Even old dogs can learn new tricks.
A lot of my clients don't know much about design or web site technology, and admit that they are a little intimidated or overwhelmed. That's ok. My hope is that you will walk away with an Amberline design and a little more knowledge about graphic design. In addition to answering your questions as we go, I have included helpful links and articles for you to peruse at your leisure. If a particular issue arises with your project, I may suggest some reading from this page. Have fun taking a peek into the design world!
Common questions
What is CSS?
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is a type of code which controls how HTML pages look. HTML primarily organizes the page's content, and CSS determines how the content will be presented. The CSS can be contained in a separate file from the HTML file, which allows the same CSS to be applied to several pages, making it simple to apply the same style to multiple pages across a web site. I style web sites with CSS, which is why, unlike many other web designers, I don't charge per page.
Interested in learning more? You can watch a video about the first steps of web design by CSS Tricks or visit CSS Basics.
What is a logo?
A lot of people have misconceptions about what makes a real logo. I suggest you read this article from CreativeBits for an explanation of what a logo is and is not. But here are the main points:
- A logo is NOT a photograph or clip art.
- A logo should NOT be in JPG or GIF format. It needs to be a vector image, which allows you to scale the photo to any size—large or small—without it becoming pixelated or blurred, as it would with a .jpg, .gif, .bmp, or similar format.
- A logo should NOT have a drop shadow, bevelling, or gradient effect applied. This is mainly for the sake of enlargement and printing. If you start with something simple, it will be able to adapt to the needs of each project you use it on.
- A logo should be simple. You need to be able to identify what it is right away.
- A logo is not an ad. It doesn't need to contain an image of what you sell, or tell the story of your business. It shouldn't contain your motto or any extraneous information.
It's also important that you realize what an investment a good logo is. Your logo will be on all of your business's materials and will last the life of your business. You want something that is original, created by someone who has taken the time to get to know your business and what you need and want.
If you'd like to see some good logos, check out LogoPond.com.
Can I use this image I found online?
If you find an image online that has a look or feel that you like, please show it to me. That helps me get a better idea of your taste. Unfortunately, however, it is illegal to reproduce and use images that you do not have permission or rights to use. Unless you have received use permission from the owner of the photo, we'll try looking for some similar stock photography available for purchase.
Can I have a hit counter?
Hit counters were popular back when the web was becoming more accessible and users began creating their own personal web sites through easy-to-use and free web page makers and hosting services. Hit counters were an easy and fun way to keep track of how many people were visiting a page. Today, however, hit counters look amateur and add clutter to a page. If you'd like to keep track of who is visiting your web site, there is a private, detailed way to do it. Google Analytics is free and not only keeps track of how many visitors each page receives, but how long they stay, what browser they are using, their screen resolution, and more. If you're a client of mine and you would like information like this about your web site, you can let me know and I will have a report e-mailed to you at a frequency you choose.
What is a splash page?
When the first page of your site has no (or limited) content and simply serves to direct visitors to the content-laden pages of your web site, that is called a "splash page." They can be as simple as an image and text, or as complex as a showy Flash animation. Unless a splash page is necessary to provide visitors with a choice (to view the page with Flash or HTML, in English or French, for this division or that, etc.) I discourage using them. They add extra necessary "clicks" for the visitor and don't accomplish anything that usually can't be accomplished in the main section of a web site.