Designer Personal Site Web
Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:58:12 +0000
Web design is an art. There’s no question about that. The question is: how many websites designed by real web designers are out there? With the amount of crap that purely invades the Internet and suffocates the users nowadays, there are serious reasons to doubt that web design is an art in its own right.
So called web designers create terrible made for AdSense sites, or those awful personal pages that have nothing to say. But the Internet is a World and you should expect to find, as in the real world, tones of nonsense and digital rubbish. Such websites have no real value, are full of grammatical errors, respect no design techniques, blend colors, fonts and graphics irrationally, display flashy banners, annoying gifs and so on. Sites like these make people believe that it is ok to put up a website even if it is lousy. Anyone can start a website, but, can anyone design a website? Obviously not, since new websites appear online every day that are not good at all.
Web design combines traditional arts with technical skills. A web designer is not just a web coder: he or she is an artist able to understand the value of image and other visual elements, and knows what impact these might have on the viewers. The web designer works with images and words to create the perfect web layout. To create unique websites, the kind of websites that really add value to the World Wide Web, skilled web designers use various tools. They might retouch pictures and graphics or create astonishing images using programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Jasic Paint, Photo Impact and so on. They might use 3D software or Flash to design dramatic layouts that will transport the visitors into another world. No matter what tools they employ, professional web designers create functional, astonishing web pages.
Don’t believe that web design, as an art, is not for business, corporate or informative websites. As a matter of fact they need it the most. While business and informational websites don’t need to be artistic, they need to inspire. Corporate websites need clear designs, simple layouts so that any visitor could access the information fast and understand the purpose of the website. To create a website that sends the right message and develops brand awareness in an agreeable manner is an art. A good website can sell a service or products, but this doesn’t mean that its appearance should fade. Compare a website to a car: you need it to transport your visitors through a space full of information. You don’t want them to be bored by what you have to offer. You want to entertain them, to mesmerize their minds, to make them come back. What it will be: a Hollywood like limousine or a second hand car? Yes, it’s true: it’s not the car that matters, but the ride. However, when you travel in an uncomfortable seat you might not enjoy the ride. And doesn’t anyone dream for a first-class ticket?
After all this being said, you do not have to hire a web designer to build a great site in today’s online world. Web design is an art, but with the advent of the new high power website builders, anyone can create a high quality website for a fraction of the cost of hiring a web designer. This is especially true of web building programs that are template driven.
Online web building programs using this “template driven” technology allow the user to make their website using professionally designed templates. This means the “art” of web design has already been done. The user simply chooses their template, adds their own content and photos, and in a matter of hours or days, a HIGH QUALITY website is created!
Don’t be fooled. Not all website builders are the same. Make sure you use a website builder that includes ecommerce capabilities without an additional charge. One such program is HighPowerSites.
In conclusion: You can hire a skilled, talented web designer to create your business website but you will pay a high price as web designers are not cheap. Or you can use a top notch web building program for a fraction of the cost. You’ll need to pay the price for either one, but high quality websites don’t come cheap. If you are serious about doing business online, you should invest in your website. The future belongs to those that provide for quality on the World Wide Web.
Share#28DaysofDiversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 14 Hajj E. Flemings @hajjflemingsAs we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human.
As someone in the technology/web/social space, I often travel and attend various events in the industry and notice a huge lack of diversity, and when it comes to getting attention from mainstream media/tech blogs it’s almost impossible. That’s why I’m starting 28 Days of Diversity on SocialWayne.com. The goal of 28 Days of Diversity is to feature someone new everyday for the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. The list will include some of leaders in the social web space, startups, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph. So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com to see who’s on the list. For day 14, I would like to introduce to some and present to others: Hajj E. Flemings
Website: http://www.brandcampu.com/
Twitter: @HajjFlemings
Hajj Flemings is the founder of Brand Camp University (BCU) the premier personal branding 2.0 conference and author of ‘The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are Through Personal Brand Management’. Currently he operates as a personal brand strategist, author, speaker and adjunct lecturer focusing on the topic of personal branding.
He has been featured on ESPN.com, BusinessWeek.com, BlackEnterprise.com, various blogs and travels nationally speaking. His clients include Walt Disney, Ford Motor Company, Skechers Footwear, U.S. Department of Defense, University of Michigan, Iowa State University, and Davidson College to name a few. His book was selected as one of Fast Company Magazine’s 2008 Readers Choice Business Books of the year. He is one of the authors featured in ‘Age of Conversation 3’ a collaborative book that brought together over 200 of the world’s best marketing, social media and brand thinkers which is due out in 2010.
As a college student he designed the Equator sneaker that was sold and distributed nationally through a Michigan based company named Mavade Footwear. Hajj was also a managing partner of the Broken Chains Design Group, a small graphical design firm whose ad work has been published in GQ, Men’s Health, and Detail magazines.
He received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and his MBA from Lawrence Technological University. He is a former collegiate athlete turned adjunct lecturer at his alma mater, Michigan Technological University (MTU). In 2006 he wrote the personal branding curriculum at MTU which he currently teaches.
He recently started working with Michigan Technological University Online MBA as the Program Ambassador/Social Media Coordinator. In this position he manages the social media strategy while cultivating online and offline communities to build awareness in the program.
Brand Camp University – Personal Branding 2.0 Conference
With a desire to be a major player in the personal branding industry he started the Brand Camp Personal Branding 2.0 Conference in 2008. He has taken a personal responsibility and a great deal of pride in creating one of most diversified social media conferences in the country.
Brand Camp is an interactive personal branding and social media conference. The conference features keynote speakers, topic driven panels and workshops that provide attendees with the tools, strategy and inspiration they need to compete in a global economy and share their passion with the world. One of Hajj’s goals is to take the Brand Camp to new markets and he is actively seeking strategic sponsors and partners to make this a reality.
He resides in Michigan and is married to his lovely wife, Kasandra.
Come back tomorrow to see who’s next on the list.
Also check out past entires on http://28daysofdiversity.com
#28DaysofDiversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 14 Hajj E. Flemings @hajjflemingsShareRelated posts:
- Posted in Design Gear Pump
