Design Principles:
Simplicity—Clean up the clutter and only show what is needed on a given page. Remember, you have multiple pages to work with, so don’t cram everything onto one. Also, don’t be afraid of white space; it lets the information breathe.
Hierarchy—Ask yourself, “What is most important?” Divide the amount of space to differentiate the most important from the less important information. Your eye should always be drawn to the most important part of each page first.
Graphics—Nothing is worse than pixilated textures, cheesy graphics, and cheap, outdated buttons. Use textures and graphics that signify your church. Oh, and clip art is never OK.
Color —A complementary color palette is essential in setting the overall tone of the site. Simple, clean colors are usually your best bet, although loud colors are allowed if used appropriately; just keep them to a minimum.
Typography—Fonts, size, spacing, and formatting are crucial in web design. Bad typography confuses the reader and doesn’t invite them to peruse the site. Remember, typography is what people are actually reading. FYI: Papyrus is not a good font. (For more on this topic, see the “Typography 101” article in this issue.)
Cohesiveness—Your site should have a unified look and feel. Don’t try to “update” your site by sticking new windows, images, or graphics in an old, poorly designed framework. The result will look mismatched and thrown together.
Imagery—Bad photos can kill a site. The use of original imagery and photos (when possible) will make the site more authentic and unique. Besides, it’s obvious when a church grabs an image from a stock photo site, so try not to overdue it.
Content—Keep all of your content up to date, especially if you have a “News & Notes” section. Old news or outdated information communicates disorganization. Blogs are a great way to update your site regularly.
Navigation—The navigation menu should make it easy for a visitor to navigate the site, (hence the name). Too many buttons make menu bars busy and cramped, but too few buttons force the visitor to dig for information.
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Does your church’s website need a makeover? We’re teaming up with Clover and giving away a FREE Clover site to one lucky church! Get details and enter the contest online.