Established Web Design Principles: It's Not That Hard!

We design for the Internet. Sometimes we create Internet sites (artwork) and sometimes we create Internet software (programming). Whether creating a Web site or a Software system our design philosophy is guided by three main principles:

Design Principle One: Make it Clear

An online system should be organized and easy to navigate. Users should be able to glance at the main page and see exactly how the site is organized. We abhor sites that are unclear or confusing. We are guided by the principle that using the Internet should be simple. Users will not dig and hunt through a system. The site must be intuitive. The "next move" should be apparent. Browsing web pages is work and users are impatient. Users must see what they need and to go directly to it. Above all, make sure your site is clearly organized and easy to navigate.

Design Principle Two: Make it Work Everywhere

Bells and whistles are dangerous. Web Pages don't act the same in all browsers. The more important the system, the more important it is to stay in the middle of the road. Many Internet designers have a penchant for using every trick in the book. They never give a thought to eliminating users with non-Microsoft browsers. Imagine your shock when your biggest client can’t navigate your site because he doesn't have the latest version of your Plug-In installed. As a designer, you're dead, right then and there.

The more exotic and "out there" you become the more people you eliminate. It's not about how the site looks or acts on your computer. It's about how the site looks and acts on your user's computer. Bells and whistles requiring special plug-ins can render a site useless. If the site doesn't work for your viewer, you have lost them forever.

Designing for the Internet is unique. Internet design is creating for OTHER people's computers, not just your own computer. Good Internet design runs everywhere - on small 12 inch monitors, on large 21 inch monitors, on Mac computers, as well as Windows. It requires special training, skill, and techniques to design this way. We keep computers in our shop set to different screens, different browsers, and different systems to insure your system will run on all types of equipment. We want your system to run like a diesel!

Design Principle Three: Make it Search Engine Friendly

The Internet began is a way to exchange information between universities. It has its roots in information interchange. Search engines rely on the text-based nature of the Internet to determine which sites to list first. If you want to bring traffic to your site you have to provide some information value - and that means text! Search engines look only at the text on your site. They don't see your images or your Flash. To succeed on the Internet provide real information about a specific topic - something of give-away value. An effective site presents a good deal of information in an organized manner. Sites that have educational value (they present pertinent information on a topic) are more interesting and fare better with search engines. Users gravitate to these sites and stay longer after they arrive.