Quote:
Originally posted by RightHandMan
What are ten good tips to achieving an overall good design?
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#1: THINK.
that means, take down all the details you possibly can about the job..... squeeze them for more than they know. And sit down and think. Watch TV.
LISTEN to the radio. Don't just hear it... LISTEN. Listen to the commercials. Hear how they "sell" you...... the different effects, different music, voice inflections..... read magazines, read newspapers, look through your cupboards. See and hear everything. Advertising is your world...... know it. Start grabbing elements you see, hear, & like, that fit your project, and piecing them together. Draft out your project this way. Notice how the radio spots, the TV spots, the billboards..... notice how they all FLOW. That's your goal.
#2: Take into account the reputation or lack of reputation of your client. You need to do one of these: Maintain it, boost it, or build it.
#3: Know your environment. You build within limits. They may not be what you prefer, but they are what you gotta deal with. Don't get stupid creative when your client nor your target will appreciate it. Build within your limit.
#4: Lay down your header and your base pics first. Everything else will build off that. This is often disregarded by many.... but it is ESSENTIAL. You MUST lay the foundation, and build from there.
#5: Flow. Without going into unique trial stuff, fas a general rule, flow the site from upper left, straight across the header, hinting toward lower right. There you wanna put something extreme. Something eye grabbing. A burst, a hardcore pic, or text that promises something unheard of. Whatever.... this is your attention point. Your attention point is going to lead left again. And it needs to lead to another attention point. Not necessarily as drastic as the first, but still remarkable. From there, flow right and down.... more attention to the down on a much broader scope. Focus on the whole workspace if possible. This is your main content..... this is where you're leading them. And it needs to be good. Flow this down evenly through the rest of the page to your foot. Your foot should be dramatic, but not more than the head. Many people fail here. Make your foot work for you. Make it convincing. It should be louder than your center content, but not louder than your head.
#6: Cut your images WELL. No one respects badly cut images. Any fucking fool can do that. Cut that shit precise. Sometimes I spend 2 hours cutting one image. Do it fucking right. In the end, it's YOUR ass on the line. You either get labeled mediocre or prime. Which do you prefer?
#7: Know your plugins. Whether it's Photoshop of Fireworks... or both.... know your plugins, what you can do with them..... experiment.... and also know what you CAN'T do because you'll be labeled a hack newb defaulter.
#8: Learn HTML & CSS. Code your shit to be as out-of-the-can as possible. No one likes to pay good money for a site only to have to either code up all the html themselves or PAY someone else to code it up. Be a fucking pro from start to finish.
#9: If you ever have someone ask you to change something, DON'T take it personally. CHANGE IT. It's not your site. You can offer advice and opinions and insight.... but in the end, if they want a change.... you fucking change it, and you do it at no charge.
#10: Be flexible. If your client wants you to work with a programmer, or a scripter, or whoever..... do it. They want you to do something above and beyond what you thought.... do it. If there is ever a fucking problem, refund them without complaint. Be professional. If you operate like scum, or treat your clients as scum.... your career in the biz will be short lived. Proven time and again.
Afternotes: This was typed up assuming you were a designer. If you're a program owner or an independant, then some parts won't apply.
