I've Decided To Get A Website...Now What?

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Now that you have some idea of the direction you want to take with your website, you can start getting into making decisions on the design itself.

1. Color Scheme and Logos.

You may already have a company logo and/or graphics designed. It would be prudent to get a quality copy of these things for your webmaster to work from...that is of course you are still happy with that design. It's very slick to have paperwork and website matching. If this is not the case, color scheme and logo design are needed at this point.

2. Page Basic Layout

Your webmaster will discuss with you the option for layouts. You may choose between a portal, left menu or top menu basic design, or work together to come up with your own layout. *I am working on an example page of the 3 main layouts that TB Designs uses*

3. Sketches

Your webmaster may want to show you a couple of options sketched out on paper. This format will greatly reduce labor time and greatly increase the probability that you will get a product you feel good about.

4. Details

One more step before your webmaster actually begins creating graphics and code. Discuss with him details about the font characteristics, specific images to use and other requests or requirements you may have. At this point, it would be very helpful for you to be able to point out examples on the web. There is nothing wrong with pointing out a font style or particular drop-down menu type that you would want to incorporate into your site.

Remember: The more planning you do up front, the less headaches in the end.