Where Do I Start? : Detailed Design Questions

Once you have done the initial planning of your web site, you can now focus on some of the more detailed questions about your site's design. You have already determined your main goals, your target audience, and the type of information that you want represented on your site. Now it is time to think about how the information should be organized, the visuals, and your color scheme.

To help with this, I have put together a list of questions for you to ask yourself. Feel free to print out this page to refer to when discussing the site design with other members of your organization. The questions are general, and if they do not apply to your particular web presence then feel free to ignore them.

1: Your logo. This is your trademark, your signature on the web.

• Do you have a logo? If so, is it already in digital form?
• If it is not in digital form, can it be scanned or does it need to be created?
• Do you want this logo included on the top of the page or somewhere else on the page?
• Do you want it centered, left justified, or right justified?

2: Do you want the same logo on all pages, or a smaller version on all pages except the home page?

3: Do you want any additional graphics on any pages, such as the home page? What types of artwork or graphics do you like?

4: Do you want to use a side navigation bar, or a top navigation bar? If a side navigation, do you want the links on the right side or the left side?

5: Page layout questions:

• Do you have a color scheme in mind?
• What are your preferred text and background colors?
• Do you want a border?
• Do you want a background image?

6: Do you have a preferred font? Here are some examples of various fonts for your reference.

7: Do you want to provide the ability for people to search your site for specific information? If so, where do you want this functionality to be -- on the top of the page (possibly offsetting the logo) or somewhere further down in the site?

8: Do you want any information to be set off from the rest, such as an area for specials?

You may print this out for review. Site designs will be based off of this feedback. You may have come across numerous web sites with no obvious planning -- poorly designed color schemes and inconsistent visuals. This is a result of bad planning, or more likely no planning at all. The printed feedback can either be faxed, or you can paste it into an email to .

You may also provide examples of web sites that you like and dislike, for further insight into your design preferences. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.