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Managing my Organisation Well

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Marketing

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Website and Social Media

Website Design and Layout

Website design is based on the colours, fonts and graphics that make up the ‘look’ of a website.


The design elements you choose will largely depend on the type of visitors you want to attract, and what you want your website to do:

  • use your group’s brand identity – your group’s colours, along with your logo and strap line

  • keep fonts and heading sizes consistent

  • use different colours for links so they stand out from the rest of the text


The presentation of your website content will include the layout of the content on a webpage.

For example:

  • where you place the navigation bar – top or left?

  • the header

  • footers

  • display and alignment of text and pictures (number of columns of text and how these relate to pictures)


Website page layout should be the same for the whole website, with the exception of the Home Page. The Home Page layout should be eye-catching and aim to capture people’s attention more immediately. People do not read website content from left to right as they do a book. They glance at the webpage, scanning for key words or a link that takes their interest and often following the first one they notice.


Best Practice Guidelines for Website Design and Webpage Layout

  • use the website header to show your group’s logo and contact details, so that they appear on every page

  • make navigation bars stand out from the rest of the page content

  • place important links and elements at the same place on each page

  • create a clear visual hierarchy of page content - the more important something is the more prominent it should be

  • make liberal use of lists to aid quick visual scanning of content

  • make links stand out clearly from all other content

  • provide in-page content lists for longer pages

  • highlight the current page or section in the navigation

  • use a breadcrumb

  • Have a clear search area.

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