[MrHat]

I'd like to learn more about the basics of creating interesting page designs. Be it logos, web pages, or other. I'm considering doing some things for my church along those lines and although I know a few things about design, I'm not quite sure of my capabilities and would like some help.

Jared Boteler AKA MrHat

[Gort]

'Lo Hat

If it were me...

One of the best ways is to surf about and look at what other people are doing. What are other church sites like? What makes them good? What makes them bad? Find sites you like and make a list of the things you think make the site work. Layout, color balance, etc. Is it easy to navigate? Is it intuitive to use? If the site you want to build is for a church, then you'll most likely have a diverse audience - not just a younger more "in tune" crowd but maybe some older folks, and chances are they might be using older machines with older browsers (case in point, my wife's grandfather is still using Netscape 3 on a Win95 box; he refuses to upgrade or move ahead; his take is that "if aint broke...").

I would advise against something cutting edge but instead take a more traditional approach to the site. Deliver the content right away without the hoops and tricks - avoid using plugins as a primary feature (go ahead and create something way out there in Flash - if you want, but give the users the choice of whether or not they want to view it; don't force it; slow modems and lacking plugins lead to losing the user; they'll see your site as work and not play). Think simplicity. Remember, this site is for the users - not you and not your minister - and should thus take a straightforward, utilitarian approach.

That's my initial take.