Web Design Tips

Read these 11 Web Design Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Graphic Design tips and hundreds of other topics.

Web Design Tips has been rated 3.2 out of 5 based on 411 ratings and 1 user reviews.
How do I use music in my web site?

Music Soothes?

What we're also seeing - rather, HEARING, is the input of music on homepages of both personal and business operations. This has its advantages in some aesthetic appeal, but mostly it confuses and disturbs the viewer who doesn't expect this to be part and parcel of the site they are about to view. Consider that you lose a good deal of viewers who still have phone line modems - music takes a bit of time to download. You also lose people who don't care for your taste in music. At the very least, give your viewer the choice of turning your music off.

   
How do I use clip art?

Clip Art

You're creative! That's why you chose this profession. You might browse through clip art to get ideas, rather than use someone else's work. Once you have a pile of your own spot designs, you can market them to a company who will sell your images as a package. Or - if you have the time and want to put forth the effort, you can burn a CD with your images and market them yourself.

   
How can I learn the difference between serif and sans-serif type?

Serif

The serif typefaces are great ones for body copy. The serif has edges that catch the eye, letting people move over the page with more ease. This paragraph is in a sans-serif typeface. The serif typeface would look like this:

Madonna is as old as I am; the only difference between Madonna and myself is that she's blonde, rich, and skinny.

   
How do I use tags for Couier type in web design?

Courier Tags

There are few faces that are "cross-browser" friendly. Some of the serif faces include Courier, Courier New and mono. In order to make sure your viewer is even seeing close to what you want them to see, use several faces in your tags. Two examples (you would put the < > brackets on both ends):

font face="Courier New, Courier, mono"
font face="Courier, Courier New"

You can also just use "mono".

   
How do I use tags with serif typefaces?

Serif Tags

There are few faces that are "cross-browser" friendly. Some of the serif faces include Georgia, Times New Roman and Times. In order to make sure your viewer is even seeing close to what you want them to see, use several faces in your tags. Two examples (you would put the < > brackets on both ends):

font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"
font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"

   
How do I use typeface tags in web design?

Sans-serif Tags

There are few faces that are "cross-browser" friendly. Some of the sans-serif faces include Arial, Verdana and Helvetica. In order to make sure your viewer is even seeing close to what you want them to see, use several faces in your tags. Two examples (you would put the < > brackets on both ends):

font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
font face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif"

   
How do I use clip art in print?

Spot Art

That's what clip art is - it provides spot art for publications. Clip art works best in web design, unless you can print and modify it for print production. Often clip art will have the "jaggies" and it will be unsuitable for print. Make sure the fine print on the clip art site approves of modifications to their work, otherwise you may be breaking a copyright law.

   
How do I find out about Courier type in web design?

Courier

Another common typeface for cross-browser compatibility is Courier. Courier resembles typewriter copy. Don't overuse this type, as it can become hard to read. An example of Courier:

George Bush hasn't emailed me since he
was elected President. I wonder why?

   
How do I use animation in web design?

Too Much Movement?

Animation as an element of graphic design is a controversial topic. If you design a site, or if you have a client who insists on animation in site design, just remember that many banner ads also carry animation. If the site is prepared to accept banner advertising, the elements of animation in the site and in the banner ad may be very distracting to the viewer.

   
How do I design for the Web?

More Resources

Web design is only one part of the world of graphic design, which covers package design, illustration, book design and many other areas. What complicates the field is the fine line between using computers and software and developing actual web sites. For more about web site design, go to The website design guru or the webmaster guru. You will also find more about web design scattered throughout this GraphicDesign-tips sites.

   
How do I use heading tags in web design?

Sans-Serif

The sans-serif face is a good face to use for short blurbs or in headlines or subheads in web design. This type you're seeing now is a sans-serif.

You can use the "head" tags to create headings. Within the brackets < >, you would use - in order of size - the headings H1 (largest) to H6 (smallest). Be sure to close the tags with /H1 or /H6. For an example of both:

A PAGE ABOUT MY DOG LITTLE BITTY DOG POOKIE (this is H6)
ANOTHER PAGE ABOUT MY LARGE CAT SPOOKY (this is H1)

   
Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Graphic Design Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Phyllis Serbes