Web Graphic Design for Small Businesses

An anonymous reader writes "I'm a competent geek running a one-man-show for a small business. I do everything IT in this company; servers, email, desktop support, managing Ethernet switches, cash registers, inventory database, and the company website. My boss has asked me to 'punch up' the website to make it more appealing. Although I can hold my own with HTML, PHP and a couple SQL products, graphic design isn't one of my strengths. I'm looking for some advice on how to improve the site without making it overstimulating for the webophobic. It's also important that it conform to ADA accessibility guidelines. In particular, I'm looking for books or tutorial websites that teach the basics of good graphic design — how to make it more appealing without losing the ability to communicate effectively. Also, I would appreciate suggestions for tools to use to make this more efficient (Windows and Linux are both OK)."

Comments

Get someone else

[diskis]

I'm a good geek of all arts. But when I try to dabble in graphical design, I always fail spectacularly.
Get someone with actual talent to do it.

Do really you think you can train a graphical designer to code with a few book and tutorials, and not get out results fitting for thedailywtf?

Re:Get someone else

[Lord Apathy]

This is my advice too. I'm good when it comes to technical shit. I can build a computer in my sleep from the parts I have in the box that my feet is propped on. I've coded in just about everything that compiles.

Now you need something on the back end of a webpage and I can do it, no problem. But I find some many geeks like myself have no talent in graphics arts. And that is what you need. A business webpage needs to run good and you sound like you have that covered. But it also needs to look good and be functional.

Hire someone that knows what they are doing.

Re:Get someone else

[Anonymous Coward]

Tell him to fuck off. Programming/sysadmin requrires a totally different mindset than graphic design. There are very few people who can do both. Most people who can run servers can design for shit and most people who can design can't program/sysadmin for shit.

Re:Get someone else

[ChadAmberg]

Definitely farm it out. Bad graphics will kill a site, and good enough graphics no longer are good enough. Find a skilled professional. And I say this as someone who is absolutely horrible with graphics.
Since the guy is the one IT guy for a small business, I'm pretty sure the website doesn't have hundreds of pages, so it's not like this should be such a huge job and cost thousands.

Re:Get someone else

[piojo]

Personally, I think it's nicer to search for a nice CSS/site template. I found one that I really liked for my home page. They are very easy to adapt, and you know what you are doing is legal. (I looked for ones that didn't require me to write anything really tacky at the bottom of the page. "design by [author]" is fine, "design by Free CSS Templates" is not.)

Re:Get someone else

[roadsider]

As a professional web site designer, NO. I don't. Naturally, any creative person worth their salt has their influences and inspirations, but to cut and paste someone else's design and merely change the colors and fonts is outright theft. You want good graphic design? Hire someone with real credentials. There are plenty of young, hungry, fresh-out-of-school designers that'll work for cheap and give you good work. Advertise on Craig's List. Don't think you need to hire someone? Think you can do it just as well? Good. Next time you need an appendectomy, just go to the library and borrow a medical text and try it yourself. I'm sure you'll do fine.

Re:Get someone else

[virgil_disgr4ce]

Honestly, I will never understand why people who identify as {geeks | techies | IT workers | etc} undervalue or often deliberately devalue creativity, as though it's useless, functionless, unimportant. It's true that it's hard and takes practice and work, but that's never stopped us before. If there is one thing I wish I could teach the world, it's that creativity is a good thing, and that it can be learned. But as long as so many people think of it as some kind of impregnable domain of "artists," instead of an ability open to anyone, I won't hold my breath.

:-/

--Tedb0t

Hire someone

[Lord Apathy]

I have a little bit of advice in this area from experience too. I was the IT department of a small company like that once. I was ask the samething. I can put together a home page but a business page is a whole different bowl of wax. You screw it up and you can lose customers.

My advice would be to scout some of the local talent first. You can find some really good artists and designers out of the local techschools. Most of them will work cheap, a good page might set you back 200 bucks.

Re:Hire someone

[holophrastic]

You guys aren't satisfactory geeks -- I think you've lost your geek roots. There's nothing IT-bound to geekdom. Instead, it's the simple notion of "screw it, I'll just figure it out myself". The entire computer geek world came about from having to learn something that no one else knows.

How can you advise someone capable of learning not to do so? No one's asking to become a professional marketting expert in ten days. The potser is asking to learn over a long period, and to start with something small.

That's certainly doable for someone clearly able to learn.

I seem to recal a book review on slashdot some year or six ago that proposed a web design book for programmers. It described basic colour and layout theory and such. I haven't the foggiest as to when or what, but certainly they do exist.

As a web developer myself -- I do handle both the programming and the design work. I shy away from the serious design work if only because it isn't worth my programming time, but the simple design work is easy and fun. Just sit there with the blank canvas and be patient. Many many iterations is the key. Just talk it out. Think about your design goals, break them down, try them out. It's really just pseudo-code and a paint-brush.

Re:Hire someone

[merreborn]

How can you advise someone capable of learning not to do so?

Because we suspect that it's at best difficult to teach yourself aesthetic sensibilities. As an above poster mentioned, geeks are prone to being "colorblind" and aesthetically clueless -- I know my wife cringes every time I wear a blue shirt with brown pants.

If you reverse the situation -- say he was a graphic designer, and the boss asked him to write a little code -- you'd see the same sort of response here. Both programming and the arts really take years to get a good base understanding developed. Neither are the sort of thing where you can pick up a book and start producing something decent. You produce crap for years before you get it figured out.

Re:Hire someone

[JeffSh]

You are daft. your post is advocating both positions.

1) do it all yourself
2) but i only am a web developer, i do both the programming AND design work... but you shy away from serious design work. (not only that, but what about the networking, servers, login scripts, domain/ldap management, database management etc? you probably shy away from that too)

The most important skill that I've found in people I work with is that they KNOW THEIR LIMITATIONS and have management that doesn't push them to know everything. For instance, I'd rather pay someone $125 an hour to do a job in 4 hours than waste my entire week on a project I know nothing about. It's irresponsible to the business to waste talents chasing stuff in this manner.

This post is not insightful, it's contradictory. If this guy were a web developer and needed web developing help, your post would make sense, but he's not. He's a network admin doing graphic design. big mistake!

Get a professional to do it

[Nexum]

Look, just because you're familiar with HTML, and server technologies doesn't mean that you can extend yourself into graphic design. Ask yourself - would you let a typical graphic designer manage those Ethernet servers, etc. that you currently maintain on your network? No! It works both ways.

Decent graphic design - especially accessibility etc. that your boss wants is a studied art, it will cost you a lot less just to go to the professionals, even if doing it yourself seems like it might save money and time. It won't.

The art of winning battles is knowing which ones to participate in, and which ones to sit out.

Re:Get a professional to do it

[Pulzar]

Ask yourself - would you let a typical graphic designer manage those Ethernet servers, etc. that you currently maintain on your network? No! It works both ways.

That's not a valid argument. To take it to an extreme, you'd never let a chef do brain surgery on you, but you might let a brain surgeon cook you a meal with some help from a cookbook. Just because one profession has little chance of succeeding in another, the opposite does not have to be true.

If the design requirements are small, a capable geek can read some books, look at some design ideas, and probably come up with something worthwhile for a small business web site.

Pay someone else

[TubeSteak]

Contract out to a professional.
You've already got a lot on your plate.

Re:Pay someone else

[mgabrys_sf]

Geez I wish I had mod pts today. That's the biggest and most important argument. Philosophies aside (and I'm a designer and it's the early morning and I'm migrating files and reformatting a computer I'm selling at the moment and would normally be crankier than hell and could flame this to China) the most important consideration is TIME. Would it be worth it for him to put another item on the agenda which could be a timesink and still not come up to par - or could you save time (and a heap of money) using a professional?

The whole point of a service economy whether you're marketing, graphics or IT is getting a specialist who can knock your socks off and use their time to the fullest advantage. I'm getting bummed by the whole 'kitchen sink' fad because it's really not only lowering the bar - but it's really pandering to the jack of all trades master of none crowd. I know enough code so that my designs and templates will hook with the back end effectively and I can make revisions, but I put in big flashing neon when a recruiter or client comes calling because they see all the languages I have listed on my resume that it's not my passion, interest, or the best most effective use of their time to be mucking about with their systems or the back-end more than I should.

I came out of publishing, printing initally on the way to design & advertising - and it always was an advantage to be able to interface with the production directors and speak their language later on in my career and know that my stuff could get on and off the press with minimal fuss (not to mention having a better grasp of really cool things that could be added to the design). I never claimed to be a true dot-head who could read screen angles and see color through the seps exclusively (true side-story - the best color expert on one of the pre-press and high-end publishing campuses I worked with was actually color-blind. But GEEZ could he read film).

I always am quick to point out when a client is bogging themselves down timewise when they go outside of my usual skillset. Sure I could learn advance scripting for building new libraries to hook into - but is it really worth their time? And by worth I mean money.

Punch up

[kylben]

My boss has asked me to 'punch up' the website to make it more appealing.

Sounds like the project has already failed, then.

Seriously, start by asking questions, not offering answers. And I mean to him, not to slashdot. What is it the site is meant to communicate? What services does it provide? What values should it express? Why does he think it is not appealing now? Who is the audience? What are their values and expectations? Why are you worrying about this on Sunday?

People that do this are called graphic artists for a reason, and art is communication and it has a vocabulary. Start with what you want to communicate and how it can/should be communicated, then find colors, shapes, symbols and relationships that express that.

Get a professional if you can, he's the one that knows to ask those questions, and how to execute the answers he discovers.

Unify your online presence and Marketing programs.

[mikelieman]

Websites are MARKETING tools, and must be part of a unified Marketing Strategy.

You want a Marketing Pro, who can deliver the rain, handling the "Vision", while you can concentrate on the implementation.

Art Institute

[hotsauce]

Absolutely. Get someone from the local Art Institute of $yourCity to look at your current glossy brochures and do it. Grahpic design is as far from programming as grahpics are from the mechanics of the printing press.

And yeah, she'll probably be a she :) That's the bonus, you'll get to work with a creative, and see how the other half live (gender- and professionally-wise). Then actually follow through with what she designs for you, don't just cringe at the large grahpics and crazy layout.

Re:Art Institute

[dgagley]

Local Art institutes do not teach reality in graphics. Especially graphics that does not clog the band width. I have to re create designers work for print and online on a monthly basis. You can seek design help but you my need to alter it to work at a clean and understandable form. Try some small web design firm that is willing to help on side projects. You may also be able to share codding projects with them and make some side money as well.

Re:Art Institute

[spooje]

As I teach a web design class at the Cleveland Institute of Art, I know what you're saying is nonesense. There are plenty of "Institute of Art" schools who teach web design to n00bs based on good industry practice.

You just need to check out the class before hand and talk to the instructor. Part of the problem the institutes have is that the pay is low compaired to doing actual design for the same amount of hours. If you want a class that's about clean and usable design tell the school, they always take potential student feedback into consideration when creating new classes and filling teaching positions.

Agreed-hire an artist

[LinDVD]

I just got back from an Adobe Flash 3D (Papervision 3d) training approximately one week ago, and there were many designers who attended. There were also some coders, but all the larger companies hire full blown artists. For example, Starbucks currently has two artists who create the concepts, and then they have two Actionscript/PHP coders who translate the artists' vision, and they have a back end coder for database stuff and other heavy-logic items. If an artistic element is a requirement, you really should outsource/hire someone who actually has a true art background (with experience in visual design), because artists just think in very different ways than coders do, and most people can't bridge the gaps. Sure, you can make something that could be pretty good, but it will never have the actual "feel" of an art project.

One more thing-80% of the audience had MacBook pro's. Why? The majority of people felt that the workflow was more intuitive/refined than what Microsoft Windows has to offer.

Seriously don't...

[emilng]

Copying someone's site design is bad policy in general.
I think the many people who either give the advice to copy or copy another site themselves risk ending up on this site:
http://pirated-sites.com/

I graduated with a BFA and took my share of communication design courses.
I worked hard the past 7 years learning to be a competent developer so I've been on both sides of the boat.
It's just bad to have some douchebag steal the site design it actually took a design degree and years of experience to create.
Geek translation: It's like someone putting GPL code in closed source software.
You 're familiar with the geek outrage when that happens.
Well that's the same outrage that designers feel when you steal a site design.

Re:Seriously don't...

[Mr. Slippery]

Well that's the same outrage that designers feel when you steal a site design.

Excuse me? How in the world do you "steal" something as abstract as a site design?

It sounds sounds like Apple's ludicrous "look and feel" lawsuits.

"OMG! You thief! You used a three-column layout, a sans-serif font for headers, a menu across the top, and a gradient for a background! You stole my design!"

HTML is *NOT* Art

[RobotRunAmok]

I run into this misunderstanding all the time, on both sides (geek and suit).

There is nothing about being a "geek" or knowing HTML, CSS, or javascript that magically grants someone designer chops. It's like expecting the guy who sets type and runs the printing press to be a novelist or journalist, or expecting the chemist who mixes the paint to also be a canvas artist.

This misunderstanding was prevalent back when the web was "new" (circa '94-95), but it's inexcusable today. In any case, it's a lot easier to teach HTML and CSS to a legitimate designer, than design to an HTML jockey.

If the work of a real designer or design firm is simply not in the budget (which is crazy talk, because there are firms online that grind this stuff out now for chump change), than find some CSS book with a CD full of templates that grant license to modify. But please, for the sake of art, sanity, and all that's holy, keep IT out of web design!

Please note: Code is *not* poetry, and HTML is not code...

Re:A Contrarian View

[Bluesman]

Fair warning, though, if you start wearing those glasses you may suddenly find yourself remarking how that women's shoes don't go with her outfit. . .

Or how Steve Jobs is the hottest guy on the face of the earth, because he's a technical AND artistic genius. I mean, just LOOK at how well the Mac works and how beautiful it is!

Re:Get a web designer

[emilng]

I found this study that found that green text on a yellow background is the easiest to read:
http://hubel.sfasu.edu/research/AHNCUR.html

They only tested for dark colors on light background and not light colors on dark background so I wonder if it really is the case that green on black is the best or if other color combinations are actually better. I know this doesn't have anything to bear on the aesthetic appearance of a website, but I thought it was interesting. I mean look at Jacob Nielson's site and how ugly a supposed usability expert's site is.

In the auto industry...

[clintp]

I've run into this a few times and it's easy to explain:

In the auto industry there are mechanics, powertrain engineers, and those guys that design bodies and interiors. (No bias from me at all!) You wouldn't want the guy picking paint colors and fabrics for the interiors to design your exhaust manifold; by the same token you don't want the guy who does the casting flow calculations for the engine block figuring out what the front grill should look like. These are not only different professions, but different kinds of professions.

Keep your nose out of the design business, please. If you're a good programmer or admin guy, you don't know much about marketing and have lousy taste. Admitting it is the first step.

Templates - the only answer

[ItsIllak]

Don't even consider trying to design yourself - in addition to rules and standards, there is a 'leap' you have to make to get a good design. If you customise a website with content, templates are cheap as you can use a non-unique one and have a great look for very little money. My personal favourite is Template Monster - It's got great designs, the possibility to buy sites unique if teh customer wants it, and delivered in all sorts of formats (including HTML, layered PSD etc..)

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Creative is not a noun

[Anonymous Coward]

As a designer in the creative industry, I have no problem being called a 'creative'. In fact it's how we refer to ourselves and what separates us from the 'suits'. You're the first person I've ever heard of that had a problem with it.

Good web design is when you can look at a site and not notice the design at all. It's simply effective and cohesive and requires no extra thought or deduction on the part of the visitor.

Re:Unify your online presence and Marketing progra

[Nefarious Wheel]

I'd advise extra care if using this approach. Marketing people are not usability experts

Whups (ding) Thank you for playing.

Good marketing people are usability experts. Advertising people aren't. Best not to confuse the two.

The distinction is fairly simple; Advertising people try to sell things by annoying you, marketing people try to sell things that don't annoy you. The latter defines a niche, the former tries to cram you into it. Seriously. Advertising sells, marketing determines what will sell before the advertiser even sees it.

Other than that quibble, you're pretty much on target. Too much shiny on the site is lame, but good artwork is imperative. Remember this is the foyer of your company's premises to a lot of people, and people read "cheap" into a company really quickly on that first impression. I'd no more design the letterhead of a company than I'd let an un-ticketed outsider play with our DC's air conditioning.

Re:Unify your online presence and Marketing progra

[mdavids]

Websites are communication tools, not marketing tools. By all means make them look and feel nice (and consistent with your branding), but treat your users with respect. They chose to visit your site, so don't treat them like they're just passing through while waiting for "America's Biggest Celebrity Dancing Loser" to start. You don't need to grab their attention; you've got their attention. Now give them what they came for.