1. We recommend clients follow certain steps in the website design process in order to produce the most effective solution. In turn this will allow people like us to help our clients in a manner that is most efficient and economical. Our goal is to make things run smoother on both sides (client and design team). Through experience we have learned skipping steps in the effort to make the process and product economically cheaper, the final product will end up appearing cheaper because it has not been fully realized through the necessary procedures and steps may have to be revisited later on in the production in order to correct a problem, which ultimately will lengthen the timeline.
   
   The most important steps in the design process are doing research and establishing a solid Project Brief, deciding on the content that will be included on the website; this will then inform the setup of wire frames and the creativity for the Photoshop layouts. Once these materials are complete the building of the website (the writing of the HTML, the coding of the Flash elements, etc.) can begin.
   
   We cannot stress enough that ‘wire frames’ are a very important element in the design process as they help both the designer and the client understand and decide on the underlying structure and required elements of the site, as well as the user interaction and flow through the site. The basics need to come first before adding the “pretty” elements such as colour and imagery. Wire frames should be produced for the home page of the website and any other pages that have unique elements that depart from the basic structure. Once there is a firm understanding of the scope and structure of the site Photoshop layouts are created based on the wire frames. Photoshop layouts allow the designer to play with colour, texture, typography, photography, illustration and other graphic elements that communicate the tone and message of the site. Photoshop layouts act as a visual representation of the wire frames and are often created using placeholder images and copy.



2. Good communication between client and design team throughout the process of designing a website is essential to producing an effective site on a tight budget. It is helpful to get direction and feedback early on in the process. Changes to the main elements and the structure of the site should occur no later than the wire frame stage if possible, especially when creating a large site. Clarity at the wire frame stage will allow the designer to feel comfortable and therefore more effective in creating Photoshop layouts. Placeholders are first used in Photoshop layouts to help clients get the look and feel without spending a lot of money. Approved Photoshop layouts with final page elements, such as photographs, will then allow for efficient website building.



3. The visual elements included in a website, such as typography, photographs and illustrations, as well as the technical requirements, such as Flash animation, have an effect on the timeline and the budget. It is always beneficial when producing a website on a tight budget to focus your message in both the copywriting and graphics. This will speed up the process, decrease expenses and allow the message to be clearly communicated to the target audience. Quality design does not always require the excessive use of high-priced, extravagant visuals.
   
   When creating websites with the purpose of imparting information it is always important to create visual hierarchy, a clean page layout, navigation that is clear and makes it easy for your visitors to find their way around the site and have consistent branding throughout. A unique site that appeals to your target audience and gets the message across can be created on a tight budget through the use of colour, texture, typography, creative writing, simple ornamentation and stock illustrations and photography. Colour is an inexpensive way of adding tone and expression to a site. Also, a large amount of money does not have to be spent on typefaces. One good type family will allow the designer to create hierarchy and interest through the use of bold, italic, size or colour. Using typographic elements as graphic elements is an inexpensive way of adding interest and texture to a page. When we agree that the use of photography or illustration is the way to go, we research stock providers to find a good selection of royalty-free images that can be purchased for a good price. Two ways we can get more out of your stock images are to crop photos or illustrations to create a more unique image and also by cropping large photographs into smaller and distinctly different images we can help you get more out of less.

It is possible to design a good website on a tight budget. Visit us at www.hendersonrobb.com to find more information on how you can obtain well-designed websites in an efficient manner and on a tight budget.