Website & Graphic Design
Page Contents Reference
• Flexible Process
• Look and Feel
• Development Technology
• Template, Style Sheet (CSS) and Graphics
• Site Content
• Self Updatable Modules
• Audio Composition
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Quick Start Info
At Computer Image we know that having an up-to-date site is just as
important as having a site at all, so we can offer web design services to keep your website
looking fresh.
A site with a fresh look and up-to-date information is more likely to be
visited, and visited often. A sharp and professional look is just as important
as the content that is placed on a website. Nowadays, many customers will
visit a website before contacting the company, so first impressions count.
Mat Way, our Graphic Designer
can assist you in creating that professional image on your website and on
other business stationery. Mat can also organise the printing of your
stationery at competitive prices. Full colour business cards are the most
popular choices for printing, as companies recognise that this is most often
the first time you present your image to a new client.
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Computer Image has been developing websites for customers for several
years. As websites are generally to do with a customer or company’s
presentation to the outside world, it is critically important that it be
done exactly the way you want it done.
Unfortunately, knowing exactly what you want in advance of seeing
anything can be very difficult. So, we will build suggestions or samples of
the site and make alterations as negotiated with you.
We prefer to build the sample page using an iterative design approach.
Progressively, but rapidly, we’ll get the design to exactly match what you
expect of the site before building the rest of the site. As we proceed you
will get to know the capabilities and limitations of website technology and
we’ll help you find the best way to present your image on the Internet.
 Computer
Image applies a unique look and feel approach to website design. This
includes:
- Unique design: Each customer website is a reflection of the
customer, not of the capabilities of Computer Image. As such, each
website we produce uses new and different concepts to layout the pages.
We don’t just use a template from another site, and we aren’t limited by
“templates” built into the development products we use.
- Fixed Width or Resizable Pages: We prefer to create fully
resizable website pages, compared to fixed-width sites. While typically
easier to create fixed width sites it doesn’t take long for screen
technology to “overtake” how the site was original constructed resulting
in a page that uses 75% or often less than the available screen space.
While other companies claim that it will upset the consistency of the
site, we can always find a nice balance.
- Usability and Fitness for task: Many web companies focus on
the look only. At Computer Image we combine our experience in web design
with our Windows application development skills to make websites that
are both attractive and easy to use.
- Site Navigation: When a visitor comes to your site they don’t
want to have to “guess” what to do to review the site. We’ll always make
sure that common user interface guidelines are followed – in most cases
1 or 2 mouse clicks are all that is required to reach every page in the
site.
- Pop Ups: Pop Ups are additional windows of content related to
a site. Pop Ups generally distract the user from what they were really
looking for – at Computer Image we’ll bias away from the use of Pop Ups
as much as possible. All aspects of your site should work equally as
well within the one browser window (just like users expect).
- Making the most of Graphics: Your corporate identity must be
consistent when viewed as a website, on a business card, in a document
template or for large format signage. We will provide guidance and take
measures, where necessary, to ensure that the graphics will work in all
mediums required.
- Keeping it Simple: Visitors to your website shouldn’t have to
jump through hoops or keep closing Pop Ups to use your website – it’s
not rocket science. We’ll design every page with the idea that it’s
clean, easy to use and obvious what to do (who else hates filling in a
“more information page” only to be told after you click Submit that a
field was required).
 We use the latest development technologies for the construction of all
aspects of your site. This includes development tools and components that
make such things as navigation menus easy to put together.
It’s all about using the quickest, most reliably and cost effective
technology to create a stable and modifiable website.
Tools of note are:
- Visual Studio.NET 2003 for development of Dynamic Content (in a
common and well known programming language of Visual Basic.NET)
- FrontPage 2003 for development and layout of the Static Content
- Infragistics NetAdvantage Suite for addition of rich
user interface elements requiring minimal additional code, with maximum
compatibility
- (where necessary) Microsoft SQL Server for database back-end
operations
As you will note these are mostly Microsoft products which guarantee the
most compatibility between development products, and the most extensive
support tools and knowledgebase articles. In the end, over 90% of the
population browse to websites using Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Use of this technology means that your site will need to be hosted on a
Windows Server (prefer 2003) and cannot be used on Linux based servers, such
as Apache.
In real-world terms this means that the development of the site is
quicker and therefore costs you less.
These items form the look and feel of your website. Colour, layout and
graphic theme will all combine to determine how your website is displayed
and how quickly your website will be viewable on various connection speeds.
A set of template pages will be created for two reasons:
- It will give you a set of pages to review for structure, layout and
colour to approve prior to completing the remaining content. These pages
will be steadily refined to ensure your site has a consistent look.
- These templates will link to a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). A CSS
provides formatting information for any text, tables, headings, lists
that you place on a page. By creating an intelligent and flexible CSS,
changes can be made to the content of your pages and the text and
graphics will look the same as the rest of the site – the CSS takes care
of that automatically!
Graphics for your site is one area that will require a graphic designer’s
assistance when changing your site. Graphics must be created to specifically
match the resolution, colour and position on the page to ensure a
professional look.
This process is typically iterative in nature until we find a look that
satisfies the requirement for the desired look. At the end of this process
you have a template for the rest of the site and 1 page of content that can
be used to preview the look and feel. We will also know exactly which static
and dynamic content is required.
While the layout of your site will be handled by the templates mentioned
above, there is still the task of adding and updating content. The preferred
method for supplying this content is in a text file or Word document to
allow us to cut and paste the information into the web pages.
Also be sure
to clearly label the sections of content with the area of the website they
are to exist, this helps reduce the time it take to get your website live.
The self updatable modules (or sometimes referred to as Content
Management Systems, CMS) that Computer Image build are targeted towards
simplified usage (if you want full graphical control you can always use
Microsoft FrontPage!). This means the task of updating your website
information can be easily delegated to another staff member with minimal
training.
Modules have a commonality that makes their use in any area of the
website consistent. These commonalities include the following:
- Storing information efficiently
- Creating / Editing the information in a consistent way
- Displaying information live to the site
Your only focus with these modules lies in the last two points, creating
/ editing the information and then proofing the information for correctness.
These modules are created for specific needs and quoted in detail when
specific guidelines are given.
With some direction on style of music, Computer Image can also provide
you with original compositions if required. If you need music backing for
your website or even ‘on hold’ music for your phone system we can produce a
musical composition which reflects and promotes your business’ image.
Another advantage to having music created for you is you will have no
copyright or public performance issues as full ownership of the material can
be purchased or licensed.
These compositions will be quoted depending on their style and duration.
Various arrangements can be made for licensing or full ownership of the
music. This provides the ability to have the music appear in many forms
without additional APRA fees (on hold music, accompany a website slide show,
presentations, etc)
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