I found a great webmaster message board a few days ago: Web Pro World. While I was there I reviewed a site that dealt with a rather ponderous banking subject. The site looked like it had been done by an amateur, and I made some recommendations of things I’d change to make it look more professionally done.
The first thing that hit me about the site was the font used. The site owner used Times New Roman 12pt., highlighting some key points in red and blue. The site’s colors: red, white, and blue, were probably meant to be patriotic and the only graphic on the page was a small American flag in the upper left corner. Though some of the blue in the header and left-side column was lightened, and the main section was white with mostly-black lettering, the site continued to give the feeling of darkness.
My first recommendation was to make the site look more professional by using a nice sans-serif font made for the web, like Verdana, 10pt..
I also recommended brightening the place up a bit. Here’s what I wrote…
“For a graphic in the header, I think the flag in the corner is too small. Your site would look nicer with a large banner that extends across the page with the site name on it. To make one you could download the Paint Shop Pro program at http://www.jasc.com and use it for free for a few weeks on a trial basis. Make yourself a drop-dead gorgeous name banner and your site will look 100% better.
Put some graphics on the page that make people feel cheerful and happy - like a field of yellow tulips. Lighten up your colors. I recommend that because you’re dealing with a very deep subject and a few cheerful or interesting graphics may have a subconscious way of helping people deal with the idea of CD rates in a better state of mind.
For an example, check out this bank website with the cute photo of bears in the middle of it: http://www.bankofthewest.com - notice the light colors and the cute house and world icons further down on the page.”
Catering to your potential customer’s subconscious feelings by putting him in a good mood is always good for business.
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Webdesign Tip of the Day is a new daily feature written by Linda Martin. If you have suggestions for future articles, or questions about webdesign, you can ask here. I look forward to reading all comments.
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Other articles in this series:
Webdesign Tip of the Day: Use A Template
Webdesign Tip of the Day: Choose Colors Wisely
Webdesign Tip of the Day: Plan Your Site
Webdesign Tip of the Day: W3 Schools
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Comments: 14
Cynthia, I agree, graphics can be overdone as well as underdone.