Discussion of Creative Design (in Creating a Solid Web Presence)

Web design is about imagining, planning, implementation and execution of electronic content, and its delivery to the Internet by using suitable technologies for presentations through web browsers and other graphical interfaces based on Internet. Web design objective is to create a website (a collection of electronic files that are found on one or more web servers), which presents web content to the user in the form of web pages;

We can not talk about web design without saying a few words about some essential web design elements:

ü The header is a material that is separated from the main body of the text, which is usually placed in the top of the page. In general, it's recommended to place the logo and contact information in the top of the page. This area is also used for small animations;

It is recommended that a Flash header to include text and images. What's the best part when using such a header? The animations will draw the visitors' attention instantly. A Flash animation is attractive and enjoyable to watch.

What kind of texts should be used? It is very indicated to use quotes indicated by numbers and technical quotes. Thus, rather than having a general text: "We are the best in web design", "We have the best products", you can say: "Our team has X experts", "We have over X products", "In 2008, we have sold over X products", etc. By seeing real data and statistics, the visitors will be more confident.

You can also use as text a unique selling proposition (USP). USP will help you to be different from competitors and the customers will be able to associate you easily to a slogan/ image/ unique company.

What kind of pictures to use? It is very appropriate to have images that show what you do exactly, in a brief manner. If you work with people through your job, it's good to use images that present groups and communities. If you are a consultant, and have an important number of employees, you can present photos with the team. People will feel good to work with the people they have seen on the website. You can add images from your portfolio in Flash, if the portfolio is one of the essential things that you promote.

ü The footer represents the bottom of a page; it is an excellent area to promote the navigation elements on the website, by listing the links from the website's main menu.

ü The content includes mainly text, but it may also consist in other pages, navigation elements, and forms. The content refers especially to the website elements accessed frequently by visitors to find information (text, images, and video files);

The site map is a representation of the website structure. It can be a method of planning for web design, or a page that displays the pages of a site. Usually, a site map is organized hierarchically. A site map facilitates the navigation both for visitors and search engines. If you use menus created in Adobe Flash or JavaScript, a sitemap represents the main way for search engines to reach on all the website pages.

How a well designed site map looks like? It is recommended to include an introductory text in the site map. Thus, if the website is organized in main pages, categories, subcategories and products, you will be able to divide the pages in a hierarchical structure like the one below:

1. Homepage

2. Main Page;

3. Main Page;

4. Category;

5. Category;

5.1. Subcategory;

5.1.1. Product;

5.1.2. Product;

5.2. Subcategory;

5.2.1. Product;

5.2.2. Product;

5.3. Subcategory;

5.3.1. Product;

5.3.2. Product;

...

7. Main page;

8. Main Page.

Structuring information will help the website visitors to quickly understand what your website is about. If you have a very complex website, with thousands of pages, you can divide the site map into multiple pages. Also, the last level (that includes items or products) can be conceived to be visible only when the user accesses it.

ü Friendly print version represents the version used for printing a web page. This option replaces the usual website navigation mechanism and information that are useful for browsing. The pages used for printing must fit a normal page, usually A4;

ü CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a language used to describe the format and appearance of a HTML document. CSS was originally developed to allow the separation of HTML documents from graphic elements, including elements like colors, fonts and pages layout (arranging elements on the page);

ü HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the main programming language for web pages, providing useful means to describe the information structure based on text from a document, marking items as links, headings, paragraphs, lists etc.; HTML code is written in the form of , surrounded by angular brackets ;

ü The usability refers to the way in which can be improved the navigation on a website, through an appropriate graphical interface;

ü JavaScript is a programming language used for various tasks: opening a pop-up with control options on the size and scale, validation of data before being sent, changing an image, etc.

ü Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform created by Macromedia and currently developed by Adobe Systems. It emerged on the market in 1996 and it is a popular method for adding animation and interactivity on web pages.

What is the creative web design?

A website should have a clean and airy design. Such a design helps the visitors to navigate easily through the site, as they will perceive more effective the information. The user will surely appreciate a website with white spaces, structured information, a coherent and enjoyable interface.

The website color theme is very important in web design, and it's good to pay attention to this aspect. The website colors express more about your image as a company and they must be chosen carefully.

In the past, web design analyses shown that many websites are "scanned" visually on diagonal: the visitors look in the upper left corner of a web page, getting from the center of an image to the right, on the bottom of the page. But recent studies proved that the users eye rather catch the "F" shape of a page visual image. You can take a look to Jakob Nielsen website, which developed the study F-Shaped Pattern for Reading Web Content (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html ).

The eye follows a long horizontal trajectory, then another short path. Therefore, it's indicated to place the most important elements in the website header and the less important ones in the footer.

What elements should you place in the page header? It's recommended to place the company's logo in the top-left side of the page. At the top of the website (horizontally) you can add the menu (or, if necessary, a secondary menu). The content can be place in the central part of the website.

The usefulness of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. The consistency allows us to effectively transfer knowledge in new contexts, to learn new things quickly and to focus our attention on relevant aspects of a task. According to the Universal Principles of Design there are 4 types of consistency: aesthetic, functional, internal and external.

ü Aesthetic consistency

Aesthetic consistency refers to the consistency of style and visual - for example, the logo of a company that uses a consistent font / color / graph. It consists in visual and emotional recognition.

ü Functional Consistency

It refers to the consistency of usability and action.

ü Internal Consistency

Internal consistency refers to the compatibility between general consistency and the other elements of the system.

ü External Consistency

It expresses the compatibility between the general consistency and the others elements of the environment; for example, alarms are consistent in different systems.

In web design, the aesthetic consistency should be used to establish a unique identity which can be easily recognized; the functional consistency simplifies the learning process. We must ensure that the system is consistent both internally and externally.

There are no strict rules in creative web design. There are rules for using the website (usability) and web design principles. But there is enough flexibility in creating a website and it's not hard to make your website unique, if this is want to want.

Sources: webdesign.about.com, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_design, books.google.ro/books?isbn=2880466865