-- what captivates and engages a corporate executive could just as easily put a young computer programmer to sleep.

Too often, textured backgrounds are ugly and almost always they make the text difficult to read.

CTI's experienced designers can help you create the right look for your site.

The point of design is to communicate.

And good design communicates effectively. So before

doing anything, you must know who your audience is

-- what captivates and engages a corporate executive

could just as easily put a young computer programmer

to sleep.

It should never be boring.

But no matter who your audience is, good

design should never be boring. The style, theme and

mood of the design elements should reflect the tastes

of the target audience. Your goal is to get a reaction

-- usually positive, but not necessarily. In some cases,

you may actually want to provoke the audience, to elicit

strong feelings, or make them feel strange or disturbed.

Jarring design elements, unpredictable layouts, and

deliberately haphazard typography can -- when done right

-- communicate just as effectively as clean typefaces, a

consistent format, and simple navigation.

It should reflect your image.

Most importantly, the design of your web site should

reinforce the message you want to convey, the attitude

you want to reflect, and the image you want to depict.

It should be attractive.

In terms of designing for the Web, there are a few points

to keep in mind. Graphics, for instance, can make or break

a site. Without them, a site is dull and uninteresting.

But if the graphics are too big, they can take too long

to download. Or they may simply be irrelevant, adding no

value to the site. Graphics must project and reflect your

image. They must be appealing and attractive. One of the

most important graphics in a web site is often the

navigation bar. This makes it easy for your visitors to

surf, letting them know where they are at all times,

and allowing them to go wherever they want without

having to return to the home page to see the site index.

Things to avoid.

Textured backgrounds, blinking text and other distracting

elements are popular among novices, but should generally

be avoided. Too often, textured backgrounds are ugly and

almost always they make the text difficult to read. Unless

you have a very good reason, stick to white or black

backgrounds. As for blinking text, we can't think of any

reason ever to use it. And be careful when you use bold

text. Save it for headers. Bold text is meant to capture

the viewer's attention. Too much of it defeats the purpose.

...your web site should reinforce the message you want to convey, the attitude you want to reflect, and the image you want to depict.

As for blinking
text, we can't think of any reason ever to use it.