Learn web design for beginners

Web Design - Life Cycle

Conceptualize The Site

What is the purpose of the site; its raison d'être?
What are your objectives (goals) for the site?
What do you want visitors to come away with?
What policies, e.g., copyright and privacy, will guide site development and use?
What norms and practices will users bring to your site?
How can you integrate and reinforce those norms in your site design?
After you've given some thought to these issues, write a first draft mission statement for your site - one that will give visitors an overview of your site.

Why Is This Site Being Created?

There are only three reasons for creating a Web site:

To make money
To disseminate information or opinions
To massage the ego

It's important to know which of these three categories a site falls into so it can be created appropriately..SITES DESIGNED TO MAKE MONEYThe majority of the sites on the Web fall under this category, which includes corporations, small businesses and many nonprofit organizations.Successful corporate, small business and nonprofit sites share common qualities:

It's not about art.
It's not about ego.
It can and should be about information.
It's mostly about money.

Sites Designed To Disseminate Information Or Opinions

The three major types of sites that fall under this heading are corporate Intranets, educational institutions and various electronic magazines. Health, political, religious and social issue sites may also fall in this category.Successful informational and/or opinion sites share certain qualities:

It's not about art.
It's not about ego (for informational sites).
It's often about ego (for opinion sites).
It's mostly about information.
It's generally not about money.

Sites Designed To Massage The Ego

Personal, art, music, opinion, fan and electronic magazine sites may qualify for this category. Ego-based sites generally share these qualities:

It can be about art.
It can be about information.
It's always about ego.
It would like to be about money.

How Does The Category Affect The Design?

Business or Nonprofit Organization Sites: Design the site so that it is professional, easy to navigate and marketed properly. Ensure the visitor has every opportunity to spend money at the site.

Information or Opinion Sites: Follow established graphics and text guidelines. Information sites should focus on content delivery as much as possible. Opinion sites, however, are not generally expected to follow established guidelines as closely.

Ego Sites: Essentially any design tool may be used - large graphics, scripts, audio, video and so on. However, ensure that the site isn't hideous, doesn't take too long to load and has meaningful content..

Necessary Restraint

Effective site design relies only on what's necessary. Frenzied designers talk about the latest technologies as if they were the second coming of Christ. Well, they're not.The key feature of any site should be restraint. Use only the necessary elements and focus on the target audience. The target audience should drive every aspect of the site.

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