Down With Ugly! |
Learn the Basics... |
Dress to Impress |
Fun With Fonts |
Graphics Are Good |
Navigation Know-how |
Do It With "Style" |
Browsers Are Beasts |
Links |
As I said before - your web site is a reflection of you, and is the only way that some of your visitors will know you, so make sure you build a page that will project the proper "image".
Both the overall theme style (things like the colour combinations and the types of graphics) and the tone of your writing should be indicative of the sort of person you are and the things that you put in your web site.
Just as the way one decorates his/her home, or the way one dresses, speaks volumes about the sort of person one is - so too does the overall appearance of a person's web site - and "understatement" is ALWAYS indicative of good taste...
Take a really honest look at your pages.
Ask yourself "If I were a stranger and didn't know me what would I think about me from looking at these pages?".
Another thing to keep in mind is making sure that the theme of your site suits the subject of your site. If your "thing" is horses then by all means use a "horsy" theme to let your visitors know about your interest in all things equine - but that same theme sure as hell wouldn't work for someone whose interest was in vintage automobiles! And if you are a person of eclectic interests then stay away from any theme that is too specific.
Don't look like a "beginner".
One of the quickest ways to announce to the world that you are a real amateur to web design is to give every page on your site a different "look".
Take a look at all the big sites and the many mega-business sites on the web - these sites are designed by professionals, people who really know what they're doing and get paid the "Big Bucks" to prove it. All these sites have one very important thing in common. They are consistent! ALL the pages carry through the same theme. It seems to me that it is a "no brainer" that a professional look can be more easily achieved by following the lead of these "pro's" and using the same theme on every page of a personal site.
If you simply "must" try out different page themes then learn to use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and change your whole site every few months (it's not hard...).
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