Website Redesign

This project truly intimidated me when first presented. When thinking about redesigning an entire website, I think about professional graphic designers who get paid large sums of money to help organizations get their goals and objectives out to the public. The design of websites is such an intriquete process. It seems as though there needs to be a purpose to every element on the page. Users need to be drawn into the site through its colors and layout in order to navigate further and explore the web page.

As I discovered through research and reading, there are many other important aspects to a website besides a nice color, in order to make the site effective and user friendly. There needs to be a sense of allignment. This simply means that all of the elements on the page should be lined up with one another. Along with this, there is a principle of proximity. All items on the web page should show a relationship through its placement. When items are close in proximity, it typically means that they are related in some way. As another principle of designing a website there is repitition. This means that throughout the page there are certain elements that should be repeated in order to tie the page together. This could be certain fonts or colors that are repeated. One of the final basic principles is the idea of contrast. When parts of a website have contrasting colors, it draws the eye in and creates a sense of interest. Contrast does not always mean colors, however. It can also be a contrast in shapes or fonts that create interest to users.

These simple principles really help to illuminate the importance of a well designed website. You want people who are viewing your website to have the urge to navigate further based solely on the aesthetics. Once the user is drawn in, the information provided by the organization should also keep the user interested.