Graphic and Web Design Blog, Seattle

Validation: the Key to Longevity

Monday, December 8th, 2008 | web site development | No Comments

There is a lot to a web site that the usual visitor doesn’t see. This doesn’t mean however that what’s going on behind the curtain isn’t important. We’ll talk more later about designing for multiple browsers later (all browsers are NOT created equal), but there are some things you can do to make sure you’re at least writing code appropriate for multiple browsers. This is called validation. There are a fair number of rules, so in the end run your web site through a tool like Total Validator to learn what doesn’t validate with your code.

Some does or don’ts:

1. target=”_blank” is out, rel=”external” is in. Here’s the javascript that makes it work:

   <script type="text/javascript">
   // External Links
   function externalLinks() {
    if (!document.getElementsByTagName) return;
    var anchors = document.getElementsByTagName("a");
    for (var i=0; i<anchors.length; i++) {
      var anchor = anchors[i];
      if (anchor.getAttribute("href") &&
          anchor.getAttribute("rel") == "external")
          anchor.target = "_blank";
    }
   }
   window.onload = externalLinks;
   </script>

2. do not use in-inline styles, use a CSS file. For instance: <img src=”mypic.jpg” border=”0″ /> is out. Instead, either create a img tag CSS style that says border:none or create a class that does the same and change the above to <img src=”mypic.jpg” class=”noborder” /> — “noborder” could be changed to whatever you want.
3. <img src=”mypic.jpg”> is out, <img src=”mypic.jpg” /> is in. Properly close those tags! Same with <br> tags. Should be <br />

Want to learn more about validation? Learn what the W3C has to say about it. Or you can entrust your web site and it’s valid code to Seattle web design firm Noodle Design >

Tags: seattle web design

What is Information Architecture?

Friday, November 21st, 2008 | web site consulting | No Comments

You wouldn’t start nailing together boards for your new house before putting together blueprints, would you? And should you start building a web site before deciding what will go on it? Nope to both. Long before pixels are put to screen, put pencil to paper (ok, maybe text to Word) and organize! It’s incredibly important and here’s how you get started.

Take a moment to consider the ultimate goals of your web site. Planning for an informational web site about a cause, and you’re aiming to tug at people’s heart strings? Is yours a business with multiple facets yet you need to focus on one in particular? Got one product you need to sell more than any other? Consider the goals and prioritize them. Who is your audience? Who have they been, who do you want them to be? With goals and audience determined you can then organize your content (information architecture!) so that it will reach those you want with the message you need them to see! Document your goals, audience, and content and give them to your web designer.

Only at that point are you ready to put pixel to screen. Any good designer will ask you the above questions and guide you in preparing for your web site.

Noodle Design provides its clients initially a web site design questionnaire that asks you those questions and helps you start to organize your thoughts. Using the information you supply in the questionnaire a requirements document is set up. We refer to this as the bible of your web site. It’s a one-stop shop of information (both content, design, technical, and administrative) about your web site. You’d be in good hands with Seattle design firm Noodle Design >

Tags: seattle web design

Tools to Build a Web Site

Thursday, November 20th, 2008 | web site development | No Comments

On more than one occasion I’ve had a client want to either edit their own web site or learn how to do web sites. I’m not the greatest teacher, but actually editing a web site is fairly simple, if the most you’re looking to do is edit some text here or there or maybe swap out a photo. Here are some tools you can use.

1. FTP client. “FTP” stands for File Transfer Protocol. An FTP client allows you to download and upload files to a web server. The Internet Explorer browser can be used as an FTP client (check out this blog for details: http://www.sean.co.uk/a/webdesign/ftp_in_ie_free_client.shtm) and Windows Explorer can also be used (the procedure is exactly the same as with IE, go figure). You’ll need your FTP host, username, and password to access your web server.
2. Notepad. Ok, so not just Notepad, but any plain text editor will do. Don’t use Word, as Word will insert unnecessary and messy code. Open up a web file (extensions are typically .html, .htm, .php, .shtml) in a text editor like Notepad, find and edit the text you need changed and save the file. You’ll upload it next, more on that to follow.
3. WYSIWYG editor. Not necessary, but certainly makes some things easier. “WYSIWYG” stands for “What You See Is What You Get” so instead of looking at code in Notepad you could actually look at the layout and graphics of a site as you edit, for the most part seeing what you see when looking at the live page online. WYSIWYG editors often also provide FTP access. Dreamweaver by Adobe (formerly by Macromedia), which is the web design industry’s preferred tool (and mine) can be cost prohibitive to some one who just wants to edit their own web site every few months. Some hosting companies offer online WYSIWYG editors (GoDaddy is one such company). It would be wise to investigate web hosts and what they offer before buying a hosting account.
4. Image editing software. On occasion you’ll want to replace a photo. Most photos require some type of editing prior to being uploaded to a web site. Resizing needs to be done in an image editing software, not by simply changing the dimensions in the html code. Ever see a photo online that looked distorted and pixely? It’s probably a huge photo that’s simply been manually resized in a WYSIWYG editor. Most computers come with some simple image editing software. You can also use something like Google’s Picasa.

The moral to this story is you can edit a web site without buying a single stitch of software. It can take time to learn though, so if you’re short on time contact Seattle design firm Noodle Design for web site editing or development >

Tags: Seattle Graphic Design, seattle web design

Tips to a Successful Web Site

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 | web design, web site development | No Comments

If you’re going to do a web site you’ll want to do it right. After all, what’s the point of having a web site if you turn people away once they get there? There are so many things you can do with a web site (and some less than cool), so let’s talk about what you should and should not do.

1. Don’t theme-out your web site. Sure your favorite thing in life is golf, but does that mean you should have a golf-themed web site? Not unless your business is a golf-supply store or you’re a golf course. What would a golf-themed web site say to some one who visits your law practice’s web site? It says “I’d much rather be spending your money playing golf than helping your cause”.
2. Less is more. Your visitors will need to be able to find their destination quickly. Too many elements on a home page can overwhelm and they may hit that back button far quicker than you’d like. Make sure your navigation (menu) is easy to spot and detailed enough. While users aren’t likely to read the text on your home page don’t make the mistake of skipping text on your home page all together, but don’t over do it. A basic description of your business that is keyword rich will serve you best.
3. Skip the mystery meat. Some web sites try to be clever and will use simple icons for menu items that when you hover over them reveals the content hidden behind. Don’t make your users work! It will only frustrate them. Be clear. Don’t use clever terms instead of straight forward page or section names. “Holla” is not as effective as “Contact Us”.
4. Flash intros are so 1996. They had their time and place. Don’t do it. This falls in to the category of not making your users work. If they have to click simply to get to the actual content of your web site you may lose them. Don’t discount the number of people using DSL and dial-up. Your cool flash intro might load slowly and users will not wait around.
5. Skip the music. Ethical or not, people surf the web at work. Sure, maybe they do it on their own time, but does that mean they don’t mind when they happen upon a web site with techno beats blaring at them? Unless you’re a band your web site doesn’t need music and nothing turns a visitor off more than music (ok, maybe it’s second to the Flash intro).
6. Offer them something right up front. Do you sell products on your web site? Put your most popular product right on the home page with a shopping cart buttons right there so they don’t have to click anywhere to buy. Photographer? Put a gallery or a handful of photos right on your home page so people can start looking without clicking. Instant gratification should be the name of the game.

Get a web site with all the right moves from Seattle Design Firm Noodle Design >

Tags: Seattle Graphic Design, seattle web design