Web Design Principals

Primary audience – Who are your clients?

Purpose for the site – If you don’t know, you don’t need one.

Location of the site – ALWAYS opt for a professional hosting company!

Types of content – Should be tied in with your primary audience.

Information provided on the “home” page

Content – Should match purpose, well organized, spellchecked, correct punctuation, current info, appropriate.

Level of Web technology to best suit the purpose:

Style to best suit the purpose

Page design – consistency, clarity, user friendliness:

Resolution – Today’s standards are 1024px

Graphics – rgb 72dpi only, no tiffs.

Background and text colors – Use common sense, patterned backgrounds are too busy, contrast between background and text, limit font colors.

Use of frames – if your programmer still uses it, hire a new one! NOW!

What is protected by copyright rules on the WWW

Everything -

When creating a Web page, you CAN:

• Link to other Web sites. [However, some individuals and organizations have specific requirements when you link to their Web material. Check a site carefully to find such restrictions. It is wise to ask permission. You need to cite source, as you are required to do in a research paper, when quoting or paraphrasing material from other sources. How much you quote is limited.]

Use free graphics on your Web page. If the graphics are not advertised as “free” they should not be copied without permission.

When creating a Web page, you may be liable if you:

• Put the contents of another person’s or organizations web site on your Web page
• Copy and paste information together from various Internet sources to create “your own” document. [You CAN quote or paraphrase limited amounts, if you give credit to the original source and the location of the source. This same principle applies to print sources, of course.]
• Copy and paste others’ lists of resources on your own Web page
• Copy and paste logos, icons, and other graphics from other web sites to your web page unless it is clearly advertised as “free” and you follow the original source’s guidelines for posting material.

Some organizations are happy to let you use their logos, with permission – it is free advertising. But they want to know who is using it. It is best to notify a source to which you want to link. The source might not approve of all sites who want to use their logo.

Protect your privacy and reputation online:

• Don’t disclose private information about yourself or others.
• Don’t give out home phone numbers or home addresses.
• What you link to helps define who you are and what your organization represents.
• Avoid exaggerated claims if promoting a product or organization.
• Cite sources of information.
• Observe copyright rules.
• Use original graphics or free graphics or clipart.