A guide to defining your site's audience, making it part
of your other marketing activities, and issuing a call to action.
By Nigel Gordijk
The following text is the introduction to my free guide to
laying the groundwork before you begin designing a Web site. Download the guide in PDF format (269 Kb) by right-clicking on the link and
choosing "Save target as" from the menu.
More often than not, when clients come to me they have a clear
idea that they need a Web site, but they aren’t so clear about
what they want it to achieve. Or, if they’ve defined their
objectives, they don’t know how to meet them. Sometimes, both
of these criteria are vague.
Many people think the role of graphic designers, whether working
in print or online, is simply to make their ideas or content look
attractive and engaging. This is true in part: why would anyone
bother to read their words of wisdom if they’re presented
in an ugly, amateurish fashion? Clients also tend to think that
what I do is a type of alchemy, turning base content into shiny
Web pages. Most are amazed, upon meeting me, to find that I speak
fluent English, not “geek” or “creative”.
Because I design and build Web sites, I’m not surprised to
come across this expectation. After all, design and build are two
of the key phases of any creative project. But a third, crucial
phase comes before all the alchemy. In fact, I would argue that
it is the most important phase of all, because without it the design
and build of a Web site is rendered empty and meaningless.
It’s the “definition” phase.
Define before you design The difference between good design and something that is
merely decorative is that the former serves a purpose. This might
be to impart information, make a sale, or entertain, for example.
Whatever its purpose, this needs to be defined clearly in order
for a design to be successful. In fact, it is impossible to measure
a Web site design’s success without a definition of its purpose.
And the purpose of “What you should know before designing
a Web site” is to help you create that elusive definition.
It covers three key areas:
Identifying your audience
Placing your site in context
Issuing a call to action
What this guide won’t provide is the secret of good Web design.
I studied for four years at art college for my BA (Hons) in graphic
design and I have over fifteen years’ industry experience
as a designer. Believe me, if I knew the secret, my life would have
been much easier.
