Great Typography Formula for Web Design »

Admittedly, we have not always done well with the typography in our web designs and we are continually working at it. One area that does not have to be as difficult to get right is “measure” or the length of a line of type.

Ideally, the measure should be somewhere between 50 and 80 characters long. We have not always followed that, unfortunately, and anything longer than 80 starts to get difficult for the viewer to read. Even this post you are reading right now does not follow that rule perfectly. Hey, I am being honest here

To achieve a good measure, the designer should consider adjusting the font-size and Robert Bringhurst came up with a great formula for that: Multiply the font-size by 30 to give you the acceptable measure for each line (font-size X 30 = measure). For example, if your font size is to be 12px, a good measure would be 360px.

Additionally, you could take the size of space on your design that is to contain type and divide that by 30 (font container / 30 = measure) to give you a starting point. So if your design calls for a 500px area of type, your font-size would be 17px. That, of course, is just a starting point. No one would want to read a paragraph of 17px text – yikes. You would probably want to find some ways to adjust that area in your design (pullquotes, images, etc.).
There are many rules and suggestions regarding typography in your design. This is just one area and we are going to try to post some other tips as we pick them up. We have found some really great guides and articles out there and will be compiling them into a post.

Web Design Mistakes »

The Internet has plenty of examples of bad web design. I think most honest webmasters will admit that they have some sites out there that are, shall we say, “less than perfect.” I have created some sites that make me cringe.

But, the Internet is always moving forward and that means designers have to keep up and get better.

So we are going to post some tips and tricks as part of a series on our web design blog. Check it out and let us know what you think – feedback is always welcome.

Manipulate Google Results »

Every SEO out there would love to be able to control Google’s SERPs. Can you imagine being able to move your site above your competitors or even being able to delete them completely? Oh, the power!

Well, you can do just that – sort of. Our web design blog posted about the Google Ranking Experiment after we ran across it on the Googlified blog – great job, Haochi .

New Project Completed »

We are proud to announce that we have put the finishing touches on the new web site for the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce. This was one of the larger projects that we have undertaken and we are pretty proud of it.

When they approached us, their main goal was to have a site that they could update on their own, and that is right up our alley. Their new site is under their control and they usually update it several times a week – with no help from us.

Additionally, during one of our initial project meetings, I recommended that we look at ways to improve the web site as a revenue stream for the Chamber. We tackled that task by creating the ability for advertisers to place their ad on an interior page that is more geared to their target audience. We also added some third-party advertising to each page that will bring in a little revenue as well.

Nowadays, Search Engine rankings are vital to the success of any website. The Chamber’s site gets traffic from people looking for information on North Carolina beach vacations, Morehead City or Emerald Isle golf courses. So, when people are getting ready to vacation on the NC Coast, we want them to check out the Chamber’s site to see what there is to do in our area.

Now that the site is up and live, we are in the process of improving the Search Engine rankings. This is an ongoing process, but we have already seen a big improvement in just a few weeks.

Anyway, I wanted to invite everyone to take a look at their new site. And, if you ever want to take a break from the rat-race, you really should consider visiting because there is plenty to do at the North Carolina coast – fishing, surfing, boating, golfing or beach-bumming – it is all right here.

Web Design Articles »

We have compiled a list of our web design articles and posted them on the corporate web site.

If you are in the market for a web site, you might benefit from the article “Choosing a Professional Web Design Company” or if you are going to try your hand at designing your own site, check out the articles on “Web Design Basics” and “Common Web Design Mistakes“.

I hope they are helpful so let me know what you think. If you have an article that you would like to share or publish on the blog, drop us a line: info@crystalcoasttech.com