| This is intended as a collection of tips and advice to | | | | and resolutions. What may suit you may be too small |
| give a quick overview of what to be aware of when | | | | for many. And when you set a font face, remember |
| designing web pages. This is mainly to give you some | | | | to provide alternatives, including the generic |
| hints and ideas, but some of the hints may be linked | | | | 'sans-serif' or 'serif'. |
| to longer articles about just that theme. | | | | DON'T use wild backgrounds To make it easy for |
| DO plan ahead People think of different things when | | | | visitors to read your content, make the contrast |
| they hear "web design." Some put too much weight | | | | between the text and background good. Patterned |
| on the word "design" and forgetting "web" - but a | | | | backgrounds under the text will make it hard to read, |
| site can look great and still be a failure if it doesn't | | | | and some colours don't go well together. |
| work. Remember to plan how it should function, as | | | | DO save often And do keep backups. |
| part of the content. | | | | DON'T confuse visitors Make navigation simple and |
| DO make it quick If your site is slow to download, | | | | logical. Let them know where on the site they are. |
| your visitors will most likely leave - especially if they | | | | DON'T regret But do learn from your mistakes. |
| don't know what the site is about. Remember, the | | | | There's bound to be mistakes, and things you would |
| rival is only a click away! DO appreciate textual | | | | do better given a second chance. |
| content It's only in rare cases that the design is more | | | | DO listen When people tell you they don't like your |
| important than the text - like when the point of the | | | | site, do listen to them. You may disagree and be |
| site is to show the design itself. In all other cases, | | | | right, but try to understand why they don't like it - |
| the design should only be used to support the | | | | you can learn a lot from it! DON'T use frames Frames |
| content; what visitors come to read. | | | | are out now, a thing of the past. |
| DO learn HTML Or these days, XHTML or XML. Why | | | | To display pages with frames, you really need a large |
| would you need that, with all the visual editors | | | | monitor, bookmarking is difficult or impossible |
| available that hide the code for you? Simply because | | | | (especially if you want to send the URL to a friend) |
| while these tools may help you very much, a human | | | | and much more. Search engines often get confused |
| is able to write better HTML, and will be able to clean | | | | by frames, and won't list the site - you don't want |
| up what the visual editors may create. | | | | that? DON'T be harry Using techniques for their own |
| DON'T think you know it all ...because no one does. | | | | sake is a miss, and it won't impress anyone that |
| There's always something new to learn for anyone. | | | | aren't looking for exactly that thing - and then only |
| DO start your work on paper Sketching on paper | | | | once. Do you have a flash intro? Make it possible to |
| how you want your site, with all the pages in relation | | | | skip it. |
| to each other and the best and easiest way to | | | | DON'T limit me Making a site dependent on particular |
| navigate them. Then you can start the computer | | | | plug-ins reduces its appeal, and the number of visitors |
| work. | | | | willing to spend time on your site, particulary if they |
| DO check the spelling Nothing makes the content | | | | have to download the plug-in. They may not come |
| appear worse and amateurish than bad spelling. Check | | | | back. |
| and correct any mistakes before you publish. | | | | DO provide alt-texts Even people with ISDN |
| DON'T annoy your visitors Certain tricks has always | | | | connections turn off graphics to get better |
| been used to attract the attention of the visitors. | | | | performance, in addition to blind and sight impaired |
| Gif-animations are one thing, the dreadful tag another. | | | | users. |
| But while the movement and blinking attract the | | | | DON'T break copyrights If you haven't made it |
| attention, it also turns visitors away - because the | | | | yourself, and haven't got permission from the author/ |
| annoying elements breaks their concentration. | | | | artist, don't use it on your pages. If people will be |
| DO be careful with fonts Too many fonts looks bad. | | | | flattered to find their work copied and used, it will be |
| Too small fonts look bad - and the same font and | | | | possible to contact them first and make a deal - |
| size do look very different on different computers | | | | legally. |