Web design is full of challenges. Its importance has increased in the recent times thanks to a large number of websites over the Internet. As a result, many upcoming web designers are entering into this field. Before immersing yourself in this profession, you must have a clear understanding about the basics of web design like the use of graphics, layout, fonts and testing of web pages in different browsers.

You must not run after large sized graphics. Small graphics can serve your purpose like 10 to12KB per image. Small sized graphics get downloaded very fast and you can effectively deal with the problem of slow pages.

Use graphics which you can relate with the content of your web page. Irrelevant graphics won’t help your cause. Graphics must add to the importance of the page. It does not make any sense to use gorgeous images having no value as far as the content is concerned.

It is a habit of web designers to use flashy images or images that move, rotate or do anything else. Various studies have confirmed that people do not like flashy graphics and they find them really irritating. So it is better not to use images that blink.

Layout of your web page is really important as it arranges the content of your page so that everything is easily viewed and accessed. As a designer, you will be tempted to use 6 to 8 frames on one page. But it is frustrating for viewers as they need to scroll to the right to see everything on the page. A 3-column layout is very popular on websites and newspapers. You may find it boring. But by sticking to this style, you can retain your visitors. Always try to make it simple so that people can understand.

Web designers can not ignore whitespace on their web pages. It is as essential in a web layout as it is in a paper layout. You should know the effect of whitespace on your pages and how the content is displayed.

Make use of graphics as a part of your layouts. You need to treat them as actual elements in layouts. An illustration of this is wrapping of text around an image. So start considering every image on your web page as a layout element.

There is a hell and heaven difference between a print design and a web design. So while designing a web page, you need to act differently from what you have been taught. You must use Sans-Serif fonts for text as they are easier to read on computers with lower screen resolution.

Frequent changing of fonts can not augur well for your website. By keeping yourself to 2 or 3 standard font families will make your content more readable and give them a professional look. Using standard font families like Helvetica, Verdana, Arial and Geneva has its other advantage. The designs look consistent on different web browsers.
Advertisements are very much required for your web pages. But excess use of ads on your site can drive your readers away. So make use of ads to a reasonable extent and put more emphasis on your content.

Designing web pages that can be viewed on the most popular browser is the biggest mistake, web designers commit. Your pages must be displayed well on a majority of browsers. Test your website on multiple browsers before launching it. It is true for operating systems also.

Tags: Fundamentals of Web Design