Phoenix Web Design, Arizona Web Design, Phoenix Web Site Design

Phoenix Web Design

Once a person arrives at your home page, their first impression determines whether they will stay to see what you have to offer.

With the research completed and the strategy and design agreed to (see Information Architecture), the actual development of your website begins, starting with the graphic design phase.

Web design and the integrity of your brand

The focus of the graphic designers during this phase is on the aesthetic qualities of the site, which means choosing the right colors and graphics to meet the expectations of the target audience and maintain the integrity of your brand (learn about our logo design service). This balancing act can seem like more of a science than an art, and our graphic designers know why...

... The Thirty-Second Rule for web design

We know that every website — maybe with the exception of some informational sites, blogs, and the occasional fad site — lives and dies by the Thirty-Second Rule. The rule says once a person arrives at your home page, their first impression determines whether (or how long) they will stay to see what you really have to offer.

Tragically, in too many cases, the appearance of an otherwise useful and informative website is the leading cause of low page loads and zero repeat visits. You can imagine a website visitor fleeing the scene of relentlessly scrolling tickers, distracting backgrounds that make reading the text impossible, clip art characters dancing up and down the page, and the loathed word trails that stalk your mouse cursor.

On the web, these distractions are all it takes to drive your prospects to a competitor's website — and you might be surprised to know just how many competitors you are up against online.

So what factors affect the visitor's first impression?

Every aesthetic choice imaginable, but generally colors, photos, font types, and flash animation. Even structural elements such as the layout of the page, the sight of frames and unnecessary scroll bars, or the occasional "broken website" that was never checked on more than one web browser.

The point is most websites are undone by unprofessional graphic design work. Because the choices made by designers have serious implications for the success of your website, our graphic designers are considerate when using color, imagery, multimedia (embedded video and audio players) and fonts. Nothing is left to chance.

The Importance of using web patterns in web design

Finally, when designing your website, our graphic designers refer to web patterns, established solutions that allow a person to use your website fluently without thinking about it. Examples of these patterns include:

Underlined text links (especially useful for colorblind viewers)
Buttons that look like buttons
Contact forms that look like forms
Graphic icons that are universally understood

"Don't overdo it" and "simple is always better" are our graphic designers' favorite sayings. Your website's visitors will appreciate that sentiment and in turn you will gain their trust, business, and loyalty.

What's involved in the web design process?

Our graphic designers will upload their proposed designs to our secure test server. We will schedule a time to present them to you in-person, via conferencing software, or over the phone and give you a username and password so you can view the designs at any time.

When you are satisfied with your new design, it is made web-ready in XHTML and CSS and then moves to the web programming phase in the development of your website.