design philosophy

on developing a website

Why do I do things the way I do?  Take for instance, my insistence on a standards-based design.  Or why I have a large number of links scattered throughout, which could potentially take people off of my site.  How about why my design looks the way it does?  Let me try to explain for just a minute why I have decided to create websites in the manner that I do.

My thoughts in web design are relatively straight-forward: to keep things simple, accessible, and usable.  The easier it is for a visitor to browse my site and find what they are looking for, the more successful I consider my design.  A clean layout, with clearly labeled headers and an easy-to-read font, helps the viewer of the site.  Organized and easier to use information = better information.  And that's what it's all about - an exchange of info.

And really, isn't that why people create websites - to make some sort of content available to their end users?  Many times, it seems like a web design caters to one party only - the web designer.  He or she may like a certain layout, or a certain design method, or may like tons of flashy graphics and flash smattered across the page, quite literally screaming "I am your webmaster, bow to my superior design skills!".  But if any of this gets in the way of, or does anything but provide a better experience for the common user, then nothing has been accomplished.  Backward movement has occurred, and something has gotten in the way of a free flow of information.

So, I have decided to go against the momentum of the common website, to be different from your average web designer, and embrace a better way.

I dedicate time and energy to ensure that all my designs are standards-based.  My choice of poison is XHTML 1.0 Strict, with heavy reliance on well-coded CSS to do a majority of the flashy stuff you see.  What this is not used for is to make myself look like I am a 'good' web designer.  There are many great web designers who do not develop standards-based, and one standard is not necessarily better or worse than another.  What this does do is enable me to be free from worry as to whether my site will appear correctly in your browser.  Whether you use Firefox, Opera, Safari, the recently discontinued Netscape, or (for the most part) Internet Explorer, you will get essentially the same viewing experience; that is, you will view the site as I intended, as long as you are using a standards-compliant browser.  In addition, I frequently test my site on Lynx, to be sure that my site is even text browser compatible.  I have not yet found an efficient way to test mobile usage, but am currently looking for a way to do so.   As Doug Yeo has become known for saying, "My goal is the have my site be easy to navigate by anyone in the world no matter what kind of computer, browser or operating system they are using. [iTrombone.com] will not crash your computer!"  So, gone are the days of tables and frames rendering incorrectly, and making the viewer go "Wha...?".  By developing standards-based, consistency and flow is maintained.

To actually create the pages, I use Dreamweaver, a web designer's best friend.  (I'm currently on MX 2004, with intentions to 'update' to CS3 when my wallet allows, in case you're wondering which version in particular.)  What this does is that it gives me the flexibility to design a more powerful site, while making my life easier.  While I do use 'a program', know that most of the work that I do is 'hard coding', that is, typing out lines of code by hand.  This gives me much more control and power in getting my sites to do exactly what I have in mind.  Using DW is, for the most part, just the program I use to type in the code (a glorified text editor).

You may have noticed that I have many external (off-site) links all around.  Many designers would say "Wrong!  No links offsite!  Keep them on your site!  That's the right way to do it."  However, this would be doing an injustice to those who have dedicated their time and efforts on creating a great resource somewhere.  If someone does something "uncommonly well", and I deem it to be personally deserving of my personal and professional recommendation, I will refer others to the original source whenever possible.  After all, it's not my work - it's theirs, and they should receive their due credit.  So, you will see many external links throughout my website.  While I cannot vouch for or be held responsible for anything off of a site that I control, I will refer my viewers to other sites that, in my opinion, are worthy of my personal 'It's worth your time' stamp of approval.   In addition, my links to other sites help to boost the popularity of these other sites.  It is through the links between sites (site A links to site B links to site C links to site A) that these sites get more traffic, more exposure, and a better ranking in the search engines.  Which leads to more traffic, more exposure, etc...  And I only ask that others who own a site, and think that my own site to be worthy of recommending, will link to my site as well.  That's the right way to do it.

 A clean look and a transparent design can only help to ensure a seamless and consistent flow.  A common template across the site, a logical layout of each page, even a minute detail like reminding the viewer which page they are currently on - all of these further the accessibility, or ease of use, of the website, and basically make success inevitable.  It's these small details that, along with solid content and a good source of users, come together and make a site worth the valuable time and effort of potential users.

Another, often overlooked, part of web design and webmastering is the use and implementation of text on a page.  Concepts of font size, the form of the screen, the color contrasts for easy reading - these are oft forgot, even though our teachers tried to teach us how to write well, and make something look nice.  Further, a thoughtful application of even rudimentary typography can be considered a lost art.  I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed in Walt Shiel's blog:

I think of good typography the same way I think of good writing or good acting -- if it draws attention to the art/craft, it is not doing its job well. Those who make it seem effortless and whose work is enjoyed for the experience, rather than the craft, are the true masters. Your readers will probably not realize how nicely your book is typeset, but they will almost certainly read it faster, with better comprehension, and unspecified enjoyment. A poorly typeset book frequently yields just the opposite effect... and the reader will never understand why.

I always try to create a flowing, easy to read text, that convey useful information to my readers. So, in addition to correctly presenting my text, I also (and this is important!) take care to write in a clear, precise, and professional manner. After all, text and the written language comprise a majority of the content on the internet, even with the rise of YouTube and other non-textual forms of communication online.  So I feel that it is particularly important be deliberate and purposeful in writing what you see on the site.

Above all, a professional look and feel gives a site that extra 10%.  And really, that's what this entire spiel is all about, isn't it?  Polished details, a cohesive and sensible layout, a transparent and unintrusive (on the information) design, these are all parts to creating a professional website.  As my fourth grade teacher was eternally fond of saying: "Success is in the details.  But really, it's only the big picture that matters in the end."  [emphasis mine]

So, to create a truly professional website, I do the hard work.  I focus on the little things.  A little conscious effort, along with a strong plan and a little talent, go a long way in setting up success.  And it has always been my belief that success is not stumbled onto, or happened upon by chance.  Success is created.  And I will always do everything in my power to create my own success, in everything I do.

 

why design?

why i work on iTrombone personally

And with everything that I just said above, I realize that I did not address possibly the most important why;  that is, why design?  Why not hire somebody else to build and maintain my site?  I could just have easily, and with much less cost of time and effort, paid a professional to create my website.  Why do I do all the work myself, aside from saving a few bucks?

Well, some of it is to have the control, the ability to influence exactly what is put on my site, how it gets there, and what it looks like in the end.  The ability to put into action everything you see preceding this on the page.  But, more than having the power to control what goes into and comes out of my personal website, I just love designing.

Visual arts have always been fun for me.  I doodle in my notebooks, and I can remember loving to sketch and paint, though I have no skill in doing so.  Creating things myself have also always had an appeal.  One of the most rewarding feelings for me is to be able to look at something I built myself.  Which, as musicians, you can understand - creating your own music, instead of only listening to other people's interpretations.  In addition, web design brings in another strong interest, technology.  Because, as anyone who knows me can attest, I am a self-confessed tech geek, who suffers from extreme gadget-lust.

The coolest thing about designing and managing webapges is that it is fun.  I love working on and creating webpages - it's relaxing, and very enjoyable.  I liken it to playing trombone: it's a lot of hard work, but in the end, it's more than worth doing.  Somewhere in between being a painter and a programmer, it requires constant thinking, along with an artistic eye.  It also feels, many times, like doing a logic game, like Sudoku, Stratego, or chess.  There's always a new challenge, as web design is constantly evolving, and there are always new and different things to do!

I am totally self-taught, with no classes or formal teaching of any kind.  However, I do plan on taking some classes to learn how to design more effectively and more efficiently.  I am also slowly learning about databases and ecommerce.  Eventually, I would definitely like to be paid to design some websites.  But I have plenty of time to get to that point in my craft, and I feel no need to rush into the market quite yet.  So, for now, it's all about learning how to get better, and to have some fun.

So, with all of this being said, I would like to wish you a fun and informative time on my site.  Feedback is great, and much appreciated.  I would definitely like to know how you like the site, some comments on something you may see within iTrombone, or maybe even a recommendation of how better to provide a more useful website.

Hope to hear from you soon.  Enjoy the site!