What’s In A Web Page? A Crash Course In Web Design

I like to think I have a pretty good understanding of the general workings of the web.  Words like “hypertext” and “html” are parts of my vocabulary, and although I don’t pretend to know all of the specifics, I could certainly hold a reasonably intelligent conversation about the nature of websites.   But if someone asked me what I know about web design, my answer would be “very little.” I don’t know the first thing about writing HTML, let along creating a web page with flash and other interactives.   So if someone like myself, a twenty-six year old graduate student who grew up with the web, has only the foggiest inkling of how to create a webpage…how many more people are saying, “html?  Hypertext what?”

For those of us who kind of get it (but not really), Daniel Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig are the proverbial, all-knowing “gods of web design.”  In Digital History: A Guide To Gathering, Preserving and Presenting the Past On the Web, Cohen and Rosenzweig present a basic yet concise overview of the technologies behind the web, and persuasively convince readers that you do not have to be Bill Gates to create an informative and well-designed webpage.   They quickly point out that website do not have to be intricately complex.  If say, a professor is trying to create a webpage that provides basic class information such as a syllabus and useful web links, and maybe even has an online forum for class discussions, there is no reason to fret if the website does not resemble that of the Library of Congress.  As Cohen and Rosenzweig point out, basic tools that most computer users are familiar with, such as Powerpoint and Word, are perfectly acceptable mediums for creating a website.  While there are more sophisticated web design tools, such as Dreamweaver and Front Page, there are other fundamental tools, like Word, that can be used when putting together a site.  Another particularly helpful tidbit of advise that Cohen and Rosenzweig offer to their readers is that they ask potential website creators to first ask themselves, “what is the genre of the site?  What do you hope to accomplish through the site?”  There is no point stressing about advanced and pricey technological requirements if they are not necessary for the site.  If the design of the site is more technologically advanced, Cohen and Rosenzweig cite a number of resources and tools that can be used to create a more aesthetically pleasing and enlightening site, such as Photoshop, Windows Media and Flash. 

 Now lets say you master the basics of organizing and creating text, photos, maybe even some podcasts, into an easily navigable and engaging site….how do you present your creation to the world?   Cohen and Rosenzweig also do an excellent job of providing a basic overview on creating and obtaining a domain name, expected costs, and the pluses and minuses of hosting your own site.  I found this information to be extremely helpful.  As I work for a small non-profit Museum, funding for technological upgrades is minimal.  Cohen and Rosenzweig’s chapter on the nature of websites and what is needed to create one certainly helped me understand the basic concepts of website, and provided me with the necessary information to recognize and utilize the tools that are available to every day web users like myself. 

 So now I have the basics…can I use Cohen and Rosenzweig’s guidelines to design for the history web and “spice up” the New England Carousel Museum’s website?  I’m going to have to try it out and as Sarah Palin would say, “I’ll get back to ya.”

 

 

 

 

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