Site Layout & Usability
Article IV of V
by Brandon Jubar
The Elements of Style:
4 Keys to Consistency
There are numerous important aspects of style, and volumes have been written on
the subject. At a very basic level, I believe the foundation is consistency in design.
Many Web sites end up looking like a collage, or a ransom note, because there is very
little consistency between areas of the site. This is especially true when a Parish allows
the different functional groups to design and create their own pages. If you use the
following 4 Keys to Consistency, you will be able to give people some creative license (if
you choose), while still maintaining a professional look to your Parish Web site.
KEY #1: Create Standard Page Templates
The easiest way to maintain a consistent look and feel is to create basic page
templates. For most Parish Web sites, the following list is a good place to start:
- Home Page Template
- Main Topic Area Page Template
- Content Page Template
- Printable Page Template
- Link/Archive Page Template
During the creation of plenty of Parish Web sites, many, many hours have been
spent "reinventing the wheel". By building basic templates for these common
pages, it becomes a matter of plugging in the appropriate content. Focusing on meaningful,
relevant content and appropriate links is a far more productive use of one's time.
KEY #2: Identify Common Elements
Once you have created common templates, the next step is to identify the
elements within pages which may occur in numerous places throughout your site. These
should be compiled and stored in a central 'library' where they can be easily accessed and
recycled.
So, what else will be common? How about:
- logos or graphics
- buttons
- nav bars and menus
- disclaimers and copyright notices
As we get further into the process, and actually begin building your Parish Web
site, it will be much easier to identify these other common elements.
KEY #3: Use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Very briefly, a cascading style sheet is a set of style commands which tells the
user's browser how to render the text on the screen. This sheet will tell the browser that
text designated as <Heading 1> will be Times New Roman / 18pt / bold, for instance.
This allows a consistent look and feel throughout your Web site. Of course, the key is to
ensure that people creating content pages do not do too much in the way of overriding the
style sheet commands.
If your site is very large, it may be beneficial to have more than one style
sheet. There may be a need to have certain types of pages, or pages from a certain topic
area, set in a different style.
Whichever way you choose to go, multiple styles or not, the key to Cascading
Style Sheets is to link them and not embed them. When a style sheet is embedded in the
page, the Webmaster must go to each individual page whenever a universal change in the
style is desired. This almost defeats the purpose of have cascading style sheets. If the
style sheet is simply linked to the appropriate page through a hypertext link in the HTML
header, then any changes need only be made once. The next time a Web page loads, it links
to the style sheet (which has been changed) and the browser will render the text according
to the updated style commands.
KEY #4: Create a Style Guide
Three of the most important yet basic things you can do in order to alleviate
many headaches as you add new content and your site grows are to document, document,
document. Write down, in layman's terms, all information related to style, format and
layout. Some questions to answer would be:
* How many style sheets do you have, and what are they?
* Where are the particular style sheets used?
* What are the specifics of each style sheet?
* Are there elements of the style sheets that you would allow content owners to
change (override with embedded styles)? If so, explain.
* How many page templates do you have, and what are they?
* Where are the particular page templates used?
* What are the specifics of each page template?
* Are there elements of the page templates that you would allow content owners
to change? If so, explain.
* How do you identify text body links (assuming you use them) and use them?
By documenting all of these details, you ensure that your Parish Web site will
easily survive beyond the tenure of its first Webmaster. For whenever someone new takes
the position, they will have available to them a reference guide which will spell out the
'how', 'what' and 'why' of your site's style. Your Style Guide should take most of the
guesswork out of maintaining, updating and improving your Parish Web site.
Organize and Plan for Growth
When designing your Parish Web site, always assume that the best will come to
pass... your site will become very popular, large and robust. It is important to consider
how you will handle older content as new content is created. By planning for growth, you
will avoid the perils of having to recreate your directory, move file locations and update
all of the effected links. This process is much easier when using a Web design program
such as MS FrontPage, but even then you may end leaving other Web sites with dead-end
links to your Parish Web site. |
