Layout Design
The content to be posted on a web site and the way they will be organized determine the layout design of a site. Nowadays, a page layout for a web site can be created without even the knowledge of HTML or any similar software. There are many tools that ease the task of lay out designing. Since the geometry of a web site is defined by web page layout, it is essential to decide upon the content and its organization.
While creating layout for web site certain things should be kept in mind so as to make it visually pleasing to the visitors. The fonts, colors, graphics and all other background elements should be so chosen as not to cause any visual displeasure and at the same time they are to be used aesthetically.
The choice and amalgamation of all the elements on a web page should create a welcoming atmosphere to the visitors. The web designer should also be careful not to use too many background elements, which will make the page look cluttered. The layout design of a site should aid in easy navigation of the site. Surfers do not prefer a site that is difficult to navigate and takes a lot of time to load. For faster loading of sites, thus file size has to be limited.
While deciding the layout of a web page, it is advisable to use the whole space available.
While designing web pages, it is always better to use relatively sized layout sections. This enables to fit the browser window by expanding or contracting as required. The dimension of the web pages can be maintained by limiting the height and width of the pages.
While designing layout for web pages the text width is also to be considered. Usually the visitors are used to read about 7 to 11 words per line. If the lines of the paragraphs are shortened or lengthened it will cause discomfort in reading.
Use of too many animations and graphics make the web pages cluttered and difficult to read. Thus images are to be used keeping in mind the page layout. It is advisable to align the images, to be used on web page. A sensible balance of text and graphics on the web pages will result in a good layout design.
Visitors browse web sites mainly for information. Thus an appealing web site layout and design is required to attract new visitors to the site as well as to retain existing readers or users. If the web site belongs to any commercial organization then an attractive layout design of a web site will partially contribute to the success of online business of the company. A professional look of the site will achieve further dependability of the company.