Context is
whole picture of your site: What it's about, how you navigate through different pages, information about your business, and of course graphics. You are creating an environment for visitor through your choices for these aspects of a website. This environment you create determines message you are sending and how a visitor might experience and feel about your site. The type of business or site subject in part determines what context is best for you. Context is often least considered factor for new designers. Context is "glue" that builds your site into one significant message to impart to your visitors and how that message is understood.This glue holds together all aspects of your site: usability, download times, text, graphics, look and feel, interactivity, and other aspects. Some expamples of context are differences between a site for a bank and a site for computer games. A bank site is usually conservative with formal textual content and very businesslike graphics whereas a game site will be upbeat, usually a lot of neons and flashy bright colors and informal textual content. Getting idea? These sites work well within their contexts but never shall twain meet. Banks are serious business, game sites are all about fun. You want your bank to take you seriously don't you? Whereas you want to be entertained on a game site.
When planning your website, best place to start is with a text document or pen and paper if you are more comfortable with those instrument, and design it from top down. Designing from top down gives you opportunity to decide what message you want to impart to your readers for end result. After you have decided that, you can begin to fill in steps from overall picture to smallest detail of your site. This part of site building can take weeks of planning before first web page is ever made while other sites start out with an initial ideal and evolve from that ideal.
Items to consider when planning your website are: Font color and type Should be consistent and appropriate to site. one thing I hear a lot among designers about this issue is use of comic sans font this font is generally regarded as unprofessional and while it has appropriate uses such as in fun sites it's not a very good font overall. For most sites it's best to stick to something that is easily readable such as sans serif. Color is also a sticky point. I've seen sites that can use bright colors and it works and other sites where it fails abysmally. For instance, using a bright bright yellow text color on a black background.. it hurts eyes and is guaranteed to send your visitors away sooner than you might want them to leave.
Linking and navigation Links should be in same place on each page. Whether you use buttons, drop down menus, or text links they should be consistent and in same place throughout your site. Include links that your visitors can use, not just links you find interesting.
Logo Your logo is your brand or trademark for your company whether it is product or service oriented. Each page should have same logo.
Textual Content Site Title: The site title shows at top of browser bar when a visitor comes to your site. A site's title should not only contain full name of a site(if it differs from your domain name but also some descriptive information about your site. For instance, Designers Edge's title not only contains site name but also that is it a site about web design, free graphics, and 3d art. Should contain what you want readers to understand about your site. Headings and descriptions. Headings are your way of drawing attention to a particular section of textual content. They should be simple, complete, and consistent. They should give a good summary of textual content over which they preside.
