5 5 ESSENTIAL WEB DESIGN ELEMENTS A Writers Guide to Website Design

Element 1: Brand Yourself What is a brand? A brand is more than a logo You create a brand with: Icons, logos, informational graphics, colors and typography Specific, parsed components of content for web consumption A consistent look-and-feel for all pages of your website 2 ©

Brand Examples Well-known Brands:Author Website: 3 ©

Element 2: Intuitive Navigation Navigation is how a person navigates, or moves, from one part of your site to the next. Navigation should: Be clear and easy to follow Always link to the main sections of your site Be consistent and present on all pages 4 ©

Navigation Examples Good: Bad: Shown right, 3D navigation is almost always bad. It's harder to manipulate, it doesn't show the choices as well as a 2D interface, and it tends to be slower to use. *Image from archived specialized.com) Shown below, tab metaphors are a good example of intuitive navigation: 5 ©

Element 3: Write for the Web Most of your online audience will scan content rather than reading it. 6 ©

Write for the Web by Using: Highlighted keywords using: Hypertext links Typeface variations (i.e. size, bold, italics–not ten different fonts!) Color Bulleted lists One idea per paragraph You must hook users with the first few words in the paragraph. Less text than conventional writing Use half the word-count to convey your message 7 ©

Element 4: Search Function Every good website has a search feature to allow users to search the site Users want to feel empowered to find what they are looking for in the quickest way possible 8 ©

Element 5: Engaging Content Write to Be Read Write Powerful Headlines Use Lists Employ Effective Images and Captions Use Hyperlinks to Supply Supplemental Information 9 ©

5 Essential Web Design Elements Consistent Brand Intuitive Navigation Write for the Web Search Function Engaging Content 10 ©

Jupiter Images, Unlimited. Stock photos, royalty free images and stock photography. All document images. Retrieved October 31, 2008, from Lynch, Patrick J. & Horton, Sarah. (2001). Web style guide: Basic design principles for creating web sites. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Nielsen, Jakob. (2008). Four bad web designs: Jakob Nielsens alertbox. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from Sitepoint. (2008) Retrieved October 30, 2008, from Sun Microsystems (2008). Writing for the web: Writing to be read. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from References: 11 ©