Elements of Web Design
Conceptual, Visual, and Organizational

Web design has conceptual, visual, and organizational elements. The following reflects some of our experience.

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

Creation of a client's website starts with defining potential audiences and formulating appropriate communication goals for each.

Web technologies allow the presentation of multiple websites to multiple audiences.

We often find that an organization views itself from "inside out"—through the eyes of internal staff. Their first instinct is to create a site which reflects internal structure. Seldom does this approach meet the needs of their audiences.

VISUAL DESIGN

Visual design encompasses graphic elements, color combinations, font sizes and styles, page layout, and the association of graphical elements with textual content. A successful website conveys an image consistent with an organization's visual identity and communication goals.

Concerns specific to the Web are browser capabilities and speed of Internet connection. Recent browsers have introduced features that enhance our ability to create websites that work and look better. However, older browsers continue to be used by a small number of people.

The proliferation of cable modems and digital subscriber lines has brought faster Internet access to many. Those accessing the Internet from the office typically have speedier access than home users, most of whom have 56k or slower modems. If your audience is primarily a home-based consumer, it may not be practical to utilize large graphics, streaming audio or video, or other elements that are slow to download over a modem connection.

NAVIGATIONAL DESIGN

A website may look attractive or contain a wealth of information, but surveys show that if users are unable to easily find what they are looking for, most won't have the patience to stick around.

We adhere to a few simple guidelines.

• Create clear audience-oriented global menus. These menus reflect top-level categories of content. They appear on home pages. On large sites, to keep from forcing the user to return to the home page, they may appear on every page.
   
• Expose multiple tiers of information. When a site is large or complex, add secondary or tertiary menu categories and make them accessible from the global menus.
   
• Present navigation consistently. Navigational elements should look—and be positioned—the same on each page. Also, sites that contain much content, or a complex structure, can be made simpler by adding a navigational bar to each page which shows where the user is and the path that he/she followed to get there. Users can navigate back up this path.

Insitely will implement the elements of design on your internet solutions.
Contact us today.