1. What type of website do I need?

‘Why do I need a website?' should be the first question that you should raise to have your decide on the type of website that you require. Defining the purpose is essential to determine the type of website one would require to serve that purpose. It should be defined in detail, like whether it is going to be used as a personal website or something informational (non-profit) or as a promotional website for the business or as a storefront for selling things. Once the need is defined, the type of website required can be determined.

If the requirement is just going to be to have a personal or a non-profit informational website then something called ‘brochure website' would serve the purpose. Brochure websites are usually websites with simple and clean pages with some information and few /images. In certain cases, it can also be noted that the brochure website would have only a single page.

Again depending on your budget and how you would want the website to look like, the usage of HTML or Flash for the website can be decided. Development of HTML websites would be more economical than designing a Flash website. HTML websites loads faster than a Flash website. For more attractive and interactive websites needs one can go for a Flash website.

The basic purpose of having a promotional website is to promote the business. It means that the website should be first made visible to the target audience. This can be achieved only when the website is well optimized and the website design should be highly search engine friendly.

Ecommerce websites can be developed if the purpose of the website is going to sell some service or product. Shopping cart, payment system and other required features for the ecommerce website should also be set up along with construction of the website design. The backend programming of such websites can be done using server programming languages like ASP, ASP.Net, PHP.

For websites that update data often on daily or hourly basis, having a separate updating system would greatly help. In this case, a CMS (Content Management System) can be developed and used to update the news or the web content. This would even help a novice to update the website easily. Every little requirement can be accomplished when the purpose and the needs are listed clearly.

2. What are the basic elements of a good web design?

There are a number of elements that constitute to the development of a good design. One of the most important points that needs to be taken care in web design is its loading time. A good website will load fast. Some other basic elements contributes towards good web design are the Text, Navigations, Graphics and the Links. It should be seen that the background color and the foreground (text color) are contrasting and does not interfere the readability of the text. The font style and the size as well matter a lot. The font style and size should be selected and used based on the context they are planned to be used. For instance, Lucida Calligraphy is a stylish font with a curvy italic look. This can be efficiently used in greeting cards, invitations and for entertaining occasions.

It should also be checked that all the buttons and navigational links work appropriately. The buttons should not be too big or too small. The color of the buttons and the links should also blend with the background color of the web page. All the links should direct the user to the appropriate page with out any broken link in between. Availability of a site map or the index page for any website greatly helps the visitors to locate the specific pages of the website and also helps the search engines to crawl through the website.

Good design also takes into consideration ease of navigation and the ease of finding relevant information. Good design should anticipate where the users will look for certain information and to have them placed accordingly.

3. What are the characteristics of a good brochure design?

Brochure is a direct marketing material that creates an impression about any company among its customers. The characteristics of a good brochure include good planning about the /images to be used, text, the print quality and above all, the target market.

The /images used and the text written play vital role as only these two induce the customers to open up their minds to what they read as content. The /images used should be relevant to the motto of the business and should also be appealing. The text written should be crispy and to the point.

Brochures can be classified as two types. The first type is designed specifically for customers who do not know anything about your service or product. These brochures are usually bright with appealing design and captivating titles. These brochures are not loaded with content but have only a brief description about the company and what it offers. These are displayed in public places where there are more possibilities for the public to view and pick it up. The second type is for those customers who are already aware of the product or service and are also interested in learning more about your business. This brochure usually has a lot of content in it which explains more about the company. These brochures should be given out only to those customers who have already learnt about your company but not to new bees who might get frustrated to see a load of text displayed to be read just to know what you offer.

4. What are the characteristics of a good Logo?

Logo is something that is closely associated with any business or service or organization. For the same reason, it is obvious that it should depict the purpose of the business or service. The logo should be designed exclusively based on the scenario where it is going to be used. Logos are usually small /images that represent a company or product.

There are four basic design characteristics that should be followed in order to come up with an efficient logo. They are the Shape, Weight, Presence and Contrast. The shape of the logo plays a vital role as it acts as the outer frame work for the logo. As we normally like to recognize things with shape, having a nameable shape for the logo increases the possibility of the viewers to remember it for a longer time.

The thickness of a logo is called its Weight. It is defined based on the concept that bold or thick logos can be used in any environment to attract the viewers. Use of many colors and 3D effects can be avoided as this quality would make it difficult to reproduce the same effect in different formats.

The last characteristic of a good logo design is the contrast between the colors used. This helps viewers to recognize the edges of the design more clearly and increases the chances for them to remember it longer.

The above discussed are the key features that contribute to the creation of a outstanding logo that will imprint itself in people's memory.