Designing Your Way to Success

Designing Your Way to Success http://www.membershipsitebuilding.com/igroops/msb/blog/VIEW+00000005 The design of an online group is so very important. It is what creates the "first impression". If a potential member feels your design is poorly done, they will leave and go some place else. en Copyright 2007, Membership Site Building Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:57:07 EDT Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:57:07 EDT Online Group Site Design 101 http://www.membershipsitebuilding.com/igroops/msb/blog/VIEW+00000005+00000005#00000005 <img src="http://www.membershipsitebuilding.com/l1/msb/appdata/blog/00000005.jpg" border=0 align=left style="margin-right:5px; margin-bottom:5px;"> When I shop on the Internet, I will do a Google search for what I am looking for, then start visiting sites in the order they come up.  When I find a site that has what I need for what I believe to be a reasonable price, I will bookmark the site, and check out a few more.  However, if a site looks unprofessional or poorly designed, I usually leave that site within 3 seconds.  Nice to meet you, I am the average Internet user.With today's software for creating images and choosing colors that work well together, the "average person" can create an attractive site.  All one needs to do is follow some rules of design.<ol><li>If design is not your strong suit, keep it simple.  Have you heard people say before that they know "just enough to be dangerous"?  This applies in design as well.    Those who have all the tools for design but not too much design sense tend to go overboard and destroy a site by using every design trick they know.  Simplicity in design, while not exciting, can be professional and result in members.</li><li>Use colors that work well together.  Get a tool like "color schemer" that will allow you to see all colors that work well together.  This takes the guess work our of choosing matching colors (I wish I had one of these when dressing myself).</li><li>Don't use text on backgrounds that make the text difficult to read.  Some people are all into backgrounds no matter how hard it makes it to read the text. Don't be one of those people!  Look at your PC screen from several different angles when implementing a background and make sure the text is still legible.</li><li>Use images that set the tone or feeling for your group.  Cheap clipart equals cheap design.  yes, the Internet is full of cheap clipart that you can use, but probably shouldn't.  I suggest using a site like <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com">iStockPhoto.com</a> where you can find top quality images for about a dollar an image.  I personally prefer photos over illustrations for most sites, but a good illustration or computer generated graphic can work just as well.</li><li>Don't use contrasting clip art.  Don't use a hip photo that was obviously taken recently and a photo of a guy with a wide tie, mustache, using a bag phone, on the same page.  Cutsie animate cartoons do not blend well with serious photos.  Choose clip art that matches.</li><li>Stay away from the jaggies.  "Jaggies" are the jagged edges on images that are blown up or just not created correctly.  Do not resize an image any larger than the original format or you will have this problem.</li><li>Use no more than 3 font types / styles.  There are exceptions to this rule (as there are to just about all rules) but for the most part, too many fonts, styles, and colors can look "cheesy".</li><li>Don't make backgrounds distracting.  Backgrounds are meant to enhance whitespace by either calling focus to the main content (as in the case of color backgrounds) or displaying a subtle image or message -- kind of like subliminal advertising.  Backgrounds should NEVER jump out at you.</li><li>Resize image so they fit.  In online groups that are template driven (like iGrOOps) you have a certain space to include images.  If you add images that are too large, they can push the boundary over, distorting your page.</li><li>GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR DESIGN!  Ask other to for feedback on your group. Specifically ask for suggestions to make more attractive.  If you just ask "do you like it"?  you will most likely get the answer you want to hear rather than the answer you need to hear. </li></ol>If all else fails, pay someone to help with your design.  A good design can mean success while a poor design will almost always lead to failure.About my graphic design background:I paid my way through school (some of it at least) running my own advertising business where I was the sole copywriter and graphic designer.  Although I could not draw a picture any better than my 3rd grade daughter, computers and I seem to work well together in creating works of cyber art that are pleasing to the eye.  In my many years of design, one thing I did learn very well is this: Good design is subjective and you will never get everyone to like your designs.  Bad design is universally appalling and only your friends and family will tell you "it is nice". Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:18:41 EDT