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Have you ever gone out of your house and made the trek to the back woods to cut down a few trees for firewood? So maybe it’s the 21st century and the number of people who have done this is less than in years past, but not long ago I was out behind my house working with my old, dull axe at getting a large rotted maple tree stump out of the ground. The work was long, exhausting and painful, but in the end I stood triumphant with one less stump in my back yard. I was proud of the work I accomplished, but I would of probably been able to get the job done much quicker with less of the “exhausting and painful” if I had taken a little time before starting to sharpen the blade of my axe.
You may be asking yourself how dull axes and stumps have anything to do with Elexicon or services we offer, but I submit to you that your website isn’t much different than an axe. Both are tools that do no good unless utilized by the owner. Likewise, both an axe and a website can become dull or less effective with time if not properly cared for.
At Elexicon, we pride ourselves with putting together state-of-the-art, industry-standard websites using technology and best practices that are on the forefront of what’s current. The same was true 10 years ago when Elexicon was first created, and the same will continue to be true years down the road. Although this is true, the same practices and techniques that we used when we first started have evolved with the times to make sure that our clients are kept on the “cutting edge.”
In this sense, websites can be like an axe. When we hand-craft and build a site and it goes live, it’s like a brand new axe straight from the hardware store— it’s shiny and new and sharp, able to do what it was intended to do quickly and precisely. However, in the same way that use and misuse of an axe causes it to dull and become less effective, so does neglect and lack of optimization lessen the effectiveness on your website over time. Indeed, though the site will still work much like a dull axe “still works,” getting the job done can become cumbersome and slow.
A good example of this was the changeover from building websites from a table-based system to a more current div-based system. Table-based websites can be, and are still, used today in some cases, but what many people don’t realize is how much easier and clean it was to design and build or update a website in a div-based structure where appropriate. It also became much easier to create stylistic and information updates globally throughout the site quickly and cleanly. The code read quicker and became easier to trouble-shoot for bug, thus lowering maintenance time. Today div-based websites are really an industry standard.
This is only one of many examples of how new web technology and coding practices have either replaced or updated existing systems that are used, most of which provide a more dynamic, intriguing experience for visitors to your website.
Part of what we do at is Elexicon is always learning or researching these new practices so that we will be equipped with the means necessary to build a state-of-the-art website, or to update an existing site with new and exciting tools for all of our clients. Whether you want to upgrade with e-commerce capabilities or to start from scratch with something completely different, know that we will make sure you have the sharpest tool in the shed.
Recently, I read through an article on a popular design website that talked about the quality to price ratio, and how that relates to web design. In a nut shell, the author takes the stance that the quality of design and the monetary cost of producing or procuring that design has no relationship.
This article got me thinking about how this relates with what we do at Elexicon, and more specifically the projects that I’ve worked on as a designer here. I agree with the article to a point that “good” design is subjective, that it’s ‘in the eye of the beholder’ as some may say, and that it’s really about getting the most for your money. That being said though, I think it’s important to understand the difference between a subjective design, and a website strategy that is current to today’s web standards.
Thinking about this made me proud to be where I am, and working with the people that I do, which correlates with another point that is made in the article. It states that being confident in your product or service is infectious. It brings credibility to our work that you as a client (be it new or potential) know that you have a strong brand like Elexicon behind the design and development that you receive.
All this relates back, I think, with what the author was talking about pertaining to price point and good design. I feel like we’ve found a good balance between both these things here. This I think is a reason our clients choose to do business with us. It’s no secret that there are an abundance of designers and developers out there, but I feel it’s a company that has a team with this type of balance that makes the difference.
Being able to walk away at the end of the day knowing that we’re producing great looking, industry leading, web savvy designs that are not only unique in their build and design, but reflect the character of the client is reason enough I think to hold our heads high.
As a web designer, I’m always searching the internet for emerging trends and what would be considered ‘best-practice’ for how websites are being built. A layout that I see as being quite popular right now is using large background images in the design of the website, be that image a picture or a graphic of some sort. (Take our site, for example.)
Building a design this way has its advantages—you’re able to make a strong visual statement to the viewer as soon as they come to your website, breaking up the visual weight of the webpage while creating a sense of depth and drama—but there are a number of things to keep in mind if you choose a layout that implements this concept.
SCREEN SIZE & RESOLUTION
One of the most common problems with large backgrounds is that they need to work with many different screen resolutions. We as designers here at Elexicon test and re-test our sites that we build on different browsers and operating systems, as well as different screen resolutions to ensure that the designs display properly. A good resource for cross-testing on different browser platforms at once is BrowserShots.
It’s important to build the background image so that when it’s replicated in the browser, it looks correct. One way of doing this is in the way that you create the image, as well as with CSS (cascading style sheets).
As a best recommended practice, use large images above 1700 pixels wide. By doing this, you will cover almost 95% of the display sizes that are available currently. To cover the minority that may see the whole image, it’s good to blend the image into the background color of the background, which you also specify in the CSS.
BANDWIDTH
Bandwidth is the amount of data that is being moved from one place to another; specifically in this case, from the website server, to the viewer’s browser.
Large backgrounds usually equate to large file sizes which can lead to a big impact on bandwidth and as well as the way the user experiences your website. By using large graphics, a website’s load time can increase significantly.
Because of this, it’s essential that we optimize the images by using appropriate image resolution and format, as well as optimizing the website’s other resources (such as the CSS files that are being targeted, as well as Javascript files, etc.).
You can create a really impressive visual statement by working a large image or graphic into the background of your website, but it’s important that it’s done correctly. Otherwise you risk hurting the performance of your website. Rest assured that the design we build at Elexicon will accomplish this and much more.
Could you imagine what it would be like if you weren’t able to travel on the roads, but everyone around you could? Think about how difficult it would be to get from place to place. The ability to gather and communicate, and heck, do business would be greatly limited, wouldn’t you think? I think that this same concept could apply for a business or organization that is considering a website, but hasn’t put one together yet.
Think of the Internet as your road (it is the information super highway after all) and you’re (potential) website or business as a customer’s destination. If you’re still relying solely on print advertising and word of mouth to expand your company’s marketability, it’s like trying to get from place-to-place in your car without driving on roads—it’s clunky, slow, and in the long run it’s going to be expensive. (Can you imagine the repair costs for driving your sedan off road?!).
This isn’t to say that there isn’t a place for those types mediums of advertising anymore. There absolutely is. But take a moment and consider a few reasons why you should consider adding a website to those mediums you may already use.
Cheaper and more flexible than print advertising
Having a web presence is much different than print advertising in that web space is cheap, and your ‘advertisement’ is more accessible for a longer period of time. Also, content can be changed easily (either through a content management system or your web master) and you can reach a global audience instantly.
All day, every day.
Don’t you hate when you have to turn a potential customer away because they call 5 minutes after your shop closes? Think about how many people you may have missed because the office was closed for a public holiday. With a website, you’re ‘open for business’ all day, every day of the year, and all it takes is a click of the mouse.
Convenience
When was the last time you actually looked up a phone number or information in the phone book? Isn’t it easier to simply search for a company’s information on the internet? By offering this type of convenience, you create a point of reference, and with that touch of individualized customer service, you add value to your offering. As a result, your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction.
These are just a few reasons why having a website is important for companies. Talk with someone at Elexicon for a more in-depth look at how we can put together a web strategy that is sure to add all these things and more to your organization.
Take a moment and think of your home, whatever that may be. What makes that dwelling more than just a living space? Many would say that it’s considered a home because it’s a reflection of the entire image of the individual. (C’mon, we all have our favorite chair or special room). I think the same holds true for your website. (It is called a ‘home’ page after all, right?) Why shouldn’t your home page be the most compelling and attention-getting page of your web site?
Because of this, I think it’s even more vital for individuals, companies and organizations to really look at their current home pages (or take this into consideration while planning their web development strategy) to see how effective their being with portraying their company image. Face it, you only have a matter of seconds when a new viewer comes to your website to capture their attention. If you can’t accomplish this, they’ll be gone quicker than they came.
A Few Things to Consider…
Information layout:
It’s important to look at how the information on your site reads. Where does your eye want to follow when you initially look at the site?
Content Length:
Short paragraphs and tid-bits of text trump long amounts of text any day, especially on a home page. Let the viewer have the option to continue reading if they choose, shown with a link to the full information.
Discernable navigation:
It’s important that the web visitor can figure out how to get to the accommodating pages on the website easily. This is accomplished with clear navigation displayed prominently.
There are of course a large number of other things to keep in mind when developing a good home page, but each client is different, and with their differences come different needs and requirements, but I think that these three areas described are pretty universal, whether you’re a multi-million dollar global enterprise, or a local coffee shop looking to expand brand visualization.
Talk with someone at Elexicon to see what can be done with your site to really make a great first impression, and how we can help turn the first page of your website into a really dynamic ‘home’ page. (And maybe we’ll even throw in that favorite chair in the process.)
Elexicon is an interactive design and development agency based in Grand Rapids, Michigan...More>
