To summarise my earlier posts on web page layout, here is a simple step-by-step checklist you can use to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Remember, if you follow all the steps, you will be surprised by your creativity and the professional-looking design that emerges,
- Make sure all of your headings and copy text has consistent fonts, alignment and spacing; stick to 2 or 3 fonts
- Logos, footer links, navigation and all repeated elements should be in the same position on every page
- Apply consistent style rules to all of your elements, preferably, using a CSS based style sheet
- When choosing your colour scheme, use 2 or 3 matching colours, or maybe 2 matching and 1 contrasting colour
- Keep it simple by limiting the number of elements on a page to no more than 5 and make sure each one has a good reason to be there
- Surround your text and graphics with plenty of white space, clustering related elements together using a little less space
- Use a grid to align all of your elements on the page to create visual integrity
- Break up your text into short paragraphs of just one or two sentences so making it easier to read on-screen
- Make headlines big, bold and surrounded by white space to attract attention
- Use bulleted lists often when writing text as readers love them
- Don’t forget to check spelling, punctuation and your hyperlinks work as expected
Don’t get too serious about it. Experiment. Play with your layouts either on paper or on screen, using a graphics software package like photoshop or fireworks. Have fun. As you work with your ideas, you will know the moment it works. When it does. Stop. Admire it and publish it.Â
