A colleague of mine had worked with Jimmy Cricket filming a few of his shows. After a few months, the subject of his website came about, which at the time was very out-of-date and in need of some design updates, and I was asked if I would be interested in a small redesign and tech update using WordPress.

I opted for a quirky design to suit the clown style of comedy that Jimmy had always used in his shows, which made a pleasant change from the usual serious business work I was accustomed to. I developed it around the WordPress 2010 theme, which disappointingly for me was a little harder than expected, however both I and the client were happy with the end result.

You can visit the site at www.jimmycricket.co.uk/ – Let me know what you think

This one was a little side project for a friend

The client wasn’t looking for anything too complex, just the ability to add new or used products and as usual built using WordPress.

You can visit the site at www.metcalfstheatvcentre.co.uk/ – Let me know what you think

Over the years I have encountered a number of bad practices with website design and content,  usually these are requests by clients who are trying to squeeze every last penny out of their website, but sometimes it is web designers who are creating a project for themselves rather than the end user.  I understand that sometimes it is impossible to always keep to your standards while keeping your client happy, so here are a few tips to aid you in the design and build process.

Do keep your website functional

Since the birth of the Internet web designers have always felt the need to over complicate the aesthetic of websites.  During the early years web designers seemed hell bent on overloading websites with gif and flash animations while not spending any time thinking about the structure of the pages and the framework of the site.

When creating any site think about what you want to achieve with the design and the content.  A site should be intuitive by nature, adding animation may just distract and confuse; think about the content and structure, it isn’t the trendy parts of the site that will make it a success but the quality of what the user finds that will make any website work.

Don’t assume you know everything

As a designer it pays to be open to new ideas and opinions, be careful not to run with an idea just because you think it will work brilliantly or look great.  Spending a large amount of time on a job can mean that you become too close to the project.  I’m not saying don’t trust yourself, just be sure to get as much opinion as possible.

Do think about the user

After building your pages spend some time testing the site, look at it from a neutral perspective.  Things like links opening in new windows or pages with limited or useless content can be very frustrating for an end user, keep any site as self contained and as complete as possible that way the user will trust you and your content.

Testing a site yourself should be a standard part of any project, however, getting others to test can be equally helpful and informative, alternate opinion can help you realise issues you didn’t see during the early stages of design and build, which in turn will help give a more complete end user experience.

Don’t compromise on design

Remember you are the designer and with knowledge and experience you should be able to confidently advise.  Content should be clean and clear online, allow content to frame itself and avoid unsightly borders, also try and spread content evenly over more than one page rather than cramming it all into an unrealistic area.

Always make a design whether personal or commercial unique, avoid passing trends as this can make the site date too quickly and will only bring the need for a re-design forward.  If you create the site for the client in a fresh style that suits their brand you will be more likely to please from the outset.

Summary

You are a designer, so explore all possibilities, listen to those around you, keep things unique but most of all don’t assume you know everything.