Web Maker
A short course in designing and bulding a web site.
Step 2: Design Your Page
What will it look like?
Before designing your own page, it's a good idea to look at web sites that others have made. This can give you interesting ideas as to what a page can look like. Connect to the World Wide Web, and take a look at the pages you see. Which ones are nice to look at? Which ones are easy to read? Which ones are confusing and cluttered? Which ones make the information easy to find?
Look at the three sample pages that you saw earlier in this course. Notice how the text, the graphics, and the titles are arranged. This arrangement is called the design of the page. Your next step is to come up with a design for your page.
The best way to do this is to take out a sheet of blank paper, and with a pencil sketch out how you want your page to look. Take each element from the list in Step two, and draw it onto the page.
In your sketch, show where the titles will be, where the words will be, and where you will locate the pictures. Try to keep your page simple, without too many items on it. And try to design it so it will fit on the computer screen. If you have more information than will fit on one screen, you can design a second page.
Think of the person who is looking at your Home Page. Will they understand what is what? Will it be clear to them what the page is about, and will they know how to get to the information they need? Will the words be easy to read?
¥ At this point, you might want to consult some tips for designing good Home Pages.
¥ You might also want to take a look st the Web Design Guidelines.
Design one page at a time. When you have sketched out the first page, take out another piece of paper and sketch out another page.
At this point, it's a good idea to show your ideas and your design to your your teacher or to a trusted colleague. Show them the sketches, explain to them your purpose, and ask for their advice. They can give you some good ideas on how to make your Home Page better. When you have gotten this feedback from others, you are ready for the next step.
Copyright © by James G. Lengel 1997.