Web Development FAQ
Here are some tips that may help put your web project in proper perspective.
To keep the page short and sweet, we have shrunk all the copy inside the headings below. Click on a heading to expand its content.
How to build a website
Notice we used the word "build" not "design"!
Why? Because the term "design" reduces the scope of a web project to something strictly visual. It is anything but that.
In fact, developing a website is very similar to building a house. And most everybody knows what it takes to build a house.
For example, to build a house you need an architect, a contractor, brick layers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, etc.
To build a website you also need several different skills that come together to make it work; therefore it's not just about "design" - it's about how it's built.
Professional web design requires these skills:
- Information architect
- Information design (graphics)
- Software programming
- Interactive marketing
How we work
A web project is a collaborative effort between us and you.
We will provide your business with an a most professional and effective web presence but we cannot do it alone. We need your active participation.
The most effective way to give us the correct direction is to provide an RFP (Request for Proposal)- see attached sample RFP
In the absence of an RFP, your direction is very important in terms of any visualization you might have. It's best to look at competitors' sites for ideas of what you like and don't like so we can come up with some options that are in line with your thinking.
Since we don't have a crystal ball, we risk wasting a lot of time submitting various layout ideas without hitting your mark. So, for example, if you absolutely despise the color brown or green, or hate rectangles but like ovals, say so.
Any specific direction is very effective and keeps the project within the budget.
How are costs calculated?
Web design projects are estimated in time and materials:
Below are some estimates as to how website components are calculated based on the amount of time it takes to build these components.
These are general guidelines - not exact calculations. In other words, if a project has 25 images instead of 20, it will not affect the cost. But if there are 250 images - the cost will increase exponentially.
Time
Materials
This refers to refers to hardware and software. As we do not provide hardware, or any on location technical services, any software licenses, or registrations would be considered "materials".
This would include 3rd party products or services such as web hosting, domain name registration, shopping cart fees, etc. These are billed directly to you by the service providers.
This leaves us basically with only one service cost - TIME !
| Components | Hours |
| A typical small website (5-6 HTML pages) | 35-45 |
| Additional Options | |
| Flash animation | 1 hr (10 seconds) |
| Catalogue of images - | 5 hours (20 images) |
| Shopping cart | 20 hrs (50 products) |
| Interactive tools (blogs, bulletin board, etc.) | 3-5 hrs |
| Custom programming | Depends on the requirements |
| And time is ... |  |
Converting Print Publications to Web
It is against the most basic rules of web design to try to imitate any printed material due to the simple fact that online delivery and viewing cannot be controlled - the programming of a website has to be directed at the lowest common denominator in order to ensure the maximum degree of compatibility withe all type of:
Here is an example:
Click on the thumbnail to see it enlarged. If the large image is off the screen - drag it to the center by clicking on the top.
There are no such restrictions with printed material - a print job looks the same to every viewer whether you print one book or a million books.
Printed matter can be perused at leisure. A web page gets about 30 seconds of viewing - if visitor don't understand what they see - or don't see what they're looking for - theyr're gone to another website. It's just a click.
- machines
- b rowsers
- screen resolution
- connectivity speeds
Here is an example:
 Typical Resolution |
 Hi Resolution |
 Low Resolution |
Printed matter can be perused at leisure. A web page gets about 30 seconds of viewing - if visitor don't understand what they see - or don't see what they're looking for - theyr're gone to another website. It's just a click.
Agonizing over minutiae
Agonizing over minutia is perfectly fine with us because keep in mind - WE BILL FOR TIME - so while you're agonizing whether this shade of green, or that shade of green, or this imperceptible line or that imperceptible line, our clock is ticking:
Agonizing over this kind of minutiae is not only inefficient and costly (to you) but most often completely irrelevant in the overall scope of the project. Here is an example:
When we built our own Pink Rat website, one of our designers made a mistake in the final image of our logo - one of the rat's ears is a different shade of pink than the rest of the image.
For some reason, we never corrected it. What was the impact of this inconsistency on our business?
None! Zip!
We never lost or gained a client because of the rat's ears!
So here is a sobering little fact that can help all of us perfectionists to relax and stop agonizing:
| We will do whatever you want - just keep in mind: | |
For some reason, we never corrected it. What was the impact of this inconsistency on our business?
None! Zip!
We never lost or gained a client because of the rat's ears!
So here is a sobering little fact that can help all of us perfectionists to relax and stop agonizing:
- Web visitors spend 30 seconds on a web page - they either find what they're looking for or they click away.
- Nobody will buy or not buy your widgets or service because a line a line is green, yellow or blue.
- Your customers are not interested in your graphics, unless you are in the business of selling graphics.
- The only people scrutinizing these details will be your competitors.
- Your competitors are NOT your customers.
The Color Wheel
Pick design and layout colors from the chart below - just keep in mind that no two computers monitors are alike and what you see as Fuchsia, someone else may see as Hot Pink or Purple.
All colors have numbers and the link below will show you the most commonly used colors for maximum compatibility with all computers.
http://www.pinkrat.com/reference/Color-Cube.html
This link will open in a separate window.
Content Requirements
You provide us with your content. This includes, copy, images, logos, etc., and they must be in digital format. If not, we can convert and will advise you of any additional costs.
Logos
Must be provided as EPS files along with any PMS color indicator for maximum correct rendering. Other images should be provided as JPGs and should:
For a product catalogue, it is best to have images where the product is "silhouetted" so there is no distracting background that can also fight with page background or other graphic design elements. Clear and crisp images showing as much detail as possible, will also help to minimize product returns. It's a good way to ensure that "what you see is what you get". Examples:
Must be provided as EPS files along with any PMS color indicator for maximum correct rendering. Other images should be provided as JPGs and should:
- be about 600 pixels wide (which is the optimum for shopping cart enlargements)
- be provided on disk.
- have file names that are indicative of the image, such as "girl-black-jacket.jpg" or "girl_black_jacket.jpg" - no spaces
For a product catalogue, it is best to have images where the product is "silhouetted" so there is no distracting background that can also fight with page background or other graphic design elements. Clear and crisp images showing as much detail as possible, will also help to minimize product returns. It's a good way to ensure that "what you see is what you get". Examples:
 Good |  Better |