How NOT To Design A Website

TONY CONTE, DIGITAL CHIEF AT BRAVE CREATIVE SAYS

DON’T USE A TINY OR HARD TO READ FONT

People are logging onto your website to read about your products or services, so make it as easy as possible for them to do that.

• Don’t be afraid of using common fonts like Helvetica, Times New Roman or Tahoma – there’s a reason people use them. They work!

• Of course aesthetic values are important, but it’s important to remember that 90% of the time, a web user won’t be thinking about what font is used, so if it’s legible, then that’s spot on. Always aim for a clear font that looks good in large and small sizes.

• Think about compatibility, don’t choose a font that might fail in displaying on some web browsers – at Brave Creative we embed fonts in our website designs so we don’t have to use images as much, this ensures pages load a lot faster – which is vital for smart phones.

DON’T FORGET MOBILE USERS

It’s expected that by 2013 there will be more users viewing the Internet via a mobile device than through a desktop or laptop computer, so it’s important to consider designing and developing
websites for mobile visitors.

• Take into consideration the smaller size of the screens: the iPhone 5 has a resolution of 1136×640, however other devices such as Android and Blackberry phones feature only a screen size at 320×240, which is much smaller than normal so it’s important to keep in mind as you design your mobile website.

• Not everyone has good connection or unlimited bandwidth. Keep images small, and compressed for lighter download times.

• Consider developing a one column layout that fits within a mobile screen display. The user will still probably have to scroll, but it will only be vertical and this is very normal and natural.

MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE A GREAT AGENCY!

Your agency should understand a range of marketing concepts (not just print but digital too) and should be able to offer a range of skills to get you what you want.

• Check out the company’s portfolio. You should be looking for a range of different designs that have been used for different kinds of clients

• It’s a good sign if your designer is asking you lots of questions. This means they’re serious about producing quality work and getting it right. They need to understand your business fully if they are to provide you with the highest quality design products.
• Finally, make sure your agency keeps in touch. If you haven’t worked with them before then it’s important that they remain in touch to let you know how things are going.

 www.bravecreative.co.uk