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This week we asked one of Worldprofit.coms senior designers,Cris Anderson, to comment on some of the key elements ofeffective design. Here is the interview in its entirety.Q: Why should a business hire a professional designer and marketer?A: A professional designer and marketer will be able to evaluateyour needs and give you a site that is effective. Here are a fewthings that we consider that an amateur will not.It is crucial that you have a complimentary layout to the contentof your site. There is no point in having a long extended fullscreen web page when you only have one image and a singleparagraph of copy.The appropriate images must be used and placement is a mainfactor. Using improper images can actually confuse visitorsand that is the last thing that we want to do.The file sizes must be minimized. If it takes too long foryour pages to load, then people will leave.Marketing is of the utmost importance. An effective marketerwill know how to keep people at your site and help you make sales.We look at sites and think they are properly designed, but whenthey are compared to ones that have been created by a professional,we realize that they have not considered all of the factors above.Dont take chances with your companys reputation. Get a professionaldesigner and marketer to work with you and create that effectivesite that you need.Q: What should businesses look for in hiring a web site designer?A: Look at their portfolio. When you see quality from a designer,then quality is what you will get. Often I see design companiesthat have portfolios that look like they just started last week.You do not have to like the colors or even the layout, but considerif the site is effective. If I complete a dog grooming site, thenlook at the site and ask yourself, "Is this site effective? Whatare the benefits for me? What do I get? Why should I stick around?"If you go to a site that you wouldnt even want to stay at, then why would you want that same designer to make a site for you?Q: Cris, tell me what you think is the biggest mistake people makein their web sites?A: I believe that people are overly concerned with inundating theirsite with dynamic elements. Let me explain. Dynamic means: "Of orrelating to energy or to objects in motion." Static means that nothingis moving. We often think dynamic is better that static. This is notalways the case. Yes, a flash presentation or banner is a vital elementto success of your site, but if it is designed improperly, then it isjust an eyesore. In the same regard, having a static site with no flashor javascripts or any type of motion can be so beautifully laid outand effectively marketed. We dont need scripts or animated gifs allover our sites to make them effective. People do indeed enjoy motion,so my suggestion is this: limit the energy on your site to focus onone thing. This thing should make you money or bring visitors back.Add flash to your site and loose the annoying animated gifs.Flash can market your site, whereas animated gifs are often adistraction.Q: What factors do you consider when it comes to use of color in a site?A: As a professional designer for many years, it is my job to know the--ins and outs-- of color. I do not choose color based on, "Red is pretty."In certain cultures, color can represent very negative connotations thenin other cultures. You must determine who the majority of your audienceis. Also, there are many color studies that play a part in choosing color.Did you know that when subjects were placed in different rooms paintedwith certain colors, that yellow made people visibly agitated withinminutes! Color is taken very seriously and chosen to compliment thetheme and product of a site. If I do a site for a hiking company,then I will undoubtedly use earth tones, whereas a cruise site willget "sunny and warm" colors. I think most of us can agree that graysare not a good choice for a cruise site!Q: What factors do you consider when it comes to use of fonts in a site?A: A font is defined as, "A complete set of type of one size and face."Font shapes and sizes can portray many different emotions. If you usea font that does not fit with the theme of your site, then it canappear disjointed. Just think...what font would you pick for a sitecalled, "Giraffes-R-us?" A font can compliment graphics and copy ordirect the eye. If you want one thing to stand out, then you canimply change the font. Imagine the entire page was in a certain fontand then the title was in another. It would draw your eye to it as itis isolated and different from the other fonts.Q: What in your opinion makes the difference for a site design thatis effective vs. not effective.A: Do I want to stay? I can look back at sites I have completed yearsago and say that was a great design! Sure...Ive learned more effects,more gold and silver textures and all that fun stuff that everybody loves,but when I look back at some of my old designs, I think wow. Its clean,its solid, and I want to stay! I look at some sites that are cheap andI think "Wow, Somebody learned how to use Kais power tools or Eye Candy!"You see, your parents and friends and co-workers may think that havingeverything beveled on your site is cool, but it just ends up looking cheap.We often confuse great graphics and effects with effective design. A sitecan have the most wonderful graphics youve ever seen, but that does notmean that it is an effective design. Marketing, graphics, fonts, andcolors must all work in co-relation with each other to produce a sitethat effectively gets you sales and visitors.Q: Once the design is done what is the critical factor that onlinebusinesses must consider and plan for.A: Realize that it takes hard work to make money online. We have veryactive site owners making sales daily, whereas some do not make any salesat all. Some people realize that they have to put an effort into e-commerceand then yes, there is a huge payoff! Online marketing and e-commerce doeswork! Understand though, that people are not going to visit your site andbuy without any interaction from you. You must use all the tools and knowinside and out the product that you are selling.A system for success is critical. Most businesses new to the web tryto reinvent the wheel. You dont have to do this! Over six years agoat Worldprofit we developed dozens of sure-fire waysto build a business online. How do we know what works? We onlyrecommend to you, the software, tools and resources we use ourselvesevery single day to build our own business. Ready to get started?Want the insider secrets before you make costly mistakes?Email, mailto:customerservice@worldprofit.com

About the Author

Cris Anderson, PhotoShop Guru, is a memberof the Worldprofit Design Team.Let our expert design marketers work for you!Contact mailto:customerservice@worldprofit.com