Internet Gods and Goddesses

Posts Tagged ‘use’

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.

New innovations in the mobile phone industry, such as 3G technologies and new handsets such as the iPhone, have led to an increase in so-called WAP website design. Small, low resolution screens, clunky interfaces, inadequate navigation and slow connection speeds are a thing of the past with this next generation of mobiles, and a shift in the way many web design Solihull companies look at the use of mobile web. But the question remains: How will this affect the future of web design?

The mirroring of traditional design values with those for WAP are clear in more areas than one. For instance, many of the optimisation tactics deployed in desktop sites also apply here. The submission of a mobile sitemap to search engines, well-positioned key content, outbound linking, adding your URL to directories and business listings, as well as keyword-rich page titles and metadata are essential for indexing purposes. Designers must ensure that their site’s navigation is easy to crawl through and efficiently coded.

Layout is as much an essential component of design with mobile Internet as it is with traditional mediums – clear, crisp and concise. The use of Flash for instance should be avoided, as long loading times are considered an absolute no-no in mobile designs. Creative flourishes like this need should be eliminated as user experience is key.

Wap designs must conform to the W3C’s mobile standards, which could mean anything from the creation of WAP-friendly CSS style sheets to the correct rendering of tables and images. These guidelines are fundamental in not only ensuring that web sites crossover successfully to the WAP platform, but also in search engine optimisation, as the search engines develop their algorithms around these standards, and getting indexed will hinge upon complying with W3C.

Using a WML, XHTML or CHTML mark-up language is the best way of ensuring that your mobile device can ‘read’ your site. The correct use of these codes is essential to guarantee that the spiders can index your web pages and go some way to securing healthy search rankings.

So what about the next gen of phones then, such as the iPhone? What is apparent is that the high resolution screens of these models enable a more visual experience for the user, meaning more symmetry between WAP and desktop Internet. These handsets are able to display what is in essence the full, ‘normal’ Internet. Some popular websites, such as Facebook, are even modified when loaded through these handsets to present a slightly-watered down, but essentially the same experience.

According to recent research by the end of the year in excess of one billion people will carry handsets that are capable of providing exceptional, next generation browsing. Now is the time for web design Solihull to implement WAP-accessibility and functionality in their sites to take advantage of this booming industry.