User Guide

Figure 1-2: A simple, but proper, navigational hierarchy.
All organizational guidelines can be summed up in one statement: Don’t
make visitors work at using your site; their time is valuable!
These general graphical guidelines will help you to create a “good web” that’s
easy for your target audience to view.
• Provide a comfortable and pleasant “visual” atmosphere for visitors. Don’t
shock them unnecessarily with extreme color contrasts.
All graphical guidelines can be summed up in one word: understated.
Just because you can use a dozen different formatting options doesn’t
mean you should.
• Use sufficiently contrasting colors and hues. Each web page element
should be easily distinguishable from other elements.
Although contrasting colors are important, don’t go overboard. Stark
contrasts can be as difficult to view as subtle contrasts.
• Selecting contrasting colors goes for text, as well as for graphics. For the
most part, consider putting dark-colored text on a light-colored
background. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with using the old standby,
black text on a white background! Although light text on a dark back-
ground is legible, it’s considered kind of amateurish. Avoid light text on
light backgrounds and dark text on dark backgrounds; the lack of contrast
will make it impossible for visitors to read your message.
• Use color consistently and purposefully. Don’t go changing colors for the
sake of change. Repeating colors can foster a visitor’s comfort level. The
more comfortable a person is using your site, the more likely they’ll
return.
• Organize with color. By making related page elements, such as navigation
bars, the same color, you create a visual connection between them.
• Curb your own color preferences. Just because blue is your favorite color
doesn’t mean you should use it all the time.
• Restrict the number of different colors used in a web to a maximum of
three complementary colors.
LESSON 1
Lesson 1: Creating a Web 5
Reference Material
Please Do Not Copy