I Can’t Make a Website That Looks That Good!If you’re reading this article, you’re probably not a professional web designer. Neither am I. But you don’t need to be to create a well-designed website. You can learn from the work of others - those with great talent and ability who create true works of art. Most of the beautiful and well-designed sites out there were created by a staff that is well trained and well paid. Compared to these sites, your site will look unpolished and unprofessional, but it’s important to remember that this is a learning process and your budget is probably zero, so keep things in perspective. Learn from the sites that are well done and, most importantly, don’t get discouraged! Have fun and be creative. Content Before DesignIf there is one core principle that guides all my website design, it is content before design. This means collecting the content for your website and then letting that guide and inform your design. For example, if you are building a website for your bowling team, consider the content first. Your team wants to have member profiles, a schedule, results from past matches, and the team logo. Let those things guide your design of the website. Overall DesignTo start, let’s consider the overall design of your site. What mood do you want to evoke with your website - do you want it to be fun and bright or dark and brooding? Maybe you don’t even know. The best place to start is by looking around at sites that are well designed. Design IdeasI am always looking for design ideas. When I find a site that is well designed, I bookmark it so that when I am beginning a new design I can review it to get ideas for my own site. I also look at the winners of design awards and web designers’ sites. Because these sites are well designed, you can learn a lot from them. Here are a few to consider:
One way to design your site is to use a central image and base your color scheme and other images off it. This works particularly well if you have something like a logo or photo to work from. |
