DESIGN AND DEVELOP

Once you've found somewhere to host and publish your files, you're ready to move on to the design stage. Creating your Web site can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the project since it's the stage where your visual ideas come to fruition.

If you've spent many long nights imagining how your Web business would look, the design stage is where we put these plans through the mixer and produce an interface.

There are two aspects to the design stage; Web designing and Web developing.

No, contrary to what you might have believed, they're not the same thing. A Web designer's job is generally much different to that of a developer. You don't have to take on either, but it can save a lot of time and a lot of money if you have a grasp of at least one of the skills.

Primarily in this topic, we'll be looking at the tasks faced by a Web designer.

What Makes A Good Web Layout?

Planning a good Web layout has as much to do with knowing what's going to happen as it does with knowing how to use
PhotoShop and other such fancy software.

Many new designers are drawn into their craft to the point where they overlook the practicality of Web design in search of creative touches. It’s true, for some Web sites the layout may need to be particularly appealing on the eye.

But don't let that cloud your own vision. The fact is that the
majority of successful Web businesses operate on bare minimal templates. Have a look around the Web. Look at MySpace, BBC, Amazon and eBay. Are these Web sites dominated by overly complicated designs?

It may seem so. But don't mistake content with the components that are actually built in to the Web template. Most sensible
businesses use basic interfaces with subtle colour schemes and the occasional flash of content imagery to make things seem more visual than they really are.

Yet new designers (and some experienced ones too) will
overlook this idea. They'll worry if their design doesn't look
exciting enough. Many will throw in ridiculous shapes and stock images to cover for empty spaces. We'll look at some bad design practices later in this section, but for now let's focus on how to follow GOOD design.