Web Design Information

Making Good Websites that Stand Out
Websites, there's literally billions of them out there in cyber-space. How many of them do you go to and just think this is boring, bland, or hard to use? It seems like too many to mention. So what makes a good website? I reckon it's about interaction. You've got to make the visitor interested. You've got to grab their attention. Many sites use plenty of bright and shiny gimmicks to attract you, but once you make it through to the content of the site it's just not worthy. A good site uses easy navigation, relevant content, and interactive media like comments and message boards. If you're fortunate, whoever builds your site may even have a few tricks up their sleeves to make it really fun with sound, video, and other interactive fun stuff.
Do you want people to come to your site and then tell their friend and family about it? Do you want to have huge amounts of visitors? Do you want to succeed in making your dreams come to fruition on the Web? Make your website exciting! It might be easier said than done, but there are people around whose job it is to construct and design sites for a living. If you can afford it, go for the best. How great is it when you come across a site that has some special feature that you've never seen elsewhere? Isn't it great when you find a site that relates to one of your interests that is simple and easy to get to the information you want? If you want to have people to come back again and again, you've got to keep updating the content to keep it fresh and interesting. Have a way for people to communicate with yourself and others who are into the same things. E.G. Forums, message boards and comments. The aim is to catch the 'viewer's' interest. A lot of sites just look like giant advertisements and you have to search for the needle in the haystack to find out what the actual site is for. I know advertising is a way of making money, but if you want your site to have an authentic, respectable atmosphere that exudes a feeling of integrity, you better be careful. People are becoming wary of this consumer driven, mindless attack at the average civilian's wallet. Some people will automatically leave a site if a bunch of commercials pop-up on the screen. Pop-ups, don't even make me go there? So, the aim of the game is to make a site that offers the public to be part of the action as well as being a source of knowledge or information that is in demand. A simple to navigate, good 'feel', and if possible-innovative site is the means to becoming the popular Internet magnate you've always dreamed of becoming. Another important fact is the idea of 'you'. Your website is a chance to put your identity out there in the world. Be yourself. If you try to appeal to an audience in a way that doesn't reflect your true self, you're destined to fail. Be honest and speak from your real perspective on life. Give it to us from the heart.
How To Create A Stunning Drop Capital Effect On Your Web Pages
Drop Capitals are frequently used in many newspapers, books and magazines in the offline world. You will frequently see the large capital letter sinking down into the first paragraph of articles, stories and chapters in the majority of publications you come across.
The drop capital gives the page a nice finishing touch, and certainly adds a more professional looking feel.
Online, the drop capital looks just as good on web pages as it does in print. The only drawback is that you can easily get the whole effect wrong, and end up with a less than appealing result.
The wrong way...
When most people attempt to create a drop capital effect on a web page, they usually just enlarge the first letter by a few font sizes and make it bold.
If you do this on your own web page, you will notice that instead of a 'drop' capital effect, you end up with an odd looking letter which sticks up above the rest of the paragraph, and just looks out of place.
The right way...
There are essentially, two parts to creating the drop capital effect.
Step #1 -
You need to create a drop capital image using some graphic software.
You can use any standard piece of graphic software like Paint Shop Pro, Fireworks, or Photoshop.
The drop capital image should ideally be big enough to drop down between 2-4 lines of text, depending on your preference.
You should ensure that the top of your drop capital image is level with the top of the text next to it. The bottom of the image should also be level with the bottom of the lowest text next to it.
This is really the hardest part of creating a drop capital effect. It can be very easy to make the image just a bit too big, or a bit too small. You may find that it will take a bit of trial and error to make it look just right. However, the extra effort will pay off, as the end result will be worth waiting for.
One thing to note: As with any image, a drop capital image can slow a web page if the file size is too big. To help reduce the file size you should save it as a '.gif' image. For even better results you should try to optimize the '.gif' image as well by reducing the amount of colors being used.
Step #2
This step is the easiest bit?
Once you have created the drop capital image, all you have to do now is to insert it into your web page. You just add the image to the web page in the same way that you would with any other image on your page.
When you place it at the beginning of the paragraph, make sure you remember to delete the first letter of the normal text. Otherwise you will end up starting the paragraph with two of the same letter.
Align the image to the left
Initially, you will notice that the drop capital image just sits on top of the first line, instead of dropping down into it. Not for long!
All you have to do now, is align the image to the left, and you will see it drop down instantly into the paragraph.
If you are using a web page editor to create your web pages like Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedias Dreamweaver, aligning the image to the left is pretty easy.
In FrontPage:
Select the drop capital image by left clicking it once. Then click on the align to the left short cut icon in the top menu bar. Alternatively, you can select Format, then Position from the top menu. In the pop up window, select Align Left under Wrapping Style.
In Dreamweaver:
Select the drop capital image by left clicking it once. Then in the properties window, click on the arrow in the drop down menu next to Align, then select Left
If you are using a different web page editor, you should have a similar align option in the menu area. Alternatively, you edit the HTML code directly yourself. Just add the following command in between the brackets of the image tag:
align="left"
Thats literally all there is to it!
If you have multiple pages on your website, youll probably going to need to create a number of different drop capital images for each letter of the alphabet. The extra effort will be worthwhile as you will end up with a much more professional looking website.