Today everybody knows that a website is a must have for every serious business. But how to distinguish really quality web design and choose a professional web design company?

First of all, no matter if the web design company was recommended by friends or you’ve found it in the internet, look at the company’s site. Pay attention to the design of the company’s own website. As you know a site is always a face and this is especially true when talking about web design companies. So how the site looks is very important. The more serious the web design company is, the better its site looks. So, if the company is good its site must be quality and have good usability. A good sign is if you like the site design. As you know the taste is very personal notion, so if you like the company’s own site, you can be sure that you’ll like the site they’ll make for you.

Texts on the site should be readable and headlines not too bright, all the site should be balanced. All the information on the website should be easy to read and understand, because the quality web design always emphasizes the content.

The portfolio is probably the most important section on any web design company’s site. If there is no portfolio, you can be sure that the company either makes bad sites or has no experience at all. In any case it’s better to look for a web design studio with a portfolio. If you see the portfolio on the site, pay special attention to it. If a web design company has already had many clients and you like the sites it made, than you can order a web design without any doubts. Experienced web design studio usually has more than five clients and you can visit all the sites from the portfolio.

Pay attention to the prices. If there are fixed prices on the site you should think twice before making a call. The price of the work always depends on many factors. And only studios that work with templates have fixed prices. So if you want to have a quality and individual design, you should find a professional studio and not look for the cheapest design. Remember, that not quality and badly made site not only won’t bring clients, it will distract people form your company or brand and can harm you reputation. So, use only professional web design services for your site.

Another important advice is to choose a web design company in your region, especially if you have a local business. Firstly, in such case you always can visit a studio and talk to a designer in person if you need. And what is more important, after the site is made, you’ll surely need SEO for it to attract clients. And if you live, for instance in Miami and your local business need clients form the city; Miami Web Design Company will be the best solution for your needs. There are many peculiarities in Google local optimization, so if your business is in Miami it is always better to choose Miami Web Design and SEO Company to be sure in you site’s success.

Remember, today a website is a half of success for nearly every business, so if you don’t want to loose clients, order a professional web design and SEO today.

Web design 2011 is characterized not only by its beauty, but first of all by its perfect usability and functionality.
Here are top web design trends of the year:

1. More CSS3 and HTML5

Finally the new and progressive technologies CSS3 and HTML 5 became widely used in web design. They are top trends of year 2011 and will surely become web standards in the upcoming years. So if you are going to order a new website, make sure your web design company will make it up-to-date and fashionable. Flash web design is used rarely and mostly some flash elements are integrated in the HTML5 web design.

2. Simply color schemes

Simplicity is one more popular trend of this year. There is nothing more effective than a simple message on a simple background. Green, yellow, red and blue are the most sued colors this year, but it’s better to use no more than three colors in your website. That’s why the usage of shades becomes more important.

3. Mobile Ready

Smartphones, tablets and netbooks become more and more popular. With the growing number of mobile gadgets the requirements for web design become higher. Now web design of every site has to be crossplatform. Web design for mobile devices made a great step forward with the help of CSS3. One of the most important advantages that now professional web designer can create a site that will be displayed properly in any user’s gadget. It is extremely important today, because the sales of mobile gadget grow every day and the number of your potential clients that are using them becomes only bigger. So, to prepare yourself for this new trend, you need a crossplatform web design.

4. Touch Screen Web Design

Your web design should be optimized for the usage of touch screen, not mouse. Most of mobile gadgets, netbooks and notebook are using touch screens. Make sure that your web site is optimized for it.

5. Depth perception

3D movies became top fashion, and that’s why 3D effects are now used everywhere. With the help of 3D you can make some elements of the website seem closer than others. A clever usage of 3D effects can make your web site extremely attractive and popular.

6. Big Photo backgrounds

The number of big beautiful backgrounds grows in 2011. Big photo is always an easy way to attract the audience. But of course a background should be connected with your content, so that it doesn’t harm usability.

7. Previews.

Google presented a new possibility to look through the search results using previes. If your site is using only flash, there will be problems with preview – Google doesn’t show flash elements there.

Nowadays Internet grows very rapidly and thousands of new web sites appear every day. Of course new tendencies also appear in web design. In this article we will try to mention the most important web design 2011 tendencies.

1. Styled and non oversized graphics.

One of 2011 web design tendencies is styled logotypes and headers with big size but small weight. Their main aim is to impress the users. The produced effect is made even stronger because of a great number of web sites with minimalistic design. The main idea is that styled graphics makes users remember your web site.

2. Sketch web design.

Painted style is not a totally new tendency in 2011 web design, but we can see that sketch web design becomes more and more popular. Such web design is always unique and a designer needs talent to create such site. Of course not all such web sites are worth their own place in the museum of arts, but sketch web design makes your site more personal and original. There is a tendency that sketch web design will be used in future even more often.

3. Title and original fonts.

Title fonts are rather new in web design but they are already used for more than two hundred years in other mass media. Earlier designers were afraid to use different fonts, sizes and capital letters, because usability was the main criteria here. Nowadays browsers became better and a web site with two – three title fonts looks better and attracts more attention. The main idea is that in 2011 web design big fonts should reveal the most valuable content and effectively attract users’ attention.

4. One page design.

The main aim is to reveal the content. Most often these are personal sites – business cards and advertisements of some services and goods. In 2011 web design the navigation becomes easier to understand and to use. It is important because users can find all needed information. The idea is that such web sites will become easier and on the same time more personal.

5. Big images.

They create the same effect as styled graphics and also attract attention. But such images should have some meaning and carry information, only than their usage can be justified.

6. Intuitive / interactive web design.

In earlier days flash technologies often were annoying because of their big size. But nowadays flash can be used more often. Flash is used in for interactive web design, but its usage should be professional.

7. Modal windows.

This tendency in 2011 web design becomes extremely popular. Such windows look clear and neat, and are easy to use, which makes them an ideal decision for every web designer who makes accent on the usability.

8. Minimalism.

In 2011 web design minimalistic sites will save plenty of free space, but some colors and big fonts will appear even in minimalistic web design.

9. Magazine lay-out.

More and more users prefer to visit web sites instead of buying press. Web sites with magazine lay-out often appear nowadays, because they substitute real magazines. That’s why they try to look like them. Nowadays creating a magazine structure web site became a separate trend in web design. All magazine readers will like a familiar lay-out and a web site would be easier to read.

If you want your web site reach your goals, attract more and more clients and earn money, than you need good web design. You must be sure that your web site is developing successfully. In this article we will give you seven secrets of good web design:

1.     Don’t use welcome pages

Welcome pages are pages that you sometimes see when you try to view a web site. They are usually bright and have a big picture and an invitation to visit the site such as: “Welcome” or “Enter” on them. Avoid such pages. In reality they often annoy users and so you can loose some potential clients. The users should see the content of your web site from the first sight. Remember, welcome pages are never used in good web design.

2.     Don’t use annoying ads

Most of the users ignore such advertisements on web sites. Try to use quality materials with some advertisement inside instead of annoying banners. As a result users will click on the links more often. Only in professional good web design ads don’t annoy and are successful at the same time.

3.     Navigation must be easy and understandable

You must create such navigation that even a child could easily orientate on your web site. Avoid dropdown menus based on scripts or flash. If the users won’t immediately understand, how to orientate on your web site, they would leave. Remember, that an easy and convenient navigation is one of the first signs of good web design.

4.     A user should always understand in what part of your site he is now

Firstly, your navigation should be seen from each page of your web site. When the user makes a few clicks on your site, he should still understand in what part of your site he is now and how he can get to any other par he wants. This will make the search of information on your web site easier and a good web design is always convenient for users.

5. Text must be easy to read

Separate your text into small paragraphs. If there is a lot of text on the page, divide it into small blocks. Remember, good web design is always user-friendly.

6. Don’t use sounds on your site

If the user is going to stay on your web site to read some interesting material, don’t use sounds or music because it can annoy some users. If you still want to use sound effects, use them so that the viewers of your site could control the volume or turn them off.

7. Be sure your web site corresponds to modern web standards

While creating your web site you should pay attention that it must correspond to web standards and be correctly displayed in all main browsers. If your site looks great in Internet Explorer, but can’t be viewed or is displayed incorrectly in Firefox or Opera you will loose a lot of clients. Only professional good web design can make your web site high quality, effective and helpful for users.

Web standards have been developing for already ten years. No matter if Vista or Mac is installed on your computer, if you use iPhone or mobile phone, it should not play any role when it comes to the users’ perception. It is an important step in Internet developing.  It’s great of course, but you may think that it is more a technology problem than a financial one. But professional web designers and developers can assess the financial impact of the usage of web standards in creating web sites. This article will help the readers who are interested in making their business more profitable to understand the advantages of web standards usage.

-         Your investments, corresponding to tomorrow’s requirements.

Web is a universal platform that will be supported for a long time. In the nearest future new systems will use web as their fundaments. When you create your web site using set web standards, you use those parts of web that will most likely develop in future. You can be sure that your web site will be supported by most of the gadgets for a long time. Using web standards now, you provide defense for your investments and make sure that you will receive profit in future.

-         More effective management

Developing cross-browser web layout and effective organization of documents is a bane for web developers’ society. Following web standards will save time and make web designers’ task easier.

-         SEO optimization

One of the most convincing arguments for using web standards is that for SEO optimization of the site the usage of CSS and java scripts according to web standards is very important. The correct layout allows searching engines find headings and keywords in the text quicker.

-         Accessibility for all users

Whether you create web design for gadgets or for people with low vision the concept of accessibility is much easier to reach using web standards.

-         Universality

With time web sites have a tendency to grow. If your web site is created accordingly to web standards it will be much easier to update it. Even for modernization of such web site you won’t need much time. So using web standards you can avoid extra costs and disappointments in the process of your web site growth.

-         Better users’ characteristics

If you want your web site to be effective it must be convenient in use. Easy-to-understand navigation and files of smaller size that are results of web standards usage can make your site much more effective and successful.

On the whole, web standards usage today is one of the main signs of professional quality web design. So, if you want your web site to become a profitable long-time investment order professional web design that corresponds to modern web standards.

For a good web design it is very important to know what users are interested in and how they perceive your web site. In this article we will tell you about the most important moments and their practical usage in good web design.

1.     Text attracts more attention than graphics. On the contrary to the popular amateur’s point of view, users are not attracted by graphics. Most of them come to your web site for the information and not because of your design. That’s why try to make an accent on the text content. It is one of the most important parts of good web design.

2.     At first users look at the left upper corner of the page. Interfaces of most programs follow this rule. You should also take this moment into consideration for creating a good web design. If you want to create a really successful web site, you must remember that most of the users are used to this rule.

3.     Users ignore banners. Maybe you earn money by advertisements on your web site, but remember that most of the users ignore banners. If you want to earn money, you should experiment with the forms of ads.

4.     Unusual effects and original fonts are often ignored. Why? Because many of the users take them for advertisement. According to the researches it’s hard for users to find needed information in a bright text and they ignore it. If you want to have a good web design, try not to overuse unusual effects.

5.     Use numeration for your lists. Than it would be easier for readers to find useful information.

6.     Users are interested in headings. Make your headings interesting and attractive. Try to use keywords in your headings for better search results of your web site.

7.     Short paragraphs are easier perceived than long. In a good web design text is divided into short paragraphs that are easy for understanding.

8.     One column is better for attraction of the users’ attention. The easier is the navigation the better is your web design.

9.     Text advertisement is the most often viewed advertisement type. Users don’t pay attention to anything that reminds them of ads banners, that’s why text ads are more effective. In good web design they look like a part of content.

10.   Professional lay-out attracts attention. Use bold and italic types to hold users’ attention.

11.    The bigger are the images, the more attention they attract. But remember your images should correlate with your content.

12.    Clear seen faces attract attention. If you are going to use photos with people, their faces should be clearly seen. Remember that photos of common people attract more attention than photos of models.

13.     Users don’t like big blocks of text. The researchers state that most of the users avoid big blocks of text information. In good web design you should use numeration and symbols.

14.     Use white and blank parts on your web site. Try to leave some parts of your site visually blank. Web sites that are overfilled with information are often ignored. Try to use easy navigation and more open space, so that users’ eyes don’t get tired.

15.    A menu in the upper part of your site is the most effective. In ideal web design users should view as many pages of your web site as possible, that’s why it is so important to give an understandable and easily seen menu for navigation.

Nowadays web 2.0 design becomes more and more popular. It’s modern, up-to-date and always looks stylish. If you want to have a good quality website, that won’t look old fashion and will attract attention, than web 2.0 design is for you. In this article we will tell you about the most important elements in modern web design. We will also explain how to use them in creating your web site. There are some main ideas you should follow if you want to create a quality site in web 2.0 design. They are:

1. Simplicity. Use as many elements as you need to reach your aim, but not more. We don’t say that all web sites must be minimalistic, but if some problem has two decisions, the easier is always the better one. In the result of simple web design the user sees site’s content. Users don’t have to think, everything is easy and all your clients get what they need. Web 2.0 design is comfortable for users and good for site owners because the accents are lain on the most important information.

2. Centre alignment. Most modern web sites use centre alignment for the browser window. It is more comfortable for users, and web 2.0 design is first of all easy to understand.

3. Content. Content is the most important part of your web site. All graphics, bright colors and effects should be used to attract attention to your brand and most valuable information. The main aim of web 2.0 design is to emphasize your content, and not a designer.

4. Easy navigation. This is a global navigation on your web site that can be reach from any page. It must be both easy to notice and easy to use. Your navigation should be outline by color or form and navigation elements must be quite big and clear.

5. Big text. In web 2.0 design large types are often used. Firstly, text written in big type is easier to read. Secondly, big elements are easier to notice so you can attract attention to the most valuable information making use of a big or bold type.

6. Bright colors. Bright colors attract users’ attention that’s why they can be used for the most important elements of your web site. In web 2.0 design the color can also become a good tool to reveal brand’s peculiarities. But you should be careful using bright colors in your web design, because if you use too many colors they will on the contrary distract attention from the content and can become annoying for users.

7. 3d effects. Most sites made in web 2.0 design use light 3d effects because they make your design look more quality. Realistic effects, such as shadows and gradients help your interface to look more real, credible and finished. But don’t try to make the whole 3d design: it will make your site much bigger and the time of lading much longer. Remember, 3d effects make your web design more attractive only when they are used with taste.

For many companies it is hard to make decision for outsourcing web design. Some business entrepreneurs may have feeling that they are loosing control by outsourcing this important task, but this could be far away from the truth if you will take some research before hiring. As an employer looks for employees whose skills will supplement their own, so should employers look for outsourcing web designers in the same way, they have to use their skills to improve the employer’s business. If you now in search for a web developer/designer for a new website, which your company is going to launching, there are some moments that you should always bear in mind.

Many web developers do their work at hourly rates while some of them take money per particular job. Before hiring a designer, make certain that you know which rate you will pay him. In case you will be paying hourly rate, ask them (him) a calculation of the number of hours that the job will consume. Remember, difficulties appear and that will entail longer time for the job and could damage your budget, so it’s very good point to have approximate estimation of the price up-front you sign a deal. For economy reasons some owners prefer to cooperate with web designers who charge price per page. In this case making budget for the job is much easier. Read the rest of this entry »

Real Estate web design is a special area of web design that includes some very specific points. Whether your site is targeting to sell homes, flats, lands or any other types of such kind of goods, there are some common things you have to use while creating your website. Among big amount of Estate website design companies only a few may be boasting their layouts design and efficient working ability. Research showed and is still demonstrating that about 75% of the buyers now look for and buy property on internet, a web design studio’s task is to assist them to find that they demand, what they are possibly looking for and show them right direction. This looks like easy task first, however nothing is that easy when you get down to the guts of the project.

The first thing you have to avoid is the presence of frames, for very long this was the standard technique to divide up the website styles and its look. But today you don’t have to use them; every page should be recognized with its own URL. If so, it will then depict no difficulty for search engines to show your page in results and visitors will be able to bookmark it. Read the rest of this entry »

You have definitely heard such words like – All businesses need a website to be successful. Finally when you decide to develop your own website, you are facing with another problem – who to choose Web Design Studio or Freelance designer? There are many advantages and disadvantages that both of them possess. Let’s look them through.

1. What is Web Design Company? It is usually group of people, some bigger, some smaller with various knowledge needed for web design and development. As a company it has law documents for contracts, bank accounts and so the biggest advantage of work with a web design company is reliability. Web Design companies undertake great efforts to earn good reputation and invest a great amount of efforts in pleasing customers not to loose it. If you need to develop a big website with complex functions and lots of pages, a web design company may work with you over a long term period to guarantee that this website keeps being effective.

2. What is Freelancers? Freelancer is an individual with certain knowledge package and usually with narrow field of possible tasks to perform. There are many of them on the internet so the competition is hard and so one of the biggest advantages of hiring freelancers is price. Freelancer often works by himself over your project and, as usual, a billing process is simple and he or she often has hourly prices.

3. Responsibilities. As I’ve already wrote – web design studios are more responsible as they usually have fixed geographic position, office, and common for firms infrastructure. Because of it you have more law means to affect on your performer while freelancer usually has elusive nature and usually situated in other city or even country and can easily evade responsibility for not quality or exceeded terms. Even though freelancers often use contracts too, web design studios are more responsible. Read the rest of this entry »