Art Works Studio Frequently Asked Questions

Website Design Frequently Asked Questions by Art Works Studio

Why does my Website look different when I view it on my home computer?

The look and layout of a Web page are dependent almost entirely on the system that it is being displayed on. Graphics are mapped to the screen on a pixel to pixel basis. This means that the same graphic will fill much more of a 640 pixel screen than a 1200 pixel screen. The huge variety of systems that a Website may be viewed on, makes it impossible to guaranty identical layout to every viewer. However, with careful research, planning and testing, Websites can be designed that will compensate for the many variables and ensure proper presentation to the maximum range of viewers.

At Art Works Studio we design Websites for optimal presentation on computers in the mid to upper range, while still maintaining full functionality at both extremes of the scale. Our Websites are tested in all three of the major browsers—MS Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and America Online—on several different systems, both Windows and Macintosh, with several different monitor resolutions.

Can I use the font from my corporate letterhead in my Website?

Not unless your corporate letterhead is set in Helvetica or Times. The typefaces used in a Website are set, for the most part, by the individual viewer. Web designers can specify fonts in the HTML code, but if that exact font isn’t installed on the system where the site is being viewed, they’re not going to see it.

Text can, however, be set in any font with any amount of formatting, as long as it is converted to a graphic for placement on a Web page. The drawback to this is that graphics will be displayed at different sizes in relation to the text around them on each different computer.

Will visitors be able to print the pages of my Website?

You can print any single web page currently displayed in the browser window. Websites that utilize frames in their design are actually displaying multiple HTML documents in one window. To print a specific frame, click with your mouse anywhere in the desired frame and then select Print from the File menu.

Most browsers have several print options. You can choose whether or not to print background graphics, to print text in black or use the displayed colors, and many other options. It is important to remember that just as all monitors will display a Web page differently, all printers are going to print a Web page somewhat differently.

How will the search services know about my new Website?

At Art Works Studio we maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date list of search engine URL submission pages. As part of our service for all new or redesigned Websites, we will submit the URL of your site to all of the major search services and applicable business directories. There is generally a two to three week delay before a new Website is indexed and added to the search engine databases.

As part of the design of your Website, we will work with you to identify keywords that describe your company, your services and your Website. These keywords and a brief description of your Website will be used by the search engines to direct visitors to your site.

Will visitors to my site understand how to get around?

It is our philosophy, at Art Works Studio, that people who use the Internet are told entirely too often, where to click. We design our Websites to be intuitive and self-explanatory, and we encourage active participation and conscious thought from all visitors. Rarely will you see the words “Click Here” in a Website designed by Art Works Studio.

Wherever possible, we will use a logo or other repeated graphic element instead of a button that says HOME. Whenever we can, we use graphics for links instead of text to avoid the false emphasis and distracting nature of underlined words.

Why don’t I see the most recent changes to my Website?

When you access a Web page on the Internet, the text and all of the embedded graphics files are downloaded to your own computer and stored in a “cache” folder. This allows for much faster re-loading when you return to a previously visited page. In order to be sure you are viewing the latest version of a Web page, you must clear this cache and reload the page.

In Netscape Navigator 3.x, in the Options menu, choose Network Preferences and then select the Cache tab and you will be able to see (and set) the various options. This includes the amount of RAM used to cache Web pages, the amount of disk space assigned to caching Web pages and the folder where your disk cache is being stored. You will also see two buttons for clearing the cache, if you push the button that says Clear Disk Cache Now, all of the files in the cache folder will be deleted. When you reload your Website you are sure see the latest version.

Netscape Navigator 4.x is just a little different from the 3.x version. After you select Options-Preferences, you will see a “tree” structure along the left side of the dialog box instead of tabs across the top. Double click the word Advanced and then click on Cache to view and set the caching options and clear the cache folder.

In MS Internet Explorer 3.x, in the View menu choose Options, then click the Advanced tab. In the section labeled Temporary Internet Files push the button that says Settings and then the one that says Empty Folder.

America Online buries this function a little deeper than the other browsers. You have to have the browser window open, which means that you have to have a Web page showing. Pushing the Prefs button at the top of the browser window will bring up the Preferences dialog box. Click on Advanced, and then push the Purge Cache button.

Another way to clear the cache is to simply drag all of the files in the cache folder to the trash. The only difficulty in this is finding the cache folder. On Macintosh systems it can be buried several folders deep into the Preferences folder within the System folder.

Why does it take a Web developer two hours to re-type two paragraphs of text?

Laying out text in a Web page is nothing like laying out a page in a word processor. In a word processor you can set up tab stops, format columns, wrap text around graphics, overlay text over graphics, overlay graphics over graphics, and a whole bunch of other useful tricks. None of these options is available in HTML documents! The HTML specification was originally written for the purpose of transferring large amounts of textual information in the shortest possible time. No thought was ever given to formatting that information to be visually interesting.

Because of this, laying out a Web page is a tedious, time consuming job. Something as simple as indenting the first line of every paragraph can require a full line of code in every place where you would have just typed a tab in a word processor. Then, if you wanted to change the indent from .5 inches to .4 inches, you would have to go back and change the width of each indent individually. The fact that a Web page is viewed on many different sizes and colors of “paper” further complicates the already nightmarish process of designing a killer Web page.

Why do some Web pages load so much faster than others?

The loading speed of a Web page is a result of two factors—the combined speed of your modem, your Internet connection and your computer, and the total size of the files used in the page. As Web developers, we can only control the second factor. The “footprint” of a Web page is the total file size of all files embedded in the HTML document. This includes all of the text, the HTML code, any graphics on the page, and any audio clips, MIDI files, videos or other objects that are part of the Web page.

At Art Works Studio we are experts in the art and science of minimizing the file size of graphics while maintaining the highest image quality. We do this by carefully controlling all aspects of the image such as color depth, contrast, and screen size, throughout the design process. This is especially critical when creating animations for Web pages because each “frame” of an animation is another graphic.

Other methods of reducing the “footprint” of a Web page include reusing images or parts of images on succeeding pages. If a graphic file that is already in your cache is called for, your browser will use the local file instead of downloading it again. Audio files can also be compressed and reused in much the same ways as graphics files.

What are CGI scripts and how are they used in Website design?

Common Gateway Interface scripts are small “programs” that add functionality and interactivity to a Website. One of the most commonly used CGI scripts is one that sends the contents of a form that a visitor has filled out, to a specified e-mail address. Others include guestbooks, hit counters, and visitor logs.

CGI scripts are stored in a special folder on your Web server and called from within the pages of the site. Most hosting service providers have a selection of CGI scripts available for use by their clients. These will provide the most commonly requested functions, while custom scripts can be written for the more complex applications.

Where will my Website be located and how do I choose a domain name?

There are several services you will need in order to establish and maintain a presence on the Internet. You will need dail-up Internet access which is provided by an ISP (Internet Service Provider). You will need e-mail accounts for each of your affected departments and employees. You will also need a hosting service where you will place your Website for public access. These services are offered in various combinations from many different sources.

Most ISP companies offer e-mail and hosting services as well. These service packages range in price and service level from $15/mo. for 4 hours of Internet access to $150/mo. for unlimited online time and 25 megabytes of Web page storage space.

The current trend is to separate the systems that are offering Internet access from the ones offering hosting services. This is so that the phone lines that are connecting the Web page servers to the network aren’t getting clogged up with the people dialing in to access the Internet. At Art Works Studio we have the ability to provide full Website hosting services, including e-mail, custom CGI scripting, and secured transactions, through a Virtual Host system. This service would cost approximately $100/mo and have the added benefit of reducing the number of “middlemen” between you and your Website. Any changes, updates, additional e-mail addresses etc. would be handled directly by us.

Most service providers also charge a one-time set up fee of between $50 and $150.

Registering a domain name (www.domainname.com) is a relatively simple matter of choosing an appropriate name, checking to be sure the name isn’t already being used, and registering it with InterNIC. This service costs $35 per year and is billed directly by InterNIC. Domain names can be up to twenty-one characters long, and contain any of the standard alphanumeric characters and the hyphen.

What is a secured server and will I need one for my site?

When a visitor fills out a form on your site, that information is sent as e-mail to you or your representative. This information may be viewed by the system administrators at both the originating Website and the destination. There is also the possibility of interception by other unscrupulous individuals. If you are requesting credit card numbers or other sensitive information from your customers, you will want to secure that information from prying eyes.

A secured Web server is a specially set up system that uses several methods of encryption and security protocols that ensure the privacy of all information sent from or to that server. Most Web hosting service providers have part of their system sectioned off and set up as a secured server. They generally charge an additional monthly fee to use the secured section.

What is the sequence of events required to produce a Website?

The first and most important step in producing a Website is to clearly define the specific goals that you wish to accomplish with this powerful new marketing tool. Establishing a “presence” on the World Wide Web is a perfectly good reason to build a Website. However, if that is the only reason, there is a very good chance that you will be wanting to re-design the site within a short period of time.

Based on the goals defined in step one, we will then develop the overall design concepts and specific functionalities of your new Website. The structure of the site, the navigation system, and much of the graphic design are developed through a synthesis of the technical limitations and requirements of the Internet, the goals and objectives of the client, and the design skills and experience of Art Works Studio. This process requires a very high level of communication between client and designer.

Once the overall design and structure of the site have been hammered out, we will take all of the copy, photos and graphics supplied by the client, create any original graphics, and lay out the individual pages. Preparing graphics for publication on the Web is a complex and exacting mixture of art and science. We use several techniques to carefully reduce the file size to a minimum while maintaining optimum image quality.

The next step, after final approval, is to test all of the pages on a wide variety of systems and browsers to ensure proper presentation to all visitors. This is a critical step in the development of a Website because of the different ways in which browsers interpret HTML code and because of the device dependent nature of Web pages. Unlike printed materials, Web pages will look differently to each viewer. This is due to the fact that many of the basic attributes of a Web page, including typeface, font size, window size and background color, are set by the individual reader. All of these variables must be anticipated and compensated for, or a significant percentage of your target audience will see something short of stunning design.

After the entire Website has been tested under a wide variety of conditions, we will upload the files to your Web server, set up any supporting applications and thoroughly re test all functions of the Website.

The last step in implementing any Web based marketing strategy is to register your new site with all of the most popular search services such as Yahoo, Alta Vista, Lycos, Webcrawler, and others. If someone searches for “widgets” on the Internet, we want to be sure that your new Acme Widget Co. Website shows up in their list. At Art Works Studio, we maintain a comprehensive list of search services and on-line business directories. As part of our service for any new or re-designed Website, we will register your site with all of the major search services and any applicable business directories.

Website Design—Frequently Asked Questions