Many people think that the terms ‘design’ and ‘art’ are drastically different from each other. However, this is not a right concept. At the same time, these two terms are not exactly similar. They overlap each other and yet, are different from each other.

In this article, we will first offer a comparative analysis of website designing and art. Thereafter, we will offer few tips that will help web designers to enhance their skills. …

Difference Between Design and Art

As compared to design, art is a broader concept. Art includes everything, even website design. Another difference between art and design is that the latter is more restrained.

Artists possess the freedom to infuse their unique personalities in their creations. Designers, however, are denied of such freedom in most cases. They need to follow a particular pattern to ensure that the design is useful and function. Artists, on the other hand, are free from such restrictions. They are not required to follow any rules. Rather, they are expected to break rules and develop their own styles.

Designers also need to pay attention to the latest market trends. Furthermore, they should ensure that their creations consider preferences of the target audience. Artists, on the other hand, may or may not follow current trends. Additionally, they do not need to consider preferences of any particular audience.

Design and Aesthetics

With any web design company, functional designs, rather than beautiful designs are more popular. This is because of the fact functional designs encourage users to act. This in turn, fulfills the ultimate purpose of a site-that is, increasing conversation rates. Of course, a functional design that is aesthetically pleasing can enhance value of the site even more.

Art, on the other, places utmost importance to aesthetics. Art works do not have any function to fulfill. Rather, they need to be aesthetically appealing.

Expectations from Design

Most users expect designs to convey purposes of the site in a simple way. If the designs fail to highlight goals of the site, they will create a poor impression on visitors.

Many sites, in the quest to incorporate interesting designs, mess up the purposes. This in turn, shatters user expectations.

Separating Art and Design

As stated earlier, web designers usually have to refrain from utilizing creativity in an unrestrained manner. This means that as web designers, we are expected to develop designs that are functional and fulfill user expectations.

Here are few tips that will help you to separate your designs from art works.

• Choose neat and clean web designs. Avoid anything in excessive. For best results, use principles of minimalism and reductionism.
• For creating website designs, you have to pay attention to issues, such as usability, speed of the site, and accessibility. These factors may not always allow you to satisfy your creative urges. However, you can push the boundaries of restrictions with the help of your imagination.

Consider these points to develop useful and creative web designs.

Most people are aware of the fact that content is a crucial aspect of any website design. Good content adds value to the site and retains interest of users. Unfortunately, most ignore the fact that apart from quality of the content, its presentation is also important.

For presenting the content in an attractive manner, paying attention to paragraph is important. Here, we will highlight some typesetting conventions and provide you with tips that will help you to adapt them for screens and devices.

The Typeface

Before discussing typeface issues, we would like to clear a myth. Most people associated with any website design company believe that one should exclusively use sans-serif font for body text. However, this is not true for every situation. In certain situations, you can opt for serif fonts. If modified properly, certain serif fonts can be legible and attractive.

Breadth of the font family should be the most important criterion, for selecting a Web font. Check whether the font includes italic and bold styles. Choosing such a font will ensure that you can place greater importance (by using italics/bold styles) to certain aspects of the paragraph.

The second issue related to typeface is rendering. Experienced web design professionals usually opt for embedded and system fonts (example, Verdana) for headings and body text respectively. The main reason why Verdana is popular is because it renders well at small sizes.

In case, you do not want to use Verdana, checking on-page demonstrations of selected fonts can be a great idea. To save time, avoid  experimentation with fonts containing the words ‘narrow’ or ‘thin’.

Font Size

Most of us are aware of the fact that all web browsers render content at 16 pixels automatically. This highlights the fact that 16 pixels is the general standard.

In our CSS style sheets, we write 16 pixels as 100%. This is a good idea, because it is similar to what the web browser would have selected for us. In case you want the paragraph content to be more than 16 pixels, edit the value. Opt for a percentage value that is equal to ‘whole pixel’.

Leading

Leading refers to the space between two consecutive lines of information. Leading affects readability, because it highlights rows of glyphs that one should cross from left to right. The main problem with leading is that if it is not used correctly.

If you put in excessive space between lines, the whole text will appear fragmented. On the other hand,
if you avoid using space, the paragraphs will appear cluttered.

Final Touches

We have discussed issues related to typeface, font size, and leading of paragraph text. We understand the fact that in certain situations, you may wish to modify certain paragraphs. Taking the help of special  combinators and selectors, you can target particular paragraphs and modify them.

Let us discuss indentation as an example. In web design, indenting the initial line of every paragraphs is the most popular way of dividing paragraphs into sections of information. However, the first paragraph does not require any indentation.

Therefore, you need to exclude this particular paragraph from CSS rule. Opt for the adjacent sibling combinator to target only those paragraphs that have a preceding paragraph.

Add a stylish touch to your content with the help of these tips.

In the website design industry, creative ideas will provide you with an extra edge. However, to stay ahead of others, you cannot solely depend on creativity. You need to follow certain techniques as well. Implementation of these techniques will impress the clients and bring you projects, thus guaranteeing you regular income.

Today, in this article, we will highlight few strategies that will help you get projects.

Adopt a Friendly Approach - Arranging a meeting with the client is the first step to acquire projects. While meeting with the client, opt for a friendly and yet, professional approach. Show a genuine interest in the project. This will convince the client that you are interested in investing your time and effort in the project.

Research About the Company - To impress the client, research about his/her company. Additionally, find out about the target audience  of your client’s company and its competitors.

Invest Time for Writing an Executive Summary - Executive summary refers to a brief description of the project. While meeting the client, carrying  this executive summary can be a great idea.

Keep this summary brief-one page is sufficient. Do not forget to include vital points in the summary. Use the summary to convince the client that you have understood the goals and nature of the project. Additionally, highlight the fact that as a web design professional, you possess the requisite skills to take up the project.

Show Your Work - To convince clients about your talent, show them samples of your work. This will help them to trust you and convince them that you can handle this project effectively.

Ask About Goals of the Project - This step is important. Unless you are aware of the goals of the project, it is impossible to work on it devotedly. Therefore, ask your client about the project goals.

Find Out About Your Competitors - Gathering information about your competitors will help you to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This in turn, will allow you to modify your strategies accordingly and stay ahead of the race.

Inquire About the Current Situation - To make sure that the client does not cancel the project suddenly, try to find out about the company’s current situation. Of course, this strategy will not be effective in every situation. Still, it would help you to stay on the safe side.

Prepare a Creative Strategy - Develop a creative strategy beforehand to impress the clients. For a stronger impression, justify the reasons behind choosing these strategies. If any technical requirements exist, explain them as well.

Highlight the Various Steps of the Project - To create a positive impression on minds of the client, explain the different aspects of the project. This will justify your stated deadline and fees that you are charging.

Discuss About the Budget - Divide the project into logical sections and note down the prices of each section. This will validate your prices.

Justify the Deadline - Discuss deadline of the project with your clients. Ask for a deadline that will allow you to finish the work comfortably. For best results, explain the reasons behind the stated deadline to your clients.

State the Resources - To convince the client about your credibility, state the things that you are planning to use for handling the project. If you require anything from the client, state that as well. This will allow clients to have faith in you.

Give your Contact Information - To simplify the process of getting in touch with you, offer clients your detailed contact information. State your mobile number, physical address, and office address so that it is easier for clients to contact you.

Finally, do not forget to follow-up. This will reflect your interest in the project and create a good impression.

A website can have different audiences. These can include curious visitors, past and prospective customers, and referral partners. Every audience has different requirements and may look for unique things in a site. To create an all-rounded web design, paying attention to needs of various audiences is critical.

You can achieve this by balancing crucial elements of a site. These elements can include content, graphic design, Flash animation, navigation style, coding, and call-to-action statements, etc. Ensuring that these elements complement each other will help you to develop a site that fulfills requirement of various audiences.

1.  Do not opt for an Extreme Strategy

Many website designers believe that implementing excessive elements can spice up a site. In fact, too many elements can make a site complicated. This in turn, can interfere with the desire of a visitor to find an element quickly. For this reason, using selective elements is critical.

We agree that this is a good strategy to simplify the site. However, this does not mean that you should stick to a single element. We discuss more about this topic in the next point.

2.  Avoid Over-emphasizing Requirements of a Particular Audience

If you use a single element and focus on requirements of a particular audience, others may feel deprived. Let us assume that you own a website design company. If you emphasize on including web design samples and avoid incorporating any useful information, it may satisfy your past clients (since they are already aware of your services). However, such a strategy can deprive prospective clients and people who have reached your site via search engines. Since they will not get any information about your company, they will not feel compelled to opt for your services.

In this particular scenario, the ideal strategy would be to include both design samples and relevant information.

3.  Questions you should ask

We discussed the importance of creating a site that considers requirements of various audiences. Now, the question arises, how you can balance these elements?

The best way to maintain a refined balance between different elements is by asking yourself certain questions. Honest answers to these questions will help you to understand how you should balance these elements. We highlight these questions.

• How are people finding your site?

This is the most critical question. Find out how people are coming across your site. Did they find your site via search engines? Did someone refer your site? Did they come to know about you at networking events? Finding out the source through which people came to know about you can offer you information about psychology of the visitors and their different requirements.

• What is their aim?

Every visitor has a different requirement. A past client may want to know whether you can take up a new project. Potential clients may want to acquire information about you. Curious visitors may simply explore your site.

Understanding aims of different audiences is critical. It will help you to create a site that gives equal importance to all audiences.

• What is the goal of your site?

For best results, considering goals of your site is also important. A site may want to attract new clients or acquire the topmost rank in search engines. Alternatively, you may want to connect with people. Understanding aims of your site will help you to fulfill your business goals.

• Is anything contrary in your site?

While designing a website, ensure that you do not put in contradictory elements by mistake. Remember that if contradictory elements exist in your site, it may confuse your visitors. For this reason, make sure that all the elements complement each other.

Considering these 4 questions will allow you to create a site that pays attention to requirement of various audiences.

Various ways of perking up the overall look of a site exist. These can include playing with colors, textures, and background patterns. However, if you want to implement an unconventional strategy, opt for character designs.

Most visitors will agree that character designs brighten up a site. At the same time, the designs lend a unique identity to the site. Character designs can make users feel comfortable and win their hearts with their friendly approach. However, you have to use these character designs in the right manner.

We offer few tips that will help you to incorporate characters in web designs and create a powerful impact.

1. Try to use hand drawn characters

Using hand drawn characters, while designing a website, is a great idea. They add a personal touch to the website, making it appear more friendly and inviting.

Using hand drawn characters in web design can encourage visitors to leave comments and interact with the site regularly. Of course, you need to put in great content as well. Otherwise, readers will not be interested in leaving comments.

2. Opt for a detailed character

Creating a character that highlights purposes of the site is advisable. This will justify presence of the character in the website. If you have a web design company, for example, you can create a cartoon character with brush in hand and make it stand against the image of a blackboard. Write purposes of your site on the blackboard.

This strategy will add a unique quotient to your site. Furthermore, it will leave a memorable impression on the minds of your target audience.

3.  Create a character that your users can relate to

Creating a character that users can relate to, can make them fall in love with it. The reason is that people love characters that possess humane qualities and at the same time, are a little distinct. Of course, the process of drawing such a character may not be easy. You need to make users understand the viewpoint of the characters.

Most people are aware of the fact that as compared to text, images can deliver a message faster. Consider this secret, while designing the character. If you have a burger delivery service, for example, draw a character that is eating a delicious burger. By viewing the character, visitors will able to interpret purposes of your website easily.

4. Using characters in sites with simple designs is a great idea

If you want to pep up a simple website, opt for character design. It can brighten up the site, while retaining its simplicity at the same time.

Using bright colors, while creating the character, can be a great idea. The reason is that it can attract attention of the users. To make sure that visitors notice the character, you can also place it against a contrasting background.

5.  Use them in creative ways

Many people think that the best way to fill up empty spaces of a site is by incorporating ads. Placing ads may be necessary from a commercial point of view. However, if you want to add a personal touch to your site, fill up the white spaces with creative character designs.

Remember that it is not compulsory to put character designs in headers. You can place it at any suitable place to convey your message to the visitors.

The importance of character design lies in the fact that it always makes visitors smile. Combine it with good content and clean web designs and you may end up creating a stunning website.

Starbucks, one of the biggest coffee chains of the world, recently introduced a new nameless logo. Though the new logo design highlights the company’s signature twin-tailed siren, it no longer includes the words ‘Coffee’ and ‘Starbucks’. The introduction of a nameless logo has sparked off a controversy regarding its usefulness.

Most people believe that nameless logos only work for companies who have already established themselves as a brand. Probably that is the reason why Starbucks did not hesitate to take this bold step.

Logos can be broadly divided into three categories-

Typographic logos- Typographic logos highlight the company’s name in unusual and creative ways. A good example of a company that uses typographic logo is Calvin Klein. The logo of this company highlights the initials of the company name in an interesting way.

Since typographical logo involves only playing around with text and fonts, many assume that it is easy to design. However, the reality is different. Designers have to choose a unique font to distinguish the logo in midst of thousands of others. Additionally, they have to pay attention to other factors, such as letter and word spacing and shape of the letterforms.

Type and symbol logos- These logos involve symbols and name of the company. Apart from creating awareness about a company, type and symbol logos can subtly highlight values of a company.

The logo design of the famous Jaguar car company can serve here as a good example. While the upper part of the logo highlights a wild cat jumping, the lower part points out the name of the company. The wild cat creates a powerful image and the strong typeface that highlights the company’s name, matches it perfectly.

Symbol only logos- Companies that have created a strong brand identity of their own usually opt for symbol only logos. Examples can include Apple, Shell, and Starbucks.

Simplicity is the biggest thing that symbol only logos can teach designers. A good way of understanding the simplicity involved in famous logos is to break them down in their basic forms.

If you remove text of the National Geographic logo, for example, you will be left only with a rectangle. Implementing this strategy by yourself will help you to understand that when it comes to powerful designs, simplicity is the key.

Nameless logos can be successful, only in case of companies who have earned great popularity. As part of a logo design company, if you have to deal with a client who wants a nameless logo for his/ her start-up company, convince the person that it will not be a good idea. Rather, assure the client that a typographic logo or type and symbol logo would be the perfect choice.

Of course, if you are designing for a renowned company that everyone knows, it’s a different matter.

A major goal of an e-commerce website is to grab and retain attention of its users. Thousands of e-commerce sites are available in the Internet. Therefore, to attract interest of the visitors, you need to incorporate unique designs and user-friendly features in your e-commerce site. Additionally, you should consider the latest e-commerce web design trends and implement them, provided they suit the purposes of your website.

• Opt for big fonts and images

In the website design industry, big fonts, images, buttons, and logos have become the ‘IT’ thing these days. E-commerce sites are all about attracting attention and big design elements (such as fonts, images, and logos) can fulfill this goal perfectly. Therefore, while creating the site, opting for eye-catching images and bold titles can be a good idea.

However, in the midst of experimentation, do not forget to ensure that your site is easy to use and navigate.

• Opt for a minimalist look

The current trend in the website designing field is to opt for a sleek and minimalist look. You can achieve this look by playing with colors such as grey and white. However, if you want to choose bright and yet, sober colors, pick out blue or green.

To create a soothing effect, do not include more than 3 colors in the palette. If you want to spice up the site, opt for hues of the chosen colors. Additionally, use clean and neat designs. Avoid overloading your e-commerce site with unnecessary images or information, because they will distract the users.

• Retro is the buzzword currently

In the web design industry, retro has made a major come back. Retro-inspired pictures and creased paper structure can stimulate curiosity of the visitors. Of course, it may not always be easy to create the retro style. In such a situation, you can outsource the designing part or contact experienced web designers.

• Incorporate pixel-perfect elements

Many people these days explore websites via mobile devices. To simplify experience of these users, one should opt for pixel-perfect elements. Ensure that the buttons, toolbars, and menus appear amazing on iPads, as well as on high-resolution laptops.

To ascertain that your web page does not contain any blurry areas, zoom every element and check, while designing the site. It can be added here that software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator has simplified the process of creating perfect e-commerce web designs.

• Use sliders

Sliders have become a popular marketing technique these days. Slider breaks down the content into small paragraphs, thus encouraging visitors to browse it. Another advantage of slider is that it offers valuable information, without taking up excessive space.

• Video marketing can retain interest of visitors

Video marketing has become a popular choice amongst web designers, with almost every site incorporating informative videos. Many believe that videos retain interest of readers, because in the presence of another person, users do not feel bored.

We have discussed popular e-commerce web design trends of 2011. Despite the craze for latest trends, remember that an e-commerce website should give importance to usability. Consider the fact that if visitors do not find necessary information or experience poor navigation, they would simply close the link. For this reason, always include user-friendly features in your site.

In the logo design industry, creating unique logos and meeting deadlines are not enough. A logo designer should possess creativity skills. Along with it, the designer needs to possess the ability to convince clients that the logo meets their requirements perfectly.

However, things do not work out so perfectly in the designing industry. Clients are often stubborn about their preferences. Many a times, the designer, working on behalf of a logo design company, gives in to the client’s demands. As a result, quality of work suffers, with the designer grumbling that the client has murdered his/her creative skills.

As a designer, you need to accept the fact that clients will always find some fault in logo designs. In such a situation, you can follow the client’s instructions and make necessary changes. Alternatively, you can try to convince him/her. Here are few tips that you can consider:

• Confidence is the Key

When it comes to handling clients, confidence is the key. Confidence creates the impression that you possess the required expertise and skills. Clients have more faith in confident designers and usually, do not push them for making unnecessary changes. If you appear confident and assertive before the client, there are high chances that he/she will allow you to retain the original design.

• Gently Highlight Your Skills and Expertise

Confidence represents the first step of convincing the client. The next step is to point out your credentials and expertise. This does not mean that you have to present your degree, testimonials, or certificates before them. Rather, this would mean creating the image of a passionate designer who is completed devoted to the client’s project.

• Point Out Your past Successful Projects

If the client still forces you to make unnecessary changes, point out your past projects that have earned reputation and acclaim. Most clients want to make changes because they do not have complete faith in the designers. Discussing about your past successful projects will reassure them. However, consider the fact that this may not be the right strategy in every situation. Some clients may evaluate this strategy as defensive or egoistic.

Still, if you can tactfully implement this strategy, it may convince the client.

• Avoid the Defensive Approach

If you are working as a designer in a logo design company in India, you should avoid the defensive approach at any cost. Understand the client’s point of view and stay levelheaded. Do not take the disagreements or criticisms personally. Remember that clients do not have any personal grudge against you. A defensive approach will convince them that you are an egoistic person and they may react negatively.

• Do Not Dismiss the Client’s Suggestions Altogether

Many designers make the mistake of rejecting a client’s ideas altogether. This creates the impression that the designer is an egoistic person who cannot accept criticisms. The right way of handling the situation is to convince the client that you have considered his/her ideas, and, if you have rejected those ideas, explain the reasons behind it. This will help the client to understand the reasons behind the rejection.

In the logo designing industry, disagreements with clients is common. The best way to deal with this situation is to adopt a sensitive and yet, firm attitude. Communicate with your client regularly. If you do not want to accept the client’s suggestions, explain the reasons behind it and state how it would benefit the project.

Bounce rate refers to the percentage of people who click on a site and then leave it, without exploring other pages of the website. High bounce rate indicates that the website has failed to retain the interest of visitors for a long period. We discuss few common reasons that can contribute to a high bounce rate.

1. Loading Issues

Web visitors have short attention span. If your website takes excessive time to load, there are high chances that your visitors will move on to other sites. Factors that usually interfere with loading time can include Flash designs, buffering of videos, and large pictures.

To improve bounce rate of a site, a website design company should pay attention to all these factors.

2. Lack of Good Content

Most people visit sites to find useful information. If your site contains poor quality or duplicate content, it will fail to retain interest of the visitors. To nurture the audience’s curiosity, provide them with valuable content. While incorporating content in your site, consider the following factors.

• Use an attractive headline. Remember that a good title encourages visitors to read rest of the article.

• Provide your audience with relevant and fresh content. Post topics related to latest news and issues.

• Grammar of your articles should be perfect. Correct grammar creates the impression that you possess good knowledge. Readers usually react positively to a well-written article. Ensure that the text of your site has a professional look.

• Web viewers do not have the patience to read huge articles. Therefore, keep your articles short and minimum. Avoid repeating the same information in your articles. Length of the articles should vary between 300-600 words. Do not include slang or abusive words in the text.

• Avoid copying content of other sites at all costs. Post interesting and original ideas. Original content will convince the readers that you are serious about solving their problems and offering useful information.

3. Poor Web Design

Poor website design can contribute to a high bounce rate. Therefore, paying attention to website designing is critical. Ensure that the design is neat and user-friendly. Additionally, consider the following issues.

• Your domain name should be brief. The ideal length of a domain name is 10 characters or less. Additionally, opting for one-word domains can be a great idea. Remember that if viewers have to type a long URL, they may feel frustrated.

• Use a memorable domain name. This will help the users, when they would revisit the site.

• Your domain name should contain words that are easy to spell. If you use words with complicated spellings in your domain name, visitors can land up in any other web page.

• Opt for simple and yet, creative web designs

• To capture interest of the viewers, use an attractive header.

4. Navigation is Important

Navigation can have a strong impact on the bounce rate. Poor navigation will force readers to close your site and explore other sites.

• The navigation system should tell your visitors exactly what to do. This will help them to explore various pages of the website.

• To attract attention of the visitors, highlight the web navigation buttons.

Considering all these issues will help you to lower the bounce rate of your website. Encourage your readers to provide you with feedback. This will help you to understand your flaws and work on them.

Adobe has been in spotlights in recent times owing to its product launches at much awaited annual Max Conference 2011. Not only it has announced of its upcoming Cloud service, but Adobe has also made designers excited by unveiling a number of tablet based apps. Incidentally, these Touch apps are meant to be used in sync with its Cloud service.

Among six design apps targeted at Honeycomb Android tablet users, Photoshop Touch App has garnered maximum interest and spotlight at Max 2011 Conference. This is natural given Photoshop’s huge user base and unmatched popularity among graphic design professionals.

Like other 5 Touch Apps, Photoshop Touch also costs $10 and this will make it accessible for most tablet users. Initially people using Honeycomb 3.1 tablets will be able to use this app and later Adobe will release a version made for iPad 2. Photoshop Touch app may not serve as a replacement for Photoshop CS 5, which is used by millions of graphic and web design professionals worldwide but it will act as a complementary tool.

Even though Photoshop Touch was shown at this conference on a prototype tablet made by Samsung, chances are there it will run smoothly on other tablets with Honeycomb. It responds to both finger and stylus inputs nicely, which is a boon for designers. It has a nice layout with Layers palette placed at right side and tool palette appearing at left of tablet screen. There are icons on screen’s top with menus to edit and manage images. Image adjustment options offered in this app are nowhere close to a full – fledged PC based image editor but a step ahead of Photoshop Express, available for Apple users.

To aid users, this app comes with a built-in tutorial set. Images can be accessed using this app from various sources. Images stored in a tablet can be opened. Users can also import images from Facebook and Google searches easily into this app. Adobe’s Creative Cloud is also a source for importing images into Photoshop Touch. As expected, pinch and zoom works smoothly for resizing images on tablet screen. Adobe has made all tools in this app intuitive and user friendly, making it ideal for web development as well.

Scribble selection tool in this app resembles Photoshop CS’s Magic wand it works with amazing accuracy. Even selecting complicated edges like human hair is not tough with this tool. Making gradients is easy with finger swipes and users can define gradient directions as well. Some users may find operating familiar Photoshop tools without a mouse a bit daunting but designers using stylus will love these. Stylus can be used with this app for making drawings with varied strokes.

With an app like Photoshop Touch and Cloud service, Adobe wants to turn tablets into content creation devices that aid designers in streamlining workflow and sharing content on the move.

There are some limitations of Photoshop Touch that designers will have to put up with. It converts any text element to vectors and so it cannot be edited as text. Photoshop Touch does not support any third party plug-in, as of now.