Rethinking the Datacenter Sponsored by HP Today's datacenters need to increase utilization, get control over power and cooling costs, and align with business objectives. Download this eBook to learn about the challenges facing the data center in a world where digital information is growing at a torrid pace and costs are being held in check. Learn more. »     Putting the Green into IT Sponsored by HP Electricity use in data centers is skyrocketing, sending energy bills through the roof, creating environmental concerns and generating negative publicity. "Going Green" means looking to technologies like virtualization, energy-efficient chips and racks, and implementing policies that extend beyond the data center. Learn more. »     Managing the Modern Network Sponsored by HP In a global economy where information crosses the globe in an instant, and where Web-based applications power business, it's more important than ever to ensure your network is safe from threats and optimized to deliver the data your business needs. »     Evaluating Software as a Service for Your Business Sponsored by Webroot Is Software as a Service just hype, or is something really going on here? See if your company can benefit as SaaS tries to change the face of the enterprise. »     Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan Good Enough? Sponsored by HP Preparing for a disaster is more often than not part of the storage planning process, and it is one of the most difficult tasks, since it includes local hardware and software, networking equipment, and a test plan. Learn how to get disaster recovery right. »

Top 10 Articles Web Developer's Virtual Library: Encyclopedia of Web Design Tutorials, Articles and Discussions JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers Design JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Objects JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - JavaScript Grammar JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Versions of JavaScript Cascading Style Sheets JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Embedding JavaScript JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Functions Authoring JavaScript

Domain Name Lookup Search to find the availability of a domain name. Just enter the complete domain name with extension (.com, .net, .edu)

A well- designed page, whether in print or on the Web, is a thing of beauty. A skilled page designer can take widely differing elements like body text, headings, graphics, links and whatever, and arrange them into a harmonious whole. Most readers know nothing about fonts, leading, justification or kerning, but can subconsciously sense when a page is well laid out, just as people can perceive the difference between a good and a bad photo or audio recording, without actually understanding the technical issues that make it good or bad. Good design is practical as well as aesthetic. Well-designed pages are easier to read, and lead your readers' eyes where you want them to be led.

In this article, we're looking strictly at the visual aspects of page design. The practical aspects of organizing pages into sites, and providing good navigation tools, were covered in a previous article. Nor shall we go very far into the technical tricks involved in achieving various design effects. For that, you'll want to consult an HTML tutorial.

Let's get a couple of things straight right up front. First, the concepts of "good design" and "bad design" exist only in the eye of the beholder. Page layout is an art, and in the final analysis, can't really be judged in objective terms. There is, however, such a thing as generally accepted design, or "standard" design principles, and that's what we're discussing in this article. Should Web sites always follow standard design principles? By no means. Look at Wired magazine for an example of how to break every design rule in the book. Even the paper it's printed on is a non-standard size. The question to ask is, What effect are you trying to create? Solid and dependable, or wild and crazy? Musicians call it "playing inside" or "playing outside." To put it another way, you have to know the rules before you can break 'em.

A second basic fact to keep in mind is that the Web is not print. While many of the rules that apply to print pages also apply to Web pages, there are some important differences. The main one, of course, is that a Web designer can never be sure exactly how the page is going to appear to the end user. The only thing you can be sure of is that it will look different on different systems. To attempt to get every element lined up perfectly, as a print layout artist does, is to start down the path to madness. Some misguided control freaks lay out whole pages as graphics, not realizing that even this is no guarantee of uniformity - some browsers won't display the colors correctly, and some souls surf with images off.

Contents:

Good Page, Bad Page
Have Your Colors Done
Timeless Typography
It's Always Something