DUMMIES DAILY: Building and Designing Web Sites
http://www.dummiesdaily.com
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TODAY'S eTIP(TM): Design Rules to Live By
All the good design advice in the world boils down to a few basic
guidelines for your Web creations. Make these rules a part of
your very being. Cross-stitch them and hang them on your wall.
Use a wood-burning kit to engrave them on your desk. Tattoo them
backward on your forehead so that you see them in the mirror
every morning.
Rule #1: The Web is for reaching out to people.
Rule #2: Keep your Web pages lean and clean.
Rule #3: Don't make your visitors jump through hoops.
Rule #4: Never make an unnecessary link.
Rule #5: Always group necessary items together.
Rule #6: If you can give visitors an option, do so.
Remember that design and content are a matter of art more than
they are of science, which means that your own personal gut
feelings count for more than anything else. If someone tells you
that your design decisions are wrong, and they're someone whose
input you respect, you certainly want to give their opinion some
consideration. But if you're firmly convinced that you're right,
never let anyone else's concepts override your own. This brings
us to The Big Rule:
Rule #7: It's your Web site. It's your vision. Do it your
way.
