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Website Design Tips For Better Websites

By Sylvia Adolvana

Designing a website involves more than slapping some HTML tags onto a page and the basic principals of design are the same for print design or website design.

The elements of good design also apply, whether you are interested in graphic design services or fashion design, and these basics will guide you in laying out the different elements in an effective, eye-pleasing way.

To put it simply, the building blocks of designs are the elements that are used to make up every page or interface you design. Once you understand the five basic elements you will be able to put together more creative and stimulating web pages.

Creating User Friendly Websites

The graphic designs you attempt need to be eye-catching and of course, your web graphic design should have the earmarks of a professional. Also, making your website user friendly and adding some "eye candy" is extremely important, as you are competing with thousands of other websites to get visitors.

Lines help delineate spaces around elements on a web page and can be vertical or horizontal, and the line work increases the understanding of the design. They can be used as borders around elements, dividing lines between elements, contours around elements and decoration in website design.

Use Basic Design Rules To Decorate Your Web Page

One of the most versatile elements is shape. They can make up any enclosed area in the design. Most of the shapes you see on web pages are rectangular or square, but you can use images, lines, color etc. to create other shapes.

The other major elements of a design are texture, color and direction; all used in graphic design as well. Texture on web pages is visual, but you can use artificial or natural textures to create an effect in your design. Color is the design element that a web designer is most aware of, but color is not a requirement of any design.

Most often, it is best to create the designs without color and add it later. Direction gives your designs a sense of motion across the page. The better sites will lead you through the design so that you see what the designer wants you to see. Of course, it is always a good idea to sketch the design on paper first and then transfer it to the web design software.

Starting With A Blank Page

When you are starting a new design, no matter what particular design methodology you use, you will always start with a blank page. There is nothing on the web page so the first thing you will do is to put something there.

But, do you think about the placement of those elements or just put them on the page in a random manner? Good designers do not allow random placement on their website design; they consciously think about the tables, the graphics that will be used in a banner and elsewhere, the areas where the text will go, the layout of the navigation bar, as well as the optimization of all elements.

About the Author:
Sylvia Adolvana has written articles on digital photography and software including Red Eye in Portraits, Photo Balloons, Photo Albums, Photo Enhancement, Small Digital Cameras, Create DVDs, DVD Burner Software, Family Web Site, Bridal Portraits , Business Advice, Graphic Design, Graphic Designer, Graphic Design Company, Design Services, Designers, Signage, Advertising Design.
Keep a lookout as more articles are added from this popular author on this website in the near future.

More Graphic Design Facts....

What are the uses for graphic design?
If you need to communicate something through visual means then graphic design is used to enhance the words. It can be used in arts, advertising, education, journalism and education as just a few examples. Let’s use education as our example and explain why graphic design is so important.

If you had a text book filled with nothing but words, it would fail to capture and convey the right information to students. Words can be misinterpreted or forgotten easily but with pictures to go along with the words students will remember the material for far longer. It would be impossible to describe a diagram thoroughly enough to make sense to the reader. So a picture of a diagram is used.

What is the history of graphic design?
Graphic design all began with cave drawings depicting mankind’s fight for survival. It told a tale. Some of the greatest examples of mankind’s storytelling have been told through graphic design.

Take for example the Christian Bible. Early editions were very elaborate and hand decorated. The pages were embellished with designs. Since that time mankind has evolved to the point where handwriting and drawing books is no longer practiced regularly but the same theory is still around.

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