A web designer cannot offer to be content with a good looking design without considering the users and what they need the website to provide them with. Although new and advanced tools are of great help where usability is concerned, a web designer should never forget why he or she is planning the website, for the ease of use and interaction of the users.

Although web designers can consider themselves as artists, there is a basic and fundamental difference between and design, as the latter is definitely subjected to more restraint. While an artist can consider a piece of art as an extension of his or her thoughts a web designer cannot say the same.

A designer needs to create an interactive, consistent and accessible design while an artist is not faced with these limits. An artist has no constraints as far as accessibility and consistency is concerned, art is an expression of mood and thought and is not worried of how the person viewing it will react. A web designer is both an artist and a scientific professional, as his or her art needs to be consistent and relevant.

Artists are allowed to work as they feel, without fixed standards and with no expectations guaranteed. Web designers are restricted in their design as they have to meet standards and expectations otherwise they will not succeed in their profession. Web designers are influenced by trends and are forced to follow certain market guidelines, as their expectations dictate their creations, while artist have no pre-determined goal in mind.

There is also a precise difference between aesthetics and design, as, although most web designs include aesthetics for the attractiveness, not all the designs can really be considered aesthetically pleasing, thus steering away from the artistic concept.

Some websites manage to blend in aesthetics with design very artfully, as the pages fulfill the expectations of the users and the design is attractive enough without being too garish and interfering with the users’ actions.

Aesthetics in terms of web design should be considered in reference to how attractive it is to the eye, and not purely for a sense of beauty, as this can be subjective.  An aesthetic web design needs to consider a balance between the artistic design and the functionality, as a good interaction and function is at the base of the Internet use.

When people go browsing on the Internet, they do so for a specific goal, this is why a good website needs to be aesthetically pleasing and functional. There needs to be a good balance in the layout, without excessive artistic vehemence, in order to render all the information accessible and the user-experience gratifying.

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The most difficult issue when wanting to make a website truly challenging is the product page problem. These product pages are extremely complex to manipulate as they contain a variety of elements that can be hard to manage when designing the pages. It is true that other pages on e-commerce websites can generate sales; the product page still remains the stronger focal point of conversion rates.

It is surprising how most websites simply show the basic amount of information that is needed to generate a sale. This is not enough and needs to be revised if you want to boost sales. Keep in mind that potential customers like to spend the least time possible on a page, so making browsing and purchasing easier will generate more sales.

There are essential elements you need to integrate in your product page if you want to sell effectively. These cannot be left out when designing your e-commerce product page. If you omit these three fundamental elements you probably be lucky if you sell anything at all.

The product name is an obvious factor, which sometimes is overlooked. Visitors have to know what they are seeing on your website. Make sure the name of the product provides a clear description using short sentences with keywords, which readers would use to optimize search engine results. An example of a descriptive but short product name would be, 18ct Gold Earrings instead of Gold Earrings, as the former gives a more detailed description, which still remains succinct. It is important to provide a unique descriptive name for each product to differentiate it from the others.

The price tag is important and it should be clearly visible so that users can verify that. The price should stand out well on the product page and be visibly located next to the BUY button. The description should lead the reader directly to the price then on to the purchase button, in one fluid succession.

Once you have your reader’s attention, the next step is towards the actual purchase of the product. Whether or not the reader decides to buy your product lies in the dimension and color of the BUY button. This button is the key element for generating sales and should be designed to suit certain categories of users, depending on different variants that can be cultural, geographical or demographical.

It is best to place this button high up on the web page, ideally just above the fold. If your product is no longer in stock then the best solution is to use a message telling the user that it is out of stock or simply hide your purchase button.

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Layout

In order to make a good webpage, you have to have a solid layout. You should begin by making mock up wire frames of your site, and this will be a good starting point when it is time to flesh things out. Remember that you should use white space effectively. No one wants to visit a site that is too busy, and filled with graphics, animations and videos. In the world of design, less is often more, and this is an important rule to remember when you are designing a website.

Finch: an example of effective use of white space.

Visited links

When someone visits a link, that link should change color. If someone is going to come back to your site, and we hope that they do, they will need to remember which links they have already visited. If you fail to include this simple effect, you might find that people cannot remember where they have already been, and might leave your site in frustration.

Color schemes

Your color schemes should be applicable to your targeted audience. If you use too many colors, things can seem to be a bit random, and your site might look ugly. It is a good idea to choose a simple scheme of around three colors to work with when making your site. Make sure that they complement each other and work to create a pleasant outcome.

Usability

If a site is going to work well for a visitor, it has to be highly functional. Remember that a good site should be easy to navigate, and should not confuse the user. If you do not make your site functional, you are likely to lose visitors.

Typography

Add a variety of color, size and different weights to your fonts. Do not go overboard, as no one wants to read a random display of various fonts when trying to gain information. Keep things simple and elegant, and you should be on the right track. Keep your letter, line and word spacing the same for your entire page, otherwise your site might look amateurish. The height of your lines should be 1.5 times that of your font sizes.

Design

Every aspect of your design should help to increase the overall mood of your site. Do not add anything that detracts from this, and you should end up with a nice looking site. Make sure that you are consistent with your use of different elements, so that you can create an effective theme throughout your pages. Giving attention to small details is important, as even the smallest thing gone wrong can spell disaster. Keep this important rule in mind when you are designing: less is more. Do not fill your page with too much, even if you think it looks cool.

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The First Step
The initial stage starts when the designer feels the most antsy and driven. When the design is empty, your brain gets overloaded with thoughts and concepts. This is the time to take a few deep breathes while considering the ideals of the project.

What is the expected outcome of the project? Are there any specific elements that are to be included?  Be sure to write a list of these elements. Try drawing some prototypes before opening Photoshop. If you are not gifted artistically, a crude drawing may give you inspiration, if nothing else. The purpose of the prototype is that it becomes a wire frame that you can use as a base for all pages and as well as a guideline. The wire frame will probably change for each style of page.

Compose More Than One Design
After you have completed a strong prototype, you should consider composing a couple of additional one, to compare to your original. This step is a time saver for the ending stages, if you are one of those people that constantly second guess yourself.  Having more than one guide to compare will drive you to choose a product for the final stages. You can do this in Photoshop if you are not comfortable with drawing them by hand.

Analyze Design Galleries

You may find inspiration from viewing galleries and analyzing designs created by other designers.  Some people do not agree with this tactic. They feel that these galleries do not provide any value and are only a means of copying other designers, this train of thought is understandable, but there is an opposite opinion. The galleries are full of designs submitted by web designers that chose to place their creations there. They probably are honored if others use their work as inspiration. Besides, you are only getting ideas and blending them with your own ideas. There is nothing wrong with that.

View Design from Users Point of View
Begin this process with a clear head. If you have been working on the design, take a break. Before you begin coding, visualize that you are the user browsing through the design. Pretend for a moment that this is your first time seeing it. How would you navigate your way through it?
During the visualization process, you might see changes that are required.  You will see the whole picture, rather than just your side.

White Space

A crucial part of any design is the white space. Page elements that are properly laid out provide a symmetry that is natural in web design.  Similar to white space, elements that take up space that is not needed must be removed.  The contents of the page must have room and allow visitors to interact freely with them.

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Many people in the world of business believe that you should with what you already know. This is a great rule of thumb when you are designing something as well. The greatest designers in the world are not those who know every font under the sun, or have the best coding skills, but they are the ones who know just what feels the best about a page.

To begin focusing on pure design, just visit any website. Write down the things that you would have changed if you were creating it. Do this for several sites, and you will start to think about the most important aspects of design. This is a great way to begin thinking about design from its core, and after you have analysed a few sites, you will have a greater understanding of how design works, and what you should do for your next project. Following are some discussions about two popular websites, and how they have gone about creating their designs.

Google video

Google often fixes its problems by using their high levels of resources and using developers to solve them. They use different patterns to determine how they should go about creating their sites, and this has led to some various out comes.

Google started out with minimalistic designs, and the classic row streams that they are well known for. Google soon found out, through market research, that people did not like those rows. They redesigned their website to try to get people to like it more. They even took something from YouTube and added related video links to their site.

This is a big problem with a lot of websites. People will see that something has worked well for another site, and they will simply copy what made the other site successful. For a product to be truly successful, it cannot just rip off other products, but it has to create something that is innovative. Doing something just because it is a popular trend does not always work, and can often prove to be a disaster.

Yahoo

Most people who frequently use the internet will know what Yahoo is. The Yahoo website will give users countless things that they can do, but are there too many options? On their website, you are able to see a list of your favourites, which has led them to become one of the most popular sites on the internet today. Why is Google more popular as a search engine? They did not add any extras just for the sake of giving options. They have a minimalistic approach, and only offer what is actually needed to the user.

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Explaining to the Client their Errors
The most important thing is to be confident about your work.  This will make things go easier and keep the client from disagreeing with you. Of course, this does not guarantee that you will have success. You need to ‘diplomatically’ make the client know that you are not their unconditional servant.

Your Past Projects
It is, sometimes, not enough to remind the client about your qualifications.  Sometimes, you need to bring up to the client what projects or elements of your past projects that have worked in their past.

It is their idea
Somewhat more difficult, is to make them think that it was their idea to keep the current design. Show them that this is the best design and reflects what they originally wanted.  This works in some cases. The key is making sure you ask a plethora of questions before you get too far in the process. You can say to them, ’remember you said _______?’

Don’t Put up Your Guard
Being too defensive can be counter-productive, Keep calm and have a professional demeanor.

Don’t Challenge Them
Don’t create a situation where it appears that you are calling their judgment into question. It has to appear that you are working for their best interest.

Talk Business, Not Style
Yes, design is important. But, if you seem stuck on design and not making theme money or how it helps their business to be more efficient, then you have lost them.

Never Be Dismissive
The client needs to feel that you are listening to their ideas. If they feel that they are being ignored then you will have a tough time when you want to get a resolution to some of the issues that they have.

Don’t Talk Down to Them
Don’t come across as you are superior to them. You do need to explain things and how it will help them with their goals.  Explain the why your certain tasks in a particular manner.

Consider A Different Perspective
Your clients may be interested in one thing—money. They are not in this for charity. They need to make a living too. Be creative and try to view these differences.
Contractual Clauses
Hopefully, you and your client signed a contract. It is not a prudent decision to start a project without a contract and most designers do prepare and sign a contract.  Make sure that you write a clause, which states that all design decisions are ultimately yours.

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Everyone knows what a trend is. When something becomes very popular and successful people want to use that thing as inspiration for their own work. After all, if it worked for someone else, it should work for you, right? It is important to remember that trends come and go. What is popular at one time will seem dated later on. If you are using techniques for your design just because they are common, your designs might not stand the test of time. Make sure that you create truly great designs, rather than relying on trends.

Trends cause complacency

Using trends can be a good way to learn new things. However, relying on them too much can make your own work stagnant and uncreative. Some designers will follow what is popular, never trying anything new. If you simply follow trends and do not try your own ideas, you will become complacent, and that is the bottom line.

The copycat syndrome

Trends can easily create copy cats, and they are rampant today. Many designers simply find successful websites and copy their designs, incorporating them into their own work. This is basically theft, and while it is not illegal, it is not going to produce anything that is groundbreaking. With sites like Dribble and Forrst, there are even more people who are simply copying other’s work.  Do not get me wrong, these are great sites, and they have many uses. However, they encourage some people to just look at the work of others and use their ideas in their own work. Gaining inspiration from others is a good way to learn, but you should not let yourself become a copy cat. You should look at trends and learn from them, but do not use them to copy to ideas of other people.

Following trends can lead to less effective work

Copying a trend does not always mean that your work is going to stand out. Sometimes designers will try to use the work of others to make their own designs great, but they do not implement them properly. As an example, consider the large drop down menu, which is a popular new trend. This has worked for some sites, but it might not work well for your next project. You might not have much information that you need to include in the drop down menu. If you do not need to use this technique, do not include it in your design. You do not have to copy trends just because they are popular. However, some clients might want to use trends in their work. It is difficult to argue with a client about this, so you might just have to bite the bullet and go with it.

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