10 SECRET TIPS IN DESIGNING A WEBSITE

WEB DESIGN COURSES IN THE PHILIPPINES OFFER VARIOUS STUDY TRACKS FOR ASPIRING WEB DEVELOPERS. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TOPICS THAT STUDENT ENROLL IN IS WEBSITE DESIGN BECAUSE MANY ARE AWARE THAT DESIGN IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR THAT SEPARATES GOOD WEBSITES FROM THE BAD. THAT’S WHY, PROFESSIONALS WITH WEB DESIGN SKILLS ARE IN VERY HIGH DEMAND IN THE CORPORATE WORLD.

LUCKY FOR YOU, WE HAPPEN TO HAVE HERE 10 SECRET TIPS IN WEBSITE DESIGN THAT YOU CAN USE TO MAKE PROFESSIONAL LOOKING SITES. THESE ARE ACTUALLY VERY SIMPLE AND ARE ALREADY TAUGHT IN ANY WEB DESIGN COURSES IN THE PHILIPPINES, BUT MANY DESIGNERS TEND TO OVERLOOK THEM WHEN WORKING.

1. PLAN YOUR WEBSITE.

BEFORE YOU OPEN PHOTOSHOP OR START CODING, MAKE A SKETCH OF HOW YOU WANT YOUR WEBSITE TO TURN OUT. IF POSSIBLE, USE COLORS, TOO. THIS WILL ENABLE YOU TO DETERMINE WHERE YOU WANT TO PUT CERTAIN ELEMENTS AND NOT WASTE TIME EXPERIMENTING ON THEIR PLACEMENT.

2. DON’T USE TOO MANY PHOTOS.

PHOTOS ARE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS, BUT USING TOO MANY WILL CLUTTER YOUR WEBSITE. CHOOSE A FEW THAT WILL HELP YOU DELIVER THE MESSAGE AND ORGANIZE THEM NEATLY, LIKE IN A GRID.

3. FORMAT YOU TEXT WELL.

CREATE A CLEAN DESIGN BY USING ONLY 2 FONTS IN THE WEBSITE – ONE FOR THE HEADER AND OTHER FOR THE BODY. CHOOSE FONTS THAT MATCH THE OVERALL THEME OF THE WEBSITE. AS FOR THE COLORS, STICK TO NEUTRALS. YOU CAN USE OTHER COLORS TO HIGHLIGHT SOME PHRASES AND EMPHASIZE THOSE THAT LEAD TO OTHER LINKS, BUT DON’T USE IT FOR THE ENTIRE BODY. IT MAY BE HARD TO READ.

4. USE NARROW COLUMNS FOR TEXT.

JUST LIKE WHAT NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES DO, USE NARROW COLUMNS FOR YOUR TEXT. IT MAKES YOUR CONTENT EASIER TO READ. IT LOOKS NEAT, TOO.

5. INCORPORATE A COMPANY’S BRANDING.

WEB DESIGNERS OFTEN MAKE THE MISTAKE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO TRANSLATE A COMPANY’S IDENTITY THROUGH BRANDING. THIS MISTAKE WOULD LEAD VISITORS TO ASSUME A COMPANY’S IDENTITY IN THE WRONG WAY. THEREFORE, WEB DESIGNERS SHOULD PRIORITIZE COMMUNICATION WITH CLIENTS AND ASK FOR MATERIALS – INCLUDING LOGOS, COLORS, AND FONTS – THAT THEY USUALLY USE SO THAT YOU CAN INCORPORATE IT INTO THE WEBSITE YOU ARE MAKING.

6. MAINTAIN CONSISTENT STYLE.

AFTER YOU HAVE INCORPORATED BRANDING INTO YOUR DESIGN, BE CONSISTENT AND USE IT ALL THROUGHOUT THE WEBSITE. UNIFORMITY IS NECESSARY BECAUSE IT WILL HELP YOUR VISITORS AVOID CONFUSION WHEN ACCESSING DIFFERENT WEB PAGES ON YOUR WEBSITE.

7. UPDATE YOUR DESIGN FREQUENTLY.

PART OF BOLSTERING THE CREDIBILITY OF A SITE IS FOR THE WEB DESIGNER TO EMPLOY UPDATED ELEMENTS. CONTENT SHOULD BE UPDATED AND VERIFIABLE. STOCK IMAGES SHOULD NOT BE OUTDATED.

8. USE ICONS.

ICONS CAN BE USED AS NAVIGATION BUTTONS FOR THE WEBSITE. ASIDE FROM THESE, THEY CAN BE CONVENIENT WAYS FOR YOUR VISITORS TO SHARE YOUR CONTENT ON DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA SITES. JUST REMEMBER TO USE ICONS WHOSE DESIGNS MATCH THE THEME OF YOUR WEBSITE.

9. USE GRIDS.

GRIDS DON’T NECESSARILY MEAN TABLES WITH VISIBLE LINES. IT MEANS DIVIDING YOUR WEB PAGE ACCORDINGLY AND USING INVISIBLE LINES TO MARK BOUNDARIES. THIS WOULD ALLOW YOU TO MAXIMIZE EACH PAGE AND ARRANGE YOUR ELEMENTS NEATLY. IT WOULD ALSO HELP YOU MAINTAIN SYMMETRY ALL THROUGHOUT THE PAGE.

10. USE PHOTOS AS BACKGROUNDS.

IF YOU WANT TO ADD MORE VISUAL PIZZAZZ TO YOUR WEBSITE, YOU CAN ADD PHOTOS AS THE BACKGROUND OF YOUR HEADERS AND SECTIONS. YOU CAN PLAY AROUND WITH THE SATURATION, CONTRAST, AND BLUR TO AVOID CLASHING WITH THE TEXT.

AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THESE TIPS ARE JUST SOME BASIC CONCEPTS IN WEB DESIGN. IT WOULD BE BEST TO EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THE MORE ADVANCED ASPECTS OF THE SUBJECT SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE AN EDGE AMONG OTHER IT PROFESSIONALS AND A SKILL YOU CAN BE PROUD OF.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME OR RESOURCES TO GO TO A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL, TRY ONLINE TRAINING. YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO STUDY PROPERLY, INTERACT WITH TEACHERS, AND EVALUATE YOUR LEARNING WHILE ENJOYING THE COMFORTS OF YOUR OWN HOME.