Web Design 101
By Ilze Hugo
Originally published in High-Flyers Magazine, Issue 17.
If a company doesn't have a website in today's tech savvy market, it's almost as if they don't exist, says Jean-Pierre Mouton, co-owner and lead interaction designer at web production studio, Shapeshift: 'A website gives you credibility. Being online shows that you're reputable, that you're not a fly-by-night.'
But while it certainly helps, just being online isn't enough. Your site needs to look good and work well too. Consumers are becoming increasingly web savvy and can spot a badly designed website a mile away, warns Riaan van der Westhuizen, a web developer at full-service digital marketing agency, Hello Computer. Just as not having an online presence can be bad for business, a shoddily designed site can also do damage: 'If you've got a brand experience online and the text is too small, it creates frustration for the person interacting with that data,' explains Mouton. A scrollbar or a link that is broken will irritate potential clients, leading them to assume that dealing with your company will be equally frustrating. A bad website says simply: You're incompetent.
Specialising in the art of Internet Paper
People often ask me what it is that I do for a living. My natural response, "I draw pictures!", is a phrase I coined from Dawie, a good friend and business partner. I mostly say this because the term "Web Designer" has too many inaccurate, and often, misunderstood connotations. It's also a whole lot easier.
