How to Make Professional-looking Web Pages

Originally, this was a page about making the most of "Front Page Express," because it is built-in to Windows 98. That web page is still available -- click here -- in case you would like to visit some of the many observations about getting the most out of HTML and available software like MS Paint. One of the nice things about HTML is that its rules have been established as part of a worldwide consortium, so if one wants to get a book that has all of the code and achieve professional results, a web designing program is not necessary, just MS Notepad or any other text program, and some time. Learning to Program the words that create web pages that look consistent on a variety of programs -- which is the intent of HTML and java -- is not a hard process. A "cheat sheet" of the more familiar "scripts" is available from www.webmonkey.com .

Ah, but there is the rub. We want our web sites right away.

On the other hand, web design programs like Front Page 2000 are currently selling for close to US $100. That $100 also generally includes sample pages that allow one to input one's own graphics and words. If one had a vision of how one's site will look, or a backlog of art from print or other media, so much the better.

There are numerous e-periodicals about getting the most out of a web site. They seem to agree that the web site that presents its "solution" clearly and distinctly is the best designed. If your web site offers car loans; its name should be "carloans.com." It should resemble the most successful print or TV ad for selling car financing.

There are basically two design solutions for the web: an accordion web site, and a "mapped" web site. Although the accordion web site will fit any screen size, for people who may be multi-tasking, for instance, with a word processor and two other home pages open; the net result of a page that has become two very narrow columns three pages long has lead many website designers and owners to drop its convenience in favor of a page that will NOT fit every screen size or shape. This web site is an example of the accordion style.

Accordion pages cannot be smaller than the largest image on the web page; scroll bars appear at the bottom and side and the background is enlarged accordingly. The page size automaticaly defaults to the largest image. If many smaller images are used, they will be separated, just as columns become narrower when the viewer's screen size becomes smaller.To keep small images grouped on the same horizontal line, "tables" are used, which the HTML web browser interprets as being one large image, defaulting to a larger page, and if necessary, adding bottom and side scroll bars. Having multiple images separated by small distances or centered will sometimes be accomplished by adding small JPEG's of the same color as the background. These background-colored JPEG's may also be used if certain images are small, because the table will "squash" to fit a smaller screen size if there is not a minimum large image to establish a default size. The table may also stretch to fit a wider screen by increasing margins, if it was "centered."

The "mapped" web site typically has graphical elements like artwork and panel buttons that fit within an 800 x 600 pixel screen shape. Monitors that can show a 1024 x 768 screen size reveal the perimeter of the buttons and the repetition of background artwork to the right. It is a simpler approach, looks better, and has many followers. Go to any of the businesses mentioned on this web site, and see the mapping approach used.

There is a third "percentage" web site, which I have not yet seen. Artwork would automatically be resized according the screen size setting of the user.

If one settles on the 800 x 600 mapping option, and one should, the rest of the process is collecting buttons and other elements and "pasting them up." Although a background color may be "set," a problem with consistency of programs has lead to background colors being more often created in MS Paint or another drawing program and saved as a ".jpg" file. This color square will then be made into as many copies as are required to fill the background area. For some reason, JPEG's work much better than GIF's. Other artwork may be used, but solid colors are more common.

The computer places elements on the page according to the positions listed in the mapping document, the HTML list of words and positions and references to art. In order to avoid having conflicting programming orders like "indent this page 20 pixels," and "put this JPEG photo at pixel position "0;" many web designers use programs like Macromedia "Dreamweaver" and MS "Front Page 2000" which prevent the surprises of contradictory intentions. These programs increasingly resemble the best word processing programs, allowing images and text to be entered in the 800 x 600 square smoothly and quickly, usually by the extensive use of automatically generated "tables."

Hands-on designers type in the code themselves, using a web browser to check the evolving page.