29 5 / 2012
How To - Twitter
A great little guide for anyone new to Twitter, in friendly Infographic style! If you need more help than this, then contact me for my handy Twitter guide.
Source: socialmediarevolver.com via Amanda on Pinterest
24 1 / 2012
Anatomy of An Effective Home Page
This post is part of a series documenting the re-build of my website www.createdby.co.za. As I construct the new site from scratch I will be posting a detailed account of the planning process and actions I am taking.
Those clever okes at Kissmetrics.com have done it again - made an awesome infographic about the optimum layout of a landing page.
The first design I used for CreatedBy was pre-set by the parameters of a Joomla template and it was fun for someone who was new to web design. The second was a custom build - a combination of my creative design and the code needed to make it look that way (although still built on Joomla). The second design took WAY too long, mostly because I had too many choices.
This kind of information was helpful in committing to a design detail.
Of course third time - lucky has nothing to do with it!
Source: holykaw.alltop.com via Amanda on Pinterest
23 1 / 2012
Typography in Web Design
This post is part of a series documenting the re-build of my website www.createdby.co.za. As I construct the new site from scratch I will be posting a detailed account of the planning process and actions I am taking.
Sometimes, the little things can make a big difference. Take your typography for example.. Not only does your choice of type affect how your site might be viewed in different browsers (which is why sticking to a generic type font is a good idea) but it will also affect the readability and therefore the readers enjoyment of your website.
People judge you for your choice of type! And you thought that designing your own website would be easy.
Personally, I have spent hours exploring font styles (www.dafont.com) but as I am building my site with Joomla and as I have a knowledgable and capable web developer, I am leaving the font up to him.
The only typeface adjustments I have made, are for the branding of CreatedBy, for example the logo, header and buttons.
Fastco.com has a great infographic giving you the low-down on Type.
Source: fastcodesign.com via Amanda on Pinterest
22 1 / 2012
Loading Time - It matters!
This post is part of a series documenting the re-build of my website www.createdby.co.za. As I construct the new site from scratch I will be posting a detailed account of the planning process and actions I am taking.
Another important aspect of your web design (as outlined here by kissmetrics.com) is the loading speed of your design. South Africa faces the challenge of slow internet speeds; this is improving but not everyone has access to ADSL so be wary of alienating a large sectore of potential readers with snazzy flash sites or heavy media content.
Source: blog.kissmetrics.com via Amanda on Pinterest
21 1 / 2012
What Not to Do - Website Design
When making decisions about your future website, it is just as important to decide what NOT to do.
Here are some points that will discourage people from interacting with you / your website via the very clever KissMetrics (see bottom of Infographic for more info).
1. Bad Navigation
Above all else, if your site has an ultimate goal, a ‘call to action’ then make sure it is visible from the outset.
2. Too Many Ads
If you dazzle me with spinning signs telling me I am the 1000th visitor, I will leave your site immediately. I don’t think I am alone in that. Similarly, if your adverts are in no way related to the content of your website, it creates suspicion and quite frankly is a poor waste of advertising space.
3. Bad Content Structure
Make sure that your site is structured in a way that people will find easy to read, navigate and interact with. Making it look pretty, having the latest bells and whistles - all redundant if your reader has to search to find what they need.
4. Obtrusive Use of Audio & Video
The use of music on a website is brave. Not only are you assuming your reader will want to hear your chosen track, but that they are in an environment where music can be played. You are alienating a huge segment of people.
Videos are all well and good, but remember that the website will take longer to download and display. Not everyone has ADSL Broadband!
5. Registration for Access
This is one of those annoying habits that comes across as very arrogant. By creating a pop-up asking for my details before I have even reached your site, you are assuming that your site is worth my mild annoyance and that I know this. It sucks. Don’t do it.
Source: readwriteweb.com via Amanda on Pinterest
27 12 / 2011
