Web design is very close to art, if not one of the visual arts itself. No one will either dispute or doubt that no web design is possible without creativity, like any other design. The appearance of the site and the way it looks like is usually determined by a designer’s artistic vision. It’s true that while surfing the net you won’t like all the sites you see. One of the main reasons why the web site can be rather unsuccessful is the exceeded number of things that designers tend to include in them. So, the question is – where’s the finish line to stop working on your website design?

1. The main thing that can be really helpful is your own personal feeling, intuition, instinct, the sixth sense, call it whatever you want. It’s your internal voice that tells you to stop creating because one more element and the page will be cluttered. However, not all designers have it and there are many who always think that the work is never finished (frankly speaking, I belong to those unlucky ones). Sometimes designers are induced to stop even earlier than they want, when the clients tell them to.

2. Step away from your work for a little while. Start doing something else and the next day have a look at it. If the piece you are working on still feels ok, probably it is really ok and there’s no need to include anything else in it. However, sometimes reviewing the web design work after a break can refresh your mind and bring in some cool ideas.

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We are used to receiving grades. We have been getting Fs and As since our childhood and I believe that grades are pretty useful. They enable us to see very quickly and clearly who is who. I have decided to assess online photography portfolios highlighting their most common mistakes. Of course, “A” gets the one which has none (rhyme not intended).

I would give “B” to a portfolio with the following mistake - and it is not a scarce mistake - excessive verbosity. Whether commercial or a non-commercial project your photography portfolio is, if it is online, it should be the visitor, not you, who really counts. He or she has come here to watch your pictures, not to read about you. Limit yourself to only the most necessary text information and concentrate on your works. Here it is really that “pictures speak louder than words”.

“C” definitely gets a portfolio where baffling background music starts playing. Most people find it irritating, you know why? Frankly speaking, I don’t actually, but take it for granted! So, if you still want to include some background music, make sure the visitors can turn it on and off, when they like it.

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When you want to have an impressive website, it is not always that you have to use Flash. Several other alternatives are possible and one of them is Swish. Swish templates are similar to Flash templates but they are sometimes more relevant. Let us see when, why and how.

How Use?

The editing process of Swish templates is much simpler and faster than that of Flash templates, so that can save your time, especially if you are customizing a swish template on your own. Swish templates are supplied with all source files (HTML, PHP, PNG, PSD, SWF and SWI), that gives you an opportunity to fully control your future website. Video tutorials and customization manuals are also provided for the latest swish templates. The software necessary for working with swish templates are Swish Max 1 or Swish Max 2, Macromedia Fireworks and Photoshop 7+.

Why Use?

The automated special effects are built into Swishmax, which is not as costly as the “original” Adobe Flash Macromedia and weighs less. The objects that could be included on a swish website are preloders, sounds, movies, animation, 3d-graphics, galleries and many more. The key elements of a swish template are a swish-animated header and imaginative transitions of objects.

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Mesmerizing interactivity offered by Flash web-sites runs the risk of being left completely inconspicuous since Flash web-pages do not rank well with search engines. This problem has been attracting attention of web-developers for quite a long time already and it seems that no perfect solution has been offered so far.

Does Google index your .swf files?
The frequent question “Does Google index your .swf files?” seems to have been answered by the company. “Google reads Flash, so optimize it” is the title of the post on the News.com. It describes how Google implements Adobe Systems’ Search Engine SDK technology. However, the results are not absolute and further improvements are awaited, but the web developers can start optimizing the content of the Flash sites. Another good tool to supplement SDK is SE-Flash.com. It checks how appealing your text for a search engine is after you have applied SDK.

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