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)

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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.