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Tips For 2007 On How to Web 2.0 Your Website's Design

BY: Abel Quitoriano
Words: 459

1. Fresh, Crisp and Clean Layout

Think Zen. It’s tranquil. It’s balanced. It’s refreshing. Websites employing web 2.0 design is a breath of fresh air to the clutter-styled content of most websites for many years.

Don’t overwhelm your visitors by presenting content in an un-suave way. How many times have we been discouraged to read a website that has too much going on, all at the same time?

Instead, draw visitor’s attention by presenting one meaningful content at a time. It pays to show courtesy. It’s delightful to visitors when you just breeze them through what you want to say rather than shoving everything down their throats.

2. Bright and Cheery Colors

If you haven’t noticed, a cheerful aura has somehow been ushered into the Internet. Web 2.0 sites like Flickr, Odeo, Flock and others have the habit of using bright colors.

Aside from inspiring a playful and happy mood to visitors, use them to draw attention to important elements of the page. Colors also create solid sections to organize content into header, main content, navigation, footer and other parts.

3. Rounded Shapes

The stiff and formal, edgy and techie corporate look is out. In contrast, un-boxed shapes create an atmosphere of friendliness and being-yourself. In addition, the design tends to look creative and youthful.

4. Vectorize and Take Down the Stock Photos

Almost all websites that has a product to offer uses photos of wide-grinning people in corporate jumpsuits. You’ll find fewer and fewer of these photos in Web 2.0 sites nowadays. Some still use stock photos but they are mostly exhilarating views of nature.

Instead use smart vector shapes for icons, logos and web elements as imagery to your site.

5. Readable Text

Gone are the days of the smaller your text, the higher the techno-rating your website would have. Start using large text now. It’s like speaking clearly compared to mumbling your words.

The proper use of typeface size while bolding important parts like headings is like taking your visitors by the hand to guide them on how to read your content. It creates good impression when you make visitors feel that you designed your website for them.

6. Simple and Obvious Navigation

Navigating through your website should be as simple and obvious to a 5 year old. It should clearly show where they are now and where else can they go. Once again use color and text size to emphasize links in your site. Provide clear instructions as well on how to use features and options.

7. Polished

Interfaces of Web 2.0 sites are simply cool. The aesthetic feels just right. Through proper use of gradients, reflection and 3D render you can create web elements that are almost real to the touch and invites visitors to just click.