Every web designer, is first and fore most, a designer, or more aptly an artist. Being an artist, inspiration and creativity for a web designer is always constrained to the screen resolution and the
“web safe colors” and “web safe images”. Albeit, a web design or web graphic, more often than not is an inspiration from real life canvases. So being constrained within these parameters, many of us web designers, lose sight of certain no-no’s where web design is concerned. Now, this not a top ten list of web design no nos.

I don’t make now web design “miskates”…

This is a list of mistakes that a common web designer, in his pursuits of interpreting the client requirements, his creativity and inspiration and delivery of brilliant design, always tends to forget. Although some of the mistakes pointed out the list below, may seem repeated while you, as we designer, were learning, but none the less it is important to keep this is in mind.

1. Attention Seeking, aren’t we?

Ok, this one mistake that I make, almost every time I design a website. I try to give more attention to my design, rather than thinking about the user and his experience. A web design is suppose to make the user see what he or she came looking for on the website you design. As a designer, I have always wanted my designs to get the center stage, rather than content I am designing for… which in itself is the greatest and most common mistake I could ever make while designing. This is one thing that has to be thought out aloud when starting the design of any website.

2. Fancying the fancy?

Another common mistake that I have made while designing for the websites, is that I tend to use a design strategy that is more than fancy for the general masses. Two things go wrong when you make your website look too funky, one – its just too funky and two – content gets left out! Most of us try to find a balance between fancy and just right by using even fancier fonts. This again leads us back to the tail of the snake, that because of the fancy fonts, the website looks too fancy. So?

So try to find a balance between the most aesthetic funky and more attention given to content type designs and I am sure, it will make the world of a difference.

3. Even my grandma visits websites and buys clothing!

Ok, for the artist and web designer with more oomph! out there. Keep in mind, that small size of fonts really does make your design look “sleek”, but…. my grandma wears glasses, among other things and she can’t really read a lot of content, because either the content is made to look too “Sleek” or there is no way to increase the font, using the font sizer or font switcher… well what we need to do is make our designs more readable for people who can’t read small fonts or who have too big a screen to actually notice what’s written. Normally a user will come on a website and have a look at it, at the most and during the first 3 seconds of having a “look” the content should clearly be visible, amongst the design, to actually make an impression and make the user say. Off course there are standards set in for this and many designers do abide by these standards, but for some they don’t and generally this is where a designer goofs up, believe I have been in this precarious position before.

4. Remember people do hate windows! [at least in the computer they do]

This is another big mistake, when designing the navigation part of a website, a web designer may thing opening more windows for every click, but mind you! This just defeats the purpose of usability and the entire purpose of design! So make sure, that new windows open only when required to.

5. Remember, people hate change!

It might be a way life – change; and it might be something everyone cannot avoid, no matter how much one hates it; but that does not mean you make users go through change! What I mean is every website should have one consistent look and feel, so that the users can identify it and the brand if the website deals with any. Along with consistency, do not try and change the window size too, infact, try to keep everything on the website consistent, colors, fonts, look and feel, everything! But, again at the same time, make it engrossing so users can and want to stay on the website in question!

6. A very vocal no-no

Many websites, have audio playing as soon as some one comes on the website. Now, if it were a website for a band or a music troupe, great it works. But if its a website for say, an online shop or plain personal web space, then either make sure that he or she can stop the music from playing or do not play any music and save yourself and others the trouble. Why? Simply because not everyone will like the music playing and if you are going to provide options, provide one in every genre of music!

7. Navigation, the way ships do!

Ok, every website design comes down to this – Navigation. You made him or her stay on the website congratulations, now what?? Well provide him or her with a navigation that is easy to use and can be used and understood by a 10 year old! That’s right. The simpler the better! Do not user drop down lists or if you are using drop downs, make sure you provide an adequate alternative to the same. Make sure the navigation does not break between different browsers and is again consistent all across the website. Do not cloak links, I mean its a SEO self kill any which ways, but if you are designer, make sure the links are not cloaked! Avoid using javascripted links, many web browsers don’t support these and if you are using these, you provide for an adequate backup for the same.

Conclusion

Ok, so most of your design problems go away, if you keep an eye out for this; barring off course CSS related problems, but that deserves another post and will get it in the near future. So adios and have a great day!

I remember when I was a newbie in the web design and development world. That was the time when for me, there were no standards, no sense of design, no copyright violation worries, no law what so ever for me to design a website! I will agree I was naïve, right to the hilt! And this was the point where I used to search and cruise websites for making my own web graphics, that was what inspiration was for me when I started web designing, Finding beautiful websites and downloading their graphics and images, to make a web design of my own.

Time went by and I became aware of something known as “stock graphics”. I would spend more time browsing and collecting these stock images and graphics for use later. Most of the time was spent searching for free web graphics or stocks.

Today, after over a decade of designing websites, I realized my flaws, my mistakes and if I may, my naïveness where the world of web graphics is concerned. The way I see it, those years were more so for learning than designing.

Today, when I design websites, CSS and XHTML play a more important role than stocks or web graphics. I use Photoshop, CorelDraw and my camera, if I have to, to design websites and, again, if I may, I do, do a pretty darn job designing them.

This article is not meant to be one that is full of my rant. But more so, sharing an experience of web design with fellow newbie’s in the world of web design.

I do not know how you guys start designing, but I, coming from a creative background, require pictures for inspiration still and yes, even today, before I start on the CSS and XHTML, I usually get my web graphics stocks out and start playing with them.

Getting Stock Images for Web Graphics

Out here on the web, there many websites that give away free web graphics stocks. Most of them may be used mostly as inspiration. Why? Because, rest assured most of these would have been used a gazillion times already. But, You can definitely make them your own by using some, any compatible, graphic editor.

I have mentioned some free graphic editing software’s in the resource subheading below.
If you don’t mind spending some dough, there are plenty of websites that offer some amazing web graphics stock images for a small fee. These web graphics stock images are not used often since; yes you guessed it right; these have a price tag to complement them

Creating your own Stock Images for Web Graphics

Well, after all those years of downloading stocks and stealing inspirations, I finally learned making my own! Not the easy way out, I know and Hence this article.

Whilst creating your own stocks for web graphics, I would advise to always keep on thing in mind, Keep It Simple Stupid or simply put remember KISS!

No matter what your niche, or inspiration of business plan is. Your web design graphics should be simple, short and should convey all it has too. It can be fun, snazzy and it can be anything you like or would want, but at the same time keep an eye out for size optimization and color depth or Web colors adaptability.

While creating your own stock for your web design, I would advise starting with a camera and some idea or inspiration on your web design. The best way to get motivated, for a web layout, or design is to start clicking and collecting stock. What this does is motivates you, inspires you both design wise and development wise. After you have clicked a bunch of chic photos, discuss these with your clients, friends, peers, anyone and everyone. Listen to them; they are your best critics. Creating your own stocks for designing your websites is a long and slow process. Be patient.

Web Graphics Stocks Resources

Here are some free stock repositories to hit when you need to ?

Free Web Graphics Stocks at MorgueFile@ www.morguefile.com
Free Web Graphics Stocks @ http://www.killersites.com/photoStock/indexPhotoStock.htm
Free Web Graphics Stocks@ http://www.elated.com/imagekits/
Paid Web Graphics Stocks Repository@ http://www.ablestock.com/en/
Paid Web Graphics Stocks Repository@ http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php
Free Web Graphics Stocks or Extremely Low Prices@ http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php

Graphic Editor Software Resources

Here are some free and paid graphic editor software resources

Freeware Serif Photoplus@ http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/photoplus/default.asp
Freeware The GIMP@ http://www.gimp.org/
Freeware PhotoFiltre@ http://photofiltre.free.fr/
Freeware Pixia@ http://park18.wakwak.com/~pixia/
Adobe Photoshop@ www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/
For more Mac and PC Graphic editors@ http://www.ironspider.ca/freetools/grfxeditors.htm