Web designing doesn't follow any particular rule book. It's like any designing format which should be expressive, appealing and informative. But it's not that easy to understand your visitor's choice. Something which is appealing to you might not appeal your visitor.
Hence, there are certain guidelines which you should always try to follow while plotting a website. These guidelines basically talk about the content and graphics.Before designing your web page, you visit numerous web sites; some with good content, some bad and some with a balanced content and graphics. But you must have liked those sites which successfully hold your attention and curiosity. Following are the two web designing myths which are widely followed by the web designers.
Content Supremacy
A well known ad age says 'Content is the King', and it is true to some extent. But can content alone hold attention? What if visitor is in a hurry, or don't want to give time to read the content? Then all your content supremacy will be unwanted. Visitor might look for animations or other interfaces to explore the site.
However, it's better to put enough information in the site, but it should not look dull to the visitor. Applets and interfaces can be used to make your site more attractive. Only content lacks the needed appeal in your site, which can deter your visitor. Your website should have a perfect balance of animation and content to become popular among your target audience.When are these applets required?
Sometimes these interfaces are required to establish the relation between the brand and the target audience - for example, the Yahoo Mail's latest beta version that shows a dummy slender lad interacting with the audience. This becomes more interesting when the page shows loading, the constant boxing practice with the shadow of the lad holds interest. This is easily downloaded and it gives an extra zing to the normal mailing WebPages.
Similarly, interfaces, applets can be used in comic, gaming and other interactive websites, where you want your audience to adhere to your site. Web design, like any other designing, has no hard and fast rule. It follows a simple philosophy that is the taste of the target audience. You may have a static or a dynamic website, but it should aptly cater to the target audience.
Graphic Dominance
There is another school of thought, who believes that a website looks attractive only when you put lots of graphics in it. They believe all the applets and interfaces make your site look spectacular and attractive. You might often come across these kind of sites, for example, if a newcomer or web designing student makes any website, who is almost unaware of the real market, will put all his book knowledge and technology to make a website, result, a heavy and adorned site.
This makes the site heavy to load, and you might loose your visitor because of this. Hence there should be a balance between the graphics and the content. You certainly can't afford to have hundred kilobyte animated graphics in your website, which is certainly a useless adornment. Large graphics take longer to load because the download speed depends on your modem. If you have a hundred kilobyte graphic and your visitor has a low modem, then your graphic can take ages to load, which is certainly a strict no for your website's popularity.
These graphics are purely decorative and you should restrict yourself while using them. Graphics should be place at the appropriate place; they can enhance the text but, without content graphics is like body without a soul. Undoubtedly, graphics make a page interesting and more desirable, but heavy decoration can destroy the gist of your site. Hence your site should have a blend of graphics and content. Decorative and small pages are always desirable but if your page has too much graphics and takes long to be loaded then it can be unbearable.
- Imagination Web Design
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