Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Web Design Basics ......................................................................................
In This Chapter
Mastering the secrets of the Web design gurus
Handling symmetry
Adding drop caps
Utilizing the rule of thirds (it’s easier than you think)
A
s Shania Twain recently observed, creative people are not necessarily
the best judges of their own work. In fact, a disconnect exists between
those who create and those who evaluate creative work.This chapter explores some “rules” about design that you might consider
applying to your own Web page efforts. Creative people abhor rules because
their job is to make something new, something that, in fact, does not follow
the existing rules. So if you’re as wonderfully inventive as Andy Warhol or
Michelangelo or Jane Austen, by all means ignore the following rules. But if
you’re one of those rare talents, what are you doing reading this book? You
should be at your writing desk or easel.The rest of us, not so full of genius, are happy to learn how to improve our
designs. And rules, even if we sometimes ignore them, can be useful. Try fol-
lowing the rule first. If it doesn’t work for you, go ahead and violate it.The idea of this chapter is to encourage your creativity: Just try new things,
move elements around, and otherwise give your ideas a try. When you feel
good about a page, take another dispassionate look at it from the perspective
of these rules. Perhaps you’ll decide to ignore a rule. After all, these are
merely guidelines, and some of the best designs doignore one or more of the
suggestions in this chapter. But, more likely than not, you might find that
taking a second look at your page design with these rules in mind improves
the look of your page. After all, they became rules because they generally
work pretty well.