Many considerations need to be made when designing a new website. The structure is vital but is only one aspect of the whole thing.
The use of space is a key factor going about making your site. You need to use layouts that change dynamically as the user adjusts the window size but also fill the whole space available to you. In addition, screen resolution is also an important factor. You’ll find most computers these days use a widescreen monitor rather than the dated 640 x 480 resolution. Due to this your site could come out differently on other people’s computers so be careful if you are designing on a widescreen monitor.
Colors are useful for separating different sections of a site. For example, a common method for laying out content is to have the information on one colour in the center and the rest of the page set to a different background color. The page therefore looks like it is adjusting itself when the window is resized. So in terms of different monitor sizes, a larger screen will show more background color and a smaller one less.
A common error in site design is not aligning images properly. Many designers place images carelessly and do not wrap text around them correctly. To code images onto the page the tag is used but further coding is required to wrap text around the images correctly. {The align attribute can be used to embed images within the text making the layout more appealing to the eye.}
Images and text need to be balanced correctly on the site. Using too many images is an easy mistake to make and can reduce the readability of the site. You need to be aware that the pictures are part of the design of the site and need to be considered when structuring the layout. Think about where you are putting them when designing your website.
You should also think about the text width. This is most commonly known as the scan length which is how many words are displayed on each line of the page. 7-11 words is a standard amount. If the text has too short a scan length it becomes disjointed, too big and it becomes hard to read. Keeping the text in line as you design your site is also important. Though it is tempting to centre all the text, this should be avoided. Centering is appropriate in some places but if all text is centered it can be distracting to the reader.
Tags: Building a website, make your own website, web design basics, web design tips