1) Now, in terms of hierarchies -there is the way the information is laid out as determined by client needs (who is the client comes up later)

2) There is also the way it is placed on the server - "We'll talk about file management when we start working with HTML."

On the Web page itself…

3) A fundamental way to draw attention to an area, object, or text is through the use of color. Color catches the user's eye.

QUESTION:
When working with text, how do you tell the user what information is more important beyond the order of your menu?

4) ANSWER:
The scale or size of the text.

Scale is the measure of difference between two or more objects -which could be Information Headers, Logo size, and abstractly, the area the menu takes up on a Web page.

QUESTION:
Besides, color and scale, what else makes things stand out on a Web page?

5) ANSWER:
Contrast. Is the DIFFERENCE between 2 or more objects. In design, high-contrast objects stand out. This often is through the use of color, but shapes could be included in this discussion.

SO Color, scale, and contrast are design principles which will help you establish the Communication Hierarchy of your Web site.

A Communication Hierarchy put simply is what gets read first, what gets read second, and so forth.
" In a simple design, you have a menu, a header (the test Name of the site-which might be the Logo)


These elements can be found in all sites.

Take a look at B and H Photo
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

It contains a logo, menu, content.

The logo
And something I call the trigger or visual engagement.
We're talking about the main page; some sites have a Splash page BEFORE the main page.
The content in the form of introduction

-might introduce the Flash module here-

Reading list online…
might be on reserve, or better partly online.

Design Ways
Narrative
Jacob Nielson…

Links to Jacob Nielson's Web site
Design list serv


Assignments:

Download Flash elements of Web page create 8 thumbs by moving the elements around, resizing them, coloring them. Group each one, and reduce it to a still readable size. Place it on a new page and do a screen grab (is there an easier way?)

Find one site with poor visual layout, and one you think is excellent.
Send the links to me and the rest of the class along with an explanation of why you think they are excellent or poor.
Please read the Brief …and look at the sites.


Look at the links and in class we'll pick the top 3 and discuss their similarities.

www.styleboost.com
www.csszengarden.com/
www.webdesign-l.com/

Other views
www.w3.org/
www.useit.com/

Anecdotal web reading:
http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000903.html