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Weekly Article: Writing Well for the Web

· Using Links - Don't let the reader know you're leading them

· Keep it Personalized - Who's writing your pages anyway?
· Good Navigation - You can't know where your readers are coming from.

I admit it, I'm biased. I was a writer with a book title to my name before I became a Web Developer. Then, when I joined the Web team, I was brought on as a Web Writer. I like to write, I like good writing, and writing is my passion. So, when I see Web pages that demonstrate that the author doesn't care about writing, I cringe.

There are many things that constitute good writing. They include correct spelling, good grammar, as well as interesting content. However, to write for the Web you have to be aware of how people read Web pages, as well as the nature of hypertext itself.

Using Links

Don't use: "click here"How do you handle links on your Web page? If you're like most people, you have the words click here sprinkled liberally through your pages. Now, you may be thinking (as does the Marketing Department where I work), "What does that matter? Jennifer is just being a style martinet again."

Yes, I admit that I can be inflexible when it comes to those two words in a Web page. These two words completely destroy the flow of any document. The only time I can condone using "click here" is if you are writing a Web page on how to use Web pages.

Do use title tags and "inter-paragraph" links
I have found that the best way to add in links to Web pages is to add them after you've written the text. You can then go in and highlight textual elements as links so your readers can get more information. When I do this, I try to use title tags in my HREF so that readers with title enabled browsers will know where they are going.

Keep it Personalized

We all have myriad chances to deal with automation in our lives these days. Why not let your readers know that there is a person behind the pages? Because my pages are on About.com they all have my photo on them, but I like to keep my articles friendly and easy to read. (I think the other reason I write so casually is because I have to write specs at work, and those are very dry and impersonal.)

When you create your pages, make sure that you have some way to contact you on the Web page. If you don't want to be listed on every mailing list in the country, then at least put your name so people can give you credit. Why did you spend so much time on your pages if you didn't want someone to read them and know that you wrote them?

Good Navigation

Elsewhere on this site, there are many pages that have information of interest to my readers. A lot of these pages include navigation at the top, bottom, or sides that says "Next", "Previous", "Back", "Top", and so on. However, if you came to that page from my page, you have no idea where those links are going to take you.

This is the beauty of the Web; you never know where a link will take you or how people will find your page next. Never assume that because you set up a beautiful table of contents that anyone but you will use it. Links of this nature make you the tour guide again. Your links should tell people where they are going, preferably as part of a sentence, but they shouldn't be reminded to use their mouse to get there.

Summary of the Article:

There are three major points that you need to know in order to write well for the web. First, it is important to not show the reader that you are leading them to someplace. When you put up a link, you should put “click here” this is because that ruins the flow of the whole piece. Also it is nice if you indicate the writer of the web page. Last of all, when you are putting links, you have to put what this site leads to.

Source from: http://webdesign.about.com/od/writing/a/aa061598.htm

Color code

Weekly Article: 35 Deadly Website Sins that will Kill Your Business

After reviewing thousands of web sites over the past couple of years for my Exceptional Sites Award, I have come to the conclusion that many business web sites are missing the boat.

For example; I've been working on some offline promotions and was searching for a simple targeted mailing list. I searched through about twenty sites and not one of those sites were, what I would consider, professional. Their standard blue links were enlarged to about a size 16 font, busy backgrounds, flashing images and very unorganized.
Did I purchase a mailing list from any of those sites? Absolutely not. Why? The way I see it, if those companies don't take pride in their web sites, chances are, and they won't take pride in their products either. Large linked text and flashing graphics won't make sales.

Your web site is a direct reflection of you and your business. The appearance of your site is the most important factor in determining your sites value. In other words, if your site doesn't look professional or pleasing to the eyes at first glance, its perceived value and the value of your products and services will be low.

On the other hand, you may have a great web site, well designed and a quality product or service, but if it takes too long to load, the value will still be perceived as low. Why? Because your potential customer won't wait. Ultimately costing you business.
Another consideration of great importance is your content. Not just links, but content with value. When someone is surfing the net and they visit your web site, they're visiting for a reason. Your site has something they want. Whether it is your product, service or information, that's why they're there. If they don't find what they're looking for, they move on to the next site and so on. If you want your visitors to stay at your site, provide the quality content they're looking for in a nicely organized fashion. Give them a reason to want to explore your site and to continue to visit your site in the future.

After receiving many questions, in regard to site design, from my visitors who weren't selected to receive an award, I have devised a list of what I refer to as "35 Deadly Web Site Sins".
- Poor load time - Poor overall appearance - Spelling/Grammar - No contact information - Poor content - Poor navigation - Broken links and graphics - Poor browser compatibility - Large slow loading graphics - Too many graphics - Pages scrolling to oblivion - Multiple use of animated graphics - Animated bullets - Too many graphic and/or line dividers - Busy, distracting backgrounds - Multiple banners and buttons - Poor use of frames - Large fonts - Pop up messages - Over use of java - Poor use of tables - Poor organization - Different backgrounds on each page - Over powering music set to auto play - Confusing - Too much advertising - Large Welcome banners - Multiple colored text - Text difficult to read - No Meta tags - Multiple use of different fonts - Under construction signs - Scrolling text in the status bar - Large scrolling text across the page - Poor use of mouse over effects
Take some time to really look at your site. Compare it to sites that you feel look professional. Time your sites load time. Your customers won't wait. Their time is valuable.
The simple, well-designed sites make the sales. If your sales aren't what you had hoped, take some time to seriously evaluate your site and make some changes before spending your time and money on advertising and marketing. You may be pleasantly surprised

Summary of the Article:
The writer of this article Shelley Lowery stated that the website is the direct reflection of the person who makes the business and the business itself. When you design a website, you have to consider not only the design itself but other things too in order to make your business and you yourself professional. There are 35 deadly sins that you shouldn’t do when creating a website and they are
1. Poor load time 2. Poor overall appearance 3. Spelling/Grammar
4. No contact information 5. Poor content 6. Poor navigation
7. Broken links and graphics 8. Poor browser compatibility
9. Large slow loading graphics 10. Too many graphics 11. Pages scrolling to oblivion
12. Multiple uses of animated graphics 13. Animated bullets
14. Too many graphic and/or line dividers 15. Busy, distracting backgrounds
16. Multiple banners and buttons 17. Poor use of frames 18.Large fonts
19. Pop up messages 20. Over use of java 21. Poor use of tables
22. Poor organization 23. Different backgrounds on each page
24. Over powering music set to auto play 25. Confusing 26.Too much advertising
27. Large Welcome banners 28.Multiple colored text 29. Text difficult to read
30. No Meta tags 31. Multiple uses of different fonts 32. Under construction signs
33. Scrolling text in the status bar 34. Large scrolling text across the page
35. Poor use of mouse over effects

Source from: http://www.web-source.net/website_sins.htm

Color Basics

- Color is determined by its name, how pure or desaturated it is, and its value or lightness.

- Chroma: How pure a hue is in relation to gray 


- Saturation: The degree of purity of a hue. 


- Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a hue. One may lower the intensity by adding white or black. 


- Luminance / Value: A measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue. Those hues with a high content of white have a higher luminance or value.

- Shade and tint: are terms that refer to a variation of a hue.

- Shade: A hue produced by the addition of black. 
Tint: A hue produced by the addition of white.

- Tint: A hue produced by the addition of white

- There are color systems such as subtractive color and addictive color. Subtractive color is when you mix colors using paint. Addictive color is when as more color is added, the result is lighter and tends to white.

- The warmer colors are called the active range and the cooler colors are called the passive range.

- Vibrating Boundaries may occur when opposing colors are brought together.

- Monochromatic Relationship: Colors that are shade or tint variations of the same hue.

- Complementary Relationship: Those colors across from each other on a color wheel.

- Split-Complementary Relationship: One hue plus two others equally spaced from its complement.

- Double-Complementary Relationship: Two complementary color sets; the distance between selected complementary pairs will effect the overall contrast of the final composition.

- Analogous Relationship: Those colors located adjacent to each other on a color wheel.

- Triad Relationship: Three hues equally positioned on a color wheel.

The Meaning of Colors

Red: Energy, strength, passion, eroticism, cheerfulness, courage, element of fire, career goals, fast action, lust, desire, blood, vibrancy, driving forces, risk, fame, love, survival, war, revolution, danger, aggression, strength, power, determination

Pink: Romance, love, friendship, femininity, truth, passivity, good will, emotional healing, peace, calming, affection, emotional maturity, caring, nurturing, sweet tasting, sweet smelling, ethereal, delicacy.

Orange: warmth, energy, balance, enthusiasm, vibrancy, vitality, expansiveness, flamboyance, excitement, business goals, property deals, ambition, career, goals, general success, justice, legal matters, selling, action, attention-grabbing, the sun, friendly, inviting, intense, joy, strength

Blue: good fortune, communication, wisdom, protection, spiritual inspiration, calmness, reassurance, gentleness, fluidity, water, sea, creativity, peace, calming, higher thoughts, mystery, sky, formality, travel, devotion, progress, quiet wisdom, freedom.

Green: earth mother, physical healing, monetary success, abundance, fertility, tree & plant magic, growth, food, hope, personal goals, resurrection, renewal, youth, stability, endurance, freshness, nature, environment, tranquil, refreshing, quiet, hope, immortality, health, healing, good luck

Yellow: Sun, intelligence, light, accelerated learning, memory, logical imagination, social energy, cooperation, organization, breaking mental blocks, sunshine, joy, happiness, intellect, energy, cheerfulness, optimism, purity, enthusiasm, warmth, honor, loyalty, mental force, clarity, perception

Gold: wealth, god, winning, safety, masculine power, happiness, playful humor, prestige, wisdom, love of spirit, meaning, purpose, awe, spiritual love, quests of the heart, desire for power, mystic powers, higher mathematics, sciences, attainment, concentration

White: spirituality, goddess, peace, higher self, purity, virginity, reverence, simplicity, cleanliness, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, cold, clinical, sterility, clarity, perfection

Purple: influence, third eye, psychic ability, spiritual power, self assurance, hidden knowledge, dignity, high aspirations, royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, sophistication, cruelty, arrogance, intuition, dreams, unconscious, invisible, telepathy, empathy, imagination, deja vu, universal spirit, spiritual connection, deeper truth, nobility, wealth, extravagance

Weekly Article: Color Symbolism

When is the last time you saw a Web site in black and white?

Color is vital to the repertoir of your average Web designer, and yet many designers don't realize that the colors they choose may be having more of an effect than they realize. Colors are an element of design that people react to on a visceral level. Often, they don't realize they are reacting to it. For example, in the U.S. many hospitals dress their nurses in light blues and pale pinks. This is because these are calming, soothing colors, and upset patients relax a little in their presence. Once you understand your audience make up you can create a color scheme that suits them.
When choosing the colors for your site, you need to first (as always) think of your audience. Is it a global audience? Is it primarily Western? Eastern? Are they older? Younger? Male? Female? All of these things and more can affect the color choices for your site.

Cultural Differences

Colors obtain symbolism through cultural references in the culture you grew up in. Depending upon the culture, colors can have very different meanings and actually cause problems for your site. For example, in the East, white is the color of funerals while in the West white is the color of Weddings. If you were to design a Wedding site intended for an Asian audience and you used a lot of whites, you could be disturbing the people you're trying to reach.

Age Differences

Young children tend to prefer brighter, more solid colors, while adults tend to prefer more subdued colors. If you're writing to an audience of children and you're using muted pastels and shades of grey, their parents might like it, but the kids will be long gone before the page finishes loading.

Class Differences

Marketing research in the United States has shown that working class people tend to prefer colors that you can name: like blue, red, green, etc. While more highly educated classes tend to prefer colors that are more obscure: like taupe, azure, mauve, etc. This is why Walmart does their store logo in bright red.

Gender Differences

In many cultures, men tend to prefer cooler colors (blues and greens) while women tend to prefer warmer colors (reds and oranges). Western men are also more likely to be color blind and so unable to see some of the differences in color on Web pages.

Trends

Colors, like everything else in design, go through ins and outs in popularity. Black Web pages were all the rage a few years ago, and now you hardly see it at all (but it will surely come back into style as I write this). Colors also tend towards seasonality, in other words, the designs reflect the season they were built in: winter blacks, whites, and greys; spring greens and bright colors; summer yellows; fall browns and golds.

Summary of the Article:

Color is very important in everything but it is particularly more important when doing design. Many people don’t realize that color gives great impact to the people who look at your design. When designing anything, you should see who your audience is because that depends on what color you have to use. For example, when you are dealing with age differences, children like more bright colors and adults like more subdued colors. Also for class and gender differences, working class people like colors that you can name and richer class don’t. Also mostly, men like cooler colors and women prefer warmer colors. So, these examples show that color can impact how the person looks at your design so when you design, it might be helpful if you know who your designing to.

Source from: http://webdesign.about.com/od/color/a/aa072604.htm

Rationale

I did my poster on El Lissitzky; a graphic designer from Russia. He learned under Malevich who focused on constructivism and suprematism. El Lissitzky was greatly influenced by constructivism and focused on constructivism. He also greatly influences other movements such as Bauhaus. The style constructivism is when a person uses geometric shapes and primary colors to express what the person is trying to say also most of the text is right angled from each other which is also related to geometry. Also the borders of the text are bordered around with the color the text is. So for example if there is a word ‘Constructivism’ in red, the border of the text is bordered around with red. Also, the style constructivism is when a person makes the work simple and there is less use of space. The work that I referred to when I made my poster is called “For the Voice” and it was designed by El Lissitzky in 1923. The design overall is simple and there are geometric shapes involved such as a circle, two long rectangles and a square. There is very little text. There is very less use of space. I first put a red circle like in the piece “For the Voice” and then I took a picture of El Lissitzky and blended the picture behind the circle and the purpose of this was to show who I am doing the poster on. After that I took a font which fit this poster and I started to put key words in related to El Lissitzky and constructivism which Lissitzky mostly focused on. I put key words such as ‘text right angled’, ‘El Lissitzky’, ‘primary colors’, ‘geometric shapes’ and ‘graphic designer’ etc. I then arranged the text so that it fit El Lissitzky’s style of designing. In addition, I added geometric shapes such as rectangles and squares which El Lissitzky also did in his piece “For the Voice”. I then organized the size of the text and the shapes to use less space. After, like El Lissitzky did I bordered the text with primary colors. He used modernism font so on the bottom of the poster I used a modernism font.