Tips to consider when you start to design a website

[3dmagicaldesign]

1) Ask your client every single detail about his/her project, also his/her preferences

2) Depending on the market you need to make some googling and find good looking competitors websites, then you make screenshots and write down what you like of each one of them.

3) You need to think in a browsable, interactive, cool, reliable and easy navigation.

4) Your design will have to be search engine friendly ( coding, tagging, etc)

5) Once you have identified each one of these items you can think about your design, consider industry relative colors ( for example, my architectural website looks really nice with black background) if you want to sell t-shirts you need to think about a white background with a mix of eye-catching colors.


This is what I do when I start a new design, follow these steps has really helped me to not getting stucked building the website's structure. Let me know your thoughts about this.

 

[irving]

When one likes to create a web site or maintain a web site? like for example schools, we have to consider first who is the intended entity for that web site, correct?

 

[3dmagicaldesign]

Yes, consider the intended entity would be the right thing

Well... I would consider different things:

1) The region where the school is located
2) What identifies the school ( teams, logos, uniforms, etc)
3) The school slogan
4) The community interests.

So far those are a few of important things that would be helpful in this kind of design

 

[kremo5le]

Excellent approach buddy!

1) Ask your client every single detail about his/her project, also his/her preferences

2) Depending on the market you need to make some googling and find good looking competitors websites, then you make screenshots and write down what you like of each one of them.

3) You need to think in a browsable, interactive, cool, reliable and easy navigation.

4) Your design will have to be search engine friendly ( coding, tagging, etc)

5) Once you have identified each one of these items you can think about your design, consider industry relative colors ( for example, my architectural website looks really nice with black background) if you want to sell t-shirts you need to think about a white background with a mix of eye-catching colors.


This is what I do when I start a new design, follow these steps has really helped me to not getting stucked building the website's structure. Let me know your thoughts about this.

Hey man, I loved your post. I actually was looking for a way to "favorite" this post! Is there a way to do it?

You have given an excellent approach on how to start designing a website for somebody else. What's more important is the fact that you suggest something that has worked for you.

Thank you!

 

[3dmagicaldesign]

Well... thanks a lot for your kind words, as I said when I became member in this forum: I want to help all the members in this community, I really don't know how that can be possible, maybe contacting the forum administrator or moderator?

 

[wetgravy]

good post ... i also have the client list sites they like and what they like about them (whether same category or not)

as for favoriting just talk to ian. also, you can rate the thread at the top of the page.

 

[bullzeyedesign]

I like to help out clients by giving them example "buzzwords" for the theme of their site, such as;
happy, corporate, playful, techy, modern, retro, boutique, etc.

Sometimes I have problems getting answers out of the client. Most of the time they say "you're the expert" and after I finish the mockup, THEN suddenly they have a very big opinion. I found the best way to combat that is to inform them as much as possible so they feel they can be an important part of the design process. A lot of clients are simply just intimidated by design and don't feel like what they say makes sense... or they don't know how to convey what they want in a visual manner. So I send them a questionnaire with a lot of examples and reference links so they can familiarize themselves with what answers I'm looking for. It seems to work pretty well.

 

[3dmagicaldesign]

I agree, when they say: "you're the expert", once they say that I say: I need you to understand that I need your collaboration during the process, I know I am the expert but you will be the person in charge of your website, so I need to know what you like and what you don't like so I can identify and plan possible structure designs. Of course you can't think the first mockup will be approved.