Web Page Design - The
Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Examples
A good way to learn about Web design is to look at existing pages
and see what works and what does not work. Here are some pages to help you. Of course,
these pages may have improved or taken a dive since I listed them.
Digital Moments
A beautiful site containing the photos of Doug Menuez. An elegant presentation of
photography showcasing the life and times of Steve Jobs. Notice the linear
navigation.
DreamSpew
Poetry and Web design merge together to demonstrate how simple design elements draw a user
into the site. Unique navigation.
Wild Perceptions
This site does a great job of getting you to focus on the subject matter. Another great
example of using the Web to display the work of a photographer.
eSCENE
eScene provides 3 separate navigation paths to accommodate visitors. I'm
sure you'll appreciate the image map.
SoleMates
Excellent use of color, and a unique "dial a decade"
interface.
JHWD
Instead of using isolated elements for navigation, such as graphics,
lists of links, and navigation bars, these designers link descriptive
words in paragraphs of text.
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Design Concerns
Make each page stand on its own. Include a signature. Use consistent
layout across presentation. How big is each page?
Avoid the "here" syndrome. Use link menus with descriptive
text. Remember, each link should serve a purpose.
Images should be included, but should also have a purpose for being
there!
Words Of Wisdom
View Source. Look at Web pages of peers and competitors.
Think non-linearly. After all, this is the Web! Remember to include
descriptive navigation links.
Be constructive.
Be original. Use creativity not
techno-glitz!
Be fast.
Be clear. Think about your audience, in terms of content, style, and
presentation.
Be clean. Proof it. Check spelling and grammar and links. Give a good
impression to the world.
Be current. Maintain those links and add new ones.
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Web Design Techniques and Style
Guides
Art
and the Zen of Web Sites
Thoughts on creating for the web. I really enjoyed this list and think you will,
too :)
Design Like the Pros
Cnet designers share helpful tips on image creation, layout, and presentation.
Designing Pages and Sites
More tips from Cnet on building better Web sites.
Web
Pages that Suck
Learn by example. What not to do when creating HTML pages by looking at other peoples
mistakes.
WebReference.Com
One of the best places to start when looking for any info on Web Site creation.
CERN's style guide for
online hypertext by TimBL is also very good.
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Nancy Bryant
