Some beginner web designers get bogged down with too many fancy fonts, large images and clipart. In this article we'll take a look at how to make sure you use the right features to make your site successful.
Deciding on how to use various features to create the best web site for your personal use or business takes planning. Every detail needs to be considered. From the fonts and photos used, to the content and placement of objects, these details can either enhance your site or bring confusion and complication to it.
Choosing Fonts
The web allows for a small variety of choices, though you can use another program to build fonts and save a header into a jpg or gif image. In doing so, however, you may not get the crisp look you’re after. Keep that in mind if you’re trying to use fancy fonts. If on the other hand you are using web fonts allowed on your web program, choose them to complement your type of business. Bold and straight fonts are good for technical services; script and curly fonts are better used for creative businesses that offer flair and unique products.
Choosing Photos
Some beginner web designers get very excited about adding photos on their website. Often they forget to resize the photos in another program and end up loading huge images that take forever to load. Often web surfers give up. Always resize photos. Make some photos thumbnails in your web program and when visitors click on them, make sure the images take up no less than one third or one fourth of the screen. Only use clear, crisp photos that enhance your business or services.
Choosing Art
Like photos, the type of art, whether clipart, original art, cartoons or logos, should be relevant to your business and used only to complement and enhance your site. Don’t use art just to be artsy. Use it to tell a story or enhance one told in your content. The art should match the colors of your site as closely as possible. Be careful not to use clashing colors or ones that flash like a strobe, causing your visitors to leave instantly. Art should be subtle, but bold when necessary; creative but subliminal so it doesn’t take over the eye and your reader misses the important content.
Keeping your fonts, photos and art simple will not only help in web load time, but it will also show a good mix of professionalism and creativity all in one.