Do I need a website?
Someone starting a business asked me the other day if they should get a website or put the money in a yellow page ad. I told them that I look up local business addresses and telephone numbers on the internet. It's usually faster and I can always get a map if I need it! Today there is an expectation that EVERY business and service provider has a website to provide information about their products or services.
Purpose determines Design
We always start by discussing what you really need. Once we define what your target audience is and what you want your website to accomplish we can decide how big it needs to be. Usually 5 or 6 pages can cover most everything (unless you are planning on having a merchant site or lots of photo albums). Then we start talking about designs.
Style meets Substance
It is important for a website to quickly get your attention. There are a billion out there and people who are busy have a tendency to keep moving if something does not grab their attention fast. You can use animations or eye catching pictures but the overall look and layout of the site registers on the visitor first and that is where we start the design process.
Strive to achieve the proper Balance
"The human mind seeks harmony and avoids discord." Great artists often generate that discord to make a viewer uncomfortable, to get them to think or to get an emotional response. That's not what you normally want your website to do. Lots of things happening all at once, animations, ads, slideshows... or just too much information or too many options can all overwhelm the eye and the mind.
Why re-invent the wheel?
I seldom build a website "from scratch". It's far easier ( and much less expensive) to take one of the thousands of free webtemplates on the internet and modify it. We'll look at lots of existing designs until we find one you like the look of and then discuss what to change to personalize it for you. The picture, the colors, we may add some little scripts and tricks to spice it up but the overall look and feel will be the one you have chosen intitally.
What about FLASH templates
Some people like the animation and effects of Flash templates. They are time consuming (therefore expensive) to design so a template is definitely the way to go. I am affiliated with Flash Template Design and get a commission if you buy one there. The designs and prices ($50-$70) are about the same everywhere but if you find one you like somewhere else I'll still be happy to help you install it.
