Web Design

Web Design

All of us at one time or another have surfed the Web. Whether for a school project, to shop for a holiday gift or special item, check a sports score, or just for fun our hands and mice have clicked a hyperlink, scrolled a page, instant messaged a friend or used a shopping cart. The web has become such an integral part of everyday lives. It has become the largest center of information. It is no longer possible to escape the web.

The web is an extremely and primarily visual realm. We interact with what we see on our computer screens. Without its visual components there would be no Internet, as we know it. This, along with the Internet’s high level of interactivity, makes web design and the layout of a web page of extreme importance. There is technique to publishing an effective web page. Since the Internet crash of 2000 that brought along the failure of many amateur and professional sites alike it has become extremely important that the content of a web page is worth the time and money put into to it. Along with this the evolution of high-speed Internet access which has made speed and efficiency a key. Not even a just-for-fun web site will be of any use if it is bogged down by poor design and therefore it cannot compete with a surfers fleeting patience.

When designing a web page there are skills and steps that need to be taken to ensure that your web page(s) is practical, efficient, and just plain gets the job done. Skills that are needed include:

· Marketing: Defines the purpose and audience

· Information architecture: Designs the organization, navigation, labeling, and searching systems.

· Graphic Design: Finds the graphic “identity” of the site.

· Editorial: Proofreading, editing, content, etc.

· Technical: Programming, Web administration, production, etc.

· Management: Keeps all of the above in line, on time, and in budget.