Web Design and all stuff related to it!

There was a time when the browser called Netscape Navigator 4 was ruling the web browser market. During that time designers planned layouts with the help of tables. If you see a layout in a webpage, it is actually a table. For uncomplicated designs also designers had to use tables. Using one or two tables in a webpage wouldn’t be a problem but it required more than 10 tables at times. Moreover, the one table had to be placed within another table. Dreamweaver even today use such tables actually meant for tabular representation of information to design their web templates. CSS was not supported by Netscape Navigator 4 and therefore there was not much use for CSS in this browser. Soon the war between the browsers settled and Internet Explorer established itself as the winner. Internet Explorer was more compliant with W3C and it supported tables. CSS was again used for web designing. There was no problem using tables to substitute for layout but it just didn’t feel right. It is a wonder that no other web design language developed soon enough to solve this problem. Many web design programs did come later but the gap between necessity and lack of technology was wide for several years. CSS came to be used for designing layout for WebPages and this also had the additional of being recognized by search engines. CSS has been a subject of contention ever since it became known because even today web browsers support CSS with certain limits.

While solely relying on CSS was not a solution for layout problems and web design issues because web browsers have their own way of representing WebPages at times and the display might be slightly different. CSS follows a set of rules which does not apply with all the browsers. Designers who are already used to designing with the help of tables will find it difficult to work with CSS. They will find it confusing and might try to use the same tabled principles of designing while using CSS and will get everything wrongly done. CSS 2.1 and CSS 3 are the latest versions of CSS web design standards that have more applications inbuilt and designers have to just experiment with the many features to make full use of it. Vertical positioning and other problems like full-length footers were rectified in the later versions of CSS.

CSS layouts have been used for widely nowadays for web designing purposes. It has in fact completely replaced table- based layouts. Those who are using are finding CSS easier and are gradually switching to it. Internet explorer 6 is considered to be the biggest hit of web browsers after Netscape Navigator 4. Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 have released and they are ruling the browser market with their excellent features. CSS has combined with XHTML to create better solutions for web designing and there seems to be no limit for its expansion. The World Wide Web has created a lot of demand in terms of design and understanding between the browsers and the web design languages.

Interactive Web Design: The Best Way to Attract Users

The goal of any good web designer is simple; to create a site people want to visit. There are many ways to attract people to a site. Visual effects, flash animation, and user-friendly layout are just a few. However, as the design field becomes more innovative and competitive, many designers are seeking to create interactive sites, which give users something to do other than passively absorb information. There are a variety of interactive features you can add to your site. A few will be highlighted here, and you can find more information and tutorials by searching the web.

One great way to add some interactivity to your site is to attach special effects to your images. This allows users to feel involved as an image changes when they roll their mouse over it. This usually requires two kinds of scripts. A tag attached to the image, or another object you want to emphasize, and an “action” description in the section of a page. This “action” will usually be coded in JavaScript. Usually you will want to create two images; one that is normally displayed, and one that appears when a user rolls over the original. This can be an entirely new image, or a simple variation like a black and white or blurred effect applied to the first image.

Allowing users to post their thoughts and interact with one another is a great way to keep them coming back. This can be done in one of two ways. The first is through a comment box, where users simply post their thoughts to a site. A more complex approach is the creation of a discussion forum where complete conversations with various threads and topics can take place. Since people want to see responses to their posts on either option, they will continue returning to your site. Additionally, using these features allows you greater insight into what your viewers are interested in. Thus, you can modify future content to appeal to your users.

Another great way to get interactive feedback from visitors is to create a poll. A poll relevant to the content on your page will attract interest. The key is to keep updating with new polls regularly. This will keep users coming back so they can see what others think on a variety of issues. Plus, polls are easy to implement. Many sites offer free poll creation and subsequent code to insert the poll into your website. A great place to start is www.snappoll.com or www.coolsurveys.com.

A site can remain useful to a user even after they have browsed to a new page. How? By adding a syndicated RSS feed that visitors can subscribe to. This allows content from your site to be available in their e-mail or in an RSS feed aggregator, like Google Reader. You can also use RSS feeds from other sites to add new content to your page. This lets you bring in information from other sources with minimal effort. A great place to learn more about using RSS feeds is www.rssgov.com. The site offers free online tutorials for working with RSS.

Ultimately, adding interactive features to your site will attract and retain visitors. This not only improves your site’s popularity, it can help you generate enough interest to produce revenue from advertisements. These are just a few examples of some features you may want to add. Once you have explored these, consider going one step further with games, member subscriptions, and other great additions.

Tables less website

This could be surprise for some but most designers know W3C recommend table less sites. Actually the tables are made to display tabular data in spread sheet format and it been used for many year to design and develop websites. But after the introduction tag,

To create an eye catching website that draws attention of a visitor is not something every designer on the street can do. A great web designer needs to be well conversant with all web technologies involved. This art involves a lot of research, learning and practice to perfect just like in any other profession.

There however exist lots of books, websites and web forums that claim to offer all this information but only a few have what it takes to comprehensively cover the topic of web design into its depth. With limited or no time to go through all these resources, a one stop shop where one can get information on web design tutorials would be a better choice for many web programmers.

There are plenty of online sites aimed at providing web design tutorials and web design software reviews. The busy web developer do not have the time to surf through each of these sites to find the information they are seeking. The best choice is a one stop shop for every bit of information the online designer needs.

A good online tutorial should have relevant information on web design and technologies with new topics and articles being added and updated from time to time. A site with outdated content is likely to add no value to a web designer who is eager to learn new tricks in his trade.

An online web design tutorial should cater for both new inexperienced learners to advanced designers who want to delve in to the depth of new web development technologies. A web design that tries meeting this basic requirement is worth your time.

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Creating effective Web designs through the use of Grids

Mathematics is often closely related to the arts. Unfortunately many people are under the impression that structure and method will limit creative expression when in reality the two often compliment one another.

In Web Design, mathematical principles such as grids can aid the designer during the creative process. Using grids for arranging layout types and structuring content is a well-known method that is gaining popularity in the field of web design.

Intentional design plays an important role in Web Development and in this article we look at the benefits of grid systems and the effective use there-of in design.

What is a grid?

In basic terms, the grid is a system used for aligning visual objects on a framework of regularly spaced vertical and horizontal lines. Grids enable designers to find an initial visual platform for the layout and design of graphical elements on a page.

Using grids in Web Design:

In web design, functionality and aesthetics go hand-in-hand. One of the advantages of using a Grid-system during the design process is that it creates visual balance, enhancing the overall appeal of your site.

As with any other art form, mastering the usage of the Grid is something that requires both time and practice.

The benefits of grid-based Web Design:

Grids are useful for rationalising nonsensical visual content and if used properly it can enhance site-usability and impact. If the appearance of your website is accessible and appealing to online users, very little will prevent them from using your website as a platform for decision-making. Listed below are some of the benefits related to the use of grid design:

•    Using grids will help you to think relational about the different elements on your page.

•    It introduces systematic thinking into the creative process.

•    Grids will prevent you from isolating elements in your design –forcing you to come up with a solution that will work as whole.  

•    The grid functions as a valuable reference point from where you can exercise better control over your design as a whole.

Visit our website to read more about using Grid in website design.