Modernizer. Helps to keep us sane.

Modernizer, a great tool to help out with browsers that aren't quite up to snuff possibly due to age, or just lack of software ability. If your browser can run javascript, modernizer will run and help to show all the goodness that the site designer put into his CSS. It does this by checking the browser info and then going and getting the correct parts that may be browser dependent. Similar to the -moz-whatever that would have to be put into every css file if you wanted some feature in mozilla to work. It does the work for you.

Google Webmaster Tools

I was looking at what the Google Webmaster Tools can do for me and I was quite surprised at what I found. There is so much more that it can help me with getting my website indexed and visible to the web around me. It appears that it will ease setting up SEO for my websites and also notify me if I have errors that will lower my rankings or remove me from search engine visibility altogether. 

I believe that by taking advantage of these free services I will lower implementation time and help me to spend more on the design aspect of my websites. Unlike the in the movie "Field of Dreams" even if you build it, if no one knows it's there, they wont come.

Good vs Bad Website Designs

Site A

Site B

I give you two different websites.

They both have good points about them. Their information is in an easy to read layout. 

However site A has a better flow and a defined color scheme and easy to access all parts of the page. 

Site B on the other hand is not as easily navigated. It's links are all over the place. It does not have a set color scheme and it lacks alignment in it's elements. As an added bonus it uses animated gifs for "cuteness". This site could really use an overhaul any day now.

A little background on myself.

I am a student attending the College of Southern Idaho. I am pursuing degrees in Digital Media and Electrical Engineering. A little odd I know. Most electrical engineers would not classify themselves as artsy but I do have an ability and love for digital art.

With my digital media degree I am exposed to, and have become accustomed to thinking outside of my comfortable surroundings. I am experiencing many new and often, at times, difficult choices with design. On that note web design to me is a mixture of coding and designing, laying out a page on screen and then making it shine and work as I expect it to.

Out on the web there are designers and then there are coders. I do know what looks good to me may not look so swell to another person and vis-a-vis with what others think looks good as a website. I'm not knocking someone else's design. So come on! You have to be able to read what is on your screen. Isn't that why we make web pages? Web design is one of the most important aspects in usability, aesthetic display, and functionality of your information and why someone else is drawn to your website.

You can have a beautiful website designed for you, but if it has very poor thought in how people expect it to work. It's purpose is going to be fluff with no substance. People will not give it a second chance and move on to a website that is easier to navigate. Roll over menus are a great big nuisance. They work great one level deep, but if you you have to drill down through several levels what is the point of it? Simplify access to your information that you are trying to share. Remember, you are trying to get your information seen, heard, or felt, depending on your audience. Make it easy for them to access it.