mostafa Badr Use hypertext to structure the content space into a starting page that provides an overview and several secondary pages that each focus on a specific topic Use high quality photos Use relevance-enhanced image reduction when preparing small photos and images Top Ten Good Deeds in Web Design (Nielsen, 1999) (cont) 8. Use link titles to provide users with a preview of each link 9. Ensure that all important pages are accessible for users 10. Do the same as most big websites else: if most big websites do something in a certain way, then follow along since user will expect things to work the same on your website Mostafa Badr Some words about pictures (or Flash) Pictures are not crawlable. Flash in the front page is frustrating (if user has no bandwidth connection) Provide options Mostafa Badr Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1. Believing people care about you and your website. 2. can't figure out what your website is about in less than four seconds 3. Contrast 4. My website is everything Mostafa Badr …cont 5. Have you ever seen another website? 6. Navigational failure 7. Site lacks Content 8. Forgetting the purpose of text 9. Too much material on one page 10. Misusing Flash Mostafa Badr Information overload (crowded) Mostafa Badr Bad text (hard to read) Mostafa Badr 100% Flash + Bad Navigation Mostafa Badr Bad typography Mostafa Badr Graphical Menu Mostafa Badr Graphical Menu Mostafa Badr Flashy – my eyes hurt Mostafa Badr Design for Mobile Devices Mostafa Badr Why? Small screen Not so powerful browser Limited data network Design for Mobile Devices Mostafa Badr Most of popular CMS provide Mobile plug-ins Blogger.com Joomla Wordpress