To the basics

So, there a lot of websites out there, but why should we visit yours? The ultimate question, but never an answer in reply, only an opinion. Here's an opinion.

Default template are quite common. Common with turnkey sites - in fact, very common. Scripts out there have default templates and usually, developers figure to leave the default template and concentrate on SEO, Link building, etc. This is fine to do, but the subject about unique appeal is shadowed and lost. I wont mention any of the sites I came across in particular recently, but I will give you a highlight on what the default templates look like in your mind. It's like what you expect really - Arial, 12px, Black, Blue, White colours, along with simple graphics, odd gloss effect and er.. that's about it.

Why would someone a.) Want to visit a site that is drab and basic b.) Re-visit the site? There are only a couple of real answers. People re-visit sites either because they enjoy them and their appeal or the content is worth coming back for. When talking resource sites, they use scripts that contain more or less the same content as a base. How can each of these sites show power and make the audience come back for more.

First off, we have to analyse the audience. Myspace is a great example, which projects to the younger people alot (0-20 years old) and with me being young myself, I can tell you that teenagers have a short attention span and will be more interested in bright colours, fancy effects. Is this too much of a bold assumption for a teenager, as we are all different, or is it a statement about how people view the web. Having said that it would be wise to have fancy effects and great colours, you also have to make sure that the content is kept tidy, as for anyone, the audience want to view a website that has a professional status / worth it. People prefer .COM domains over Freewebs, but why? Another story, which you can probably figure out for yourself.

Anyway, three things you should really take time to look out for when projecting your website.

Lotta content, Lotta effect
Make sure there is a balance between your appeal and content. By this I mean if you have quite alot of content, you may want to use smaller fonts to make everything more compact. Simplicity can be found in websites like Photobucket or most popular, Google : Their colours are neutral, fonts are simple and the content / purpose is clearly defined. Limit the way you use font style and decoration : bold or making text italic are great to add, but make sure you use them when you really need to (emphasis).

You don't need to make links bold. If you have a colour scheme for your website, for example in a resource site sense, light blue, light green and white would be great and I would use light blue for all of the links and light green for the headers of text.

Align, right.
Alot of websites now use the new web-standard in coding : tableless XHTML/CSS. Content can be kept nicely aligned even though there isn't any tables. Quite simply, pop links clearly at the top or either side of the page so people can relate to where the content is, easily. You don't have to make them bigger in size - just make them bold or italic - the main point is to make them stand out, but at the same time, it is a task to make sure that they don't stand out in the way you don't want them to. The rule applies to images aswell. Keep images in the same column or the same alignment, properly. It doesn't take long to do and can add to the professional status you have.

Power of colours, power of yuk
Sites that are aiming to promote something usually have more content over images, etc. If you are using a basic template from a place like Template Monster or a template you've bought from a freelancer, make sure that the colours of the template are comfortable on the eyes of your target audience. As an example, If I was to sign up to Blogger and the colour scheme on the front page was an array of black and white colours, I would think twice about signing up and this applies to all the random joes out there that may view your site. With what I'm seeing now on Blogger, there are only a couple colours : a nice, warm brown and some blues that work together. There is also orange and this is a clear example of what you can do with your colour scheme. You may choose to have buttons on your site, even though your website scheme may consist of only two colours. With a few buttons or images, you have the flexibility to add an extra colour and at the same time, retain the pleasance of the design / template.

Hallo. :-)

Welcome to Designer Bubble - glad you could make it. Your probably wondering what Designer Bubble is, so i'll let you know briefly, but not too much, as it's 02:40AM here and I'm sleepy.

I'm here to give you visitors, which may be web-developers, fellow designers, or random guys tips on where you might be ..

• Going wrong with your layouts and projects
• In need of a colour scheme, but can't throw together the right one
• Adding and enhancing, may it be image or text, but are loosing out on quality and appeal.

.. and much more.

Basically, the web standard these days is fresh, fun and exciting and alot of websites lack on their alignments and design. Alot of developers tend to think spending money on design is either a waste of time or 'not needed', but I see this as a biased opinion, as I will be posting examples and making comparisions on the latest sites your fond of and why their appeal shines a tonne more then what you think.

I'll be letting you know about budget, which is what you were just probably thinking of, but appeal doesn't have to be expensive : changing a few font sizes and colours is sometimes all you need. Hey, I'm not saying everything is free, but you can make your wallet flexible with a few bits of pieces.

Anyway, that's me yawning and done on the intro. My first post will begin tommorow, so stay tuned!