Webmistress 101:  Your tool for Web domination; design tips, coding tricks, and business strategy

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New articles are on the way for the topics listed to the right. Check back soon for more content.

Last update: 25-oct-04

Design: Introduction

Despite what you may think, the web is NOT a reader's medium. With few exceptions, web pages are skimmed, not read. As a result, it's important to do everything you can to lead your user to the information they want.

Graphic design and effective layout are key to getting your message across before you lose your reader's attention or confidence. In this section, we'll talk about effective visual communication via the web. This section is not about slick, pretty pages, but about design as a tool to help get your message across.

Nowhere is this more important than for sites where you are trying to make money, For example, will you give your credit card number to an amateurish-looking site written in poor English? The lynchpin of e-commerce is the legitimacy that business pages have through the display of company branding, the clear placement of customer service features, and proper display of the products being sold.

 

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Keep checking this section for new articles on the following topics:

Color Theory, Design Principles, Layout, Usability, Typography