Web Page Theory
A web page is a text, just like a novel or a movie or a song or a painting. Its symbolic messages are as important as its literal ones. What makes a web page an extraordinary medium is that you can employ the techniques used by all of the aforementioned texts in order to convey meaning. Because knowlege of so many fine arts techniques belongs to only a few, designing an outstanding web page is not for the timid, the faint of heart, the individual who says, "Close enough for government work." However, almost anyone can produce a good web page with some knowledge of basic techniques, if (and it's a big if) they remember what they already know about creating a text.There are many web pages on the Internet. Most are pretty awful. All send messages, most of them unintended. Because the web allows for the incorporation of so many different media, students usually want to include at least one of everything, usually all on the same page, usually with disappointing results.
Listed below are some cardinal rules for producing good web pages.
Cardinal Rule #1: Every element on your web page should contribute to your message. Remember when your English teacher wrote on one of your essays "This sentence doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the paragraph?" Same deal. It may be the neatest graphic in the entire universe, but if it's a picture of your favorite band and your web page is about the Vietnam War, it won't get your meaning across to your audience unless your favorite band is from the '60s (and even then you'll have to connect the picture with your content).
Cardinal Rule #2: Colors send meanings, font styles send meanings, the kind of graphic sends meanings, the kind of sound file or video sends meanings. Just because you think a black background with red Old English type, spooky music, and stick figure graphics look and sound cool doesn't mean it reinforces your message, particularly if your web page is entitled "An Investigation of the Cacti of the Franklin Mountains." Use colors, fonts, graphics, audio and video that complement your content.
Cardinal Rule #3: Make it easy for your audience to navigate your site. If your primary objective is to get your audience to see your entire site (and it should be), then make sure they can figure out how to move from one section to another, one page to another, and return to the parts they want to see again.
Cardinal
Rule #4: Don't overwhelm your
audience with bells and whistles just because you've figured out how to
add them to your web page. Blinking text, animations, hot spots,
etc., are more effective if they are used sparingly. Otherwise, you
risk having your page labeled with the dreaded "B" word (booorrrring!)
or worse, your brilliant research project will only be remembered because
it had a cool twirling animated gif of the star on the Franklin Mountains.
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True Colors | |
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Web Page Theory | |
Last update 2/24/07