Fourth in a series from RP DESIGN Web Services about website basics and the nuts and bolts that make your website work for you.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT DESIGN?

If content is the heart and soul of a website, then design is the body it’s in. If it’s attractive and has a welcoming and persuasive personality, visitors will hang around, checking it out. They’ll tell all their friends, too.  Further, if that website’s easy to use . . . well, this could be the start of a beautiful, long-term relationship!

On the other hand, if a website is sloppy and unkempt, frustrating and difficult to deal with, we all know that connection’s not going anywhere. Potential friends and customers will be gone in about ten seconds, without a backward glance.

Design is THE KEY to that all-important first impression and the ultimate experience a visitor has. With websites increasingly being the first points of contact between visitors and organizations or businesses, they carry a heavy responsibility to look attractive and function well. This is the web designer’s arena. Working with their clients’ content images and information, as well as their objectives, designers put all the myriad pieces together?graphic design, branding, information design, animations and videos?and make them work well. Coders and other specialty professionals may also be involved; but the designer is responsible for the finished website and how the visitor experiences it.

There are a zillion cheap website packages on the market, plenty of free templates available, but given the complexity of most professional and commercial websites and the way people access them today from multiple devices, cheaper at the outset may lead to chaos and more expense down the road.

Delight or disappointment? The difference is in the design. That’s the big deal!

 Next: Images—The Other Content!