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Web Design Tips
 | Background
Images: Use
background images with caution. Light watermarks usually work fine, but
dark, busy graphics can impair the readability of the page. Solid, muted colours are usually best to use.
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| Fonts:
Stick with common fonts such as Arial and Times New Roman. Although there
are many fonts to choose from, if the user does not have a font you choose
on their computer, a default font will be used.
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| Long
Pages: Divide
the information into different pages. A long and endless scrolling page is
difficult to read.
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| Sound:
Refrain from using sound, particularly embedded sound files, if possible. If
a sound file must be included, make it a link on the page so the visitor to
your page can turn it on and off. Many people surf the web with their
computer speakers turned off so embedding a sound file that automatically
downloads will unnecessarily increase the download time of the page.
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| Hyperlinks:
Always use descriptive words for link text instead of the simple "Click
Here!" For example:
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Incorrect - This site includes tutorials for using programs
in the Microsoft Office suite. To view the Microsoft Office 2000 tutorials, click
here.
Correct - To learn more about using the programs of the Microsoft
Office suite, visit the Microsoft
Office 2000 tutorial homepage.
| Page
Size: While
most Internet users use a screen resolution of 800X600 or higher, there are
still users with monitors set to 640X480. Design your web pages so all
material is viewable on this small resolution. Therefore, do not create
graphics or tables wider than 620 pixels.
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Testing
Since different browsers (mainly
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator) read webpage differently,
preview your pages in both browsers to make sure the page looks the way you want
it. FrontPage provides an easy way to accomplish this.
| Select File|Preview in Browser from the
menu bar.
![[Preview in Browser window]](images/design26.gif)
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| The list of browsers installed on your computer
will be listed. Highlight the browser name and click Preview for each
browser.
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