When you first start out you have to have an idea, then you have to consider if other people may be interested in your idea. It’s not just the principles of web site designing (the coding) that you learn now, it’s the importance of not adding more junk to the internet. Ask yourself these questions:
- Is what I have to say unique, important, or will be of interest to others?
- Will it add to the information highway?
- Does it follow good web site practices? Not too many pictues, using the full screen, not too long on the first page (did you know that most viewers lose interest in the web page within the first 3 seonds so you have to grab their interest?).
- Does it take too long to load? Once more think of the viewers losing interest before the web page loads up.
These are but a few things to think about when working on your web site.
Remember that the first page, the home page is never longer then the screen. It’s the opening page, the grabber for the person surfing. Make them stop, but don’t make them wait for your web page.
Assignment 1
Web mapping is the process of designing, implementing, generating and delivering maps on the World Wide Web and its product.
Before you can actually go about doing your web site you need to stop and think about it. How many pages will I needs, what will each page contain, how long will it be?
You need to actually draw out what your web page will look like. Using graphics, squares to represent pages, and lines connecting two squares to represent links.
How you can sit down and sketch what you want your page to look like. Use good old-fashioned pencil and paper. Forget about all this computer junk for a few minutes and just draw it. Where should the picture go on the page? Where should your writing go? What about that link to another web page? Where can they go?
If it looks too crowded with everything on one page, think about having a second page and then linking them together. Also plan out what color you want everything to be. Should all the writing be green? Should there be a pattern in the background? Don’t worry about how you’re going to do all that stuff, just think about how you want it to look, and we’ll figure out the details later on.
Ready now? Here’s your assignment. I want you to draw out your web site design. II want you to sub-divide your information. Categorize your information into sections. Your home page has the outline of how your page will look. Your other pages link to that home page, and so on. Below is a poor design of what that page should look like but with paper and pen you can do a better job of creating those lines to link everything up. Let a friend look at it when you are done. Let him/her see if it looks ok, can it be divided up even more. Where should things go.
See the Example to the left? That’s what your map should look like. Hand write this out- there is paper at the front of the room. Ask your teacher how to use this applicaiton.
After you can created your first design, stop, think about what subject you wish to create the web site about, then design the idea of the first home page. Make sure you get the agreement of your teacher on your subject matter of the web site. No violence, no car web site either. I’ve seen enough of those. Approve the topic, draw your web map, and use Photoshop to draw your first page and what colors you will be using.
10 marks for the overall design, 10 marks for the first page design.
Think hard on this. You need to do a clear, neat job. Hand it in to the teacher when you are finished for marking and discussion.
MR.BROWN 