Bringing the local association online: guiding principles for developing a professional web presence: part two.(Forum Focus: Local Associations)

With blueprint in hand, you are now ready to begin the actual development of your association website. Effective design is dependent on good organization of material, clear navigational structure, proper choice and color combination and graphic interest, and judicious use of multimedia.

Working with Text

Clear text representation depends not only on the clarity of writing, but also on the density of information on the page and choice of fonts. Writing for the web is very different from prose or business writing, and requires concise, simple phrases. Information should be prioritized, with the most important statements at the top of the page. In addition, users should be guided through more text-heavy pages by subheadings that will allow them to scan the page to easily find information they are looking for, without having to read the text in its entirety. Be sure to take advantage of spell-checking tools to ensure accuracy.

In instances where a substantial amount of information is being presented (association bylaws, performance competition guidelines and so forth) break the text into logical units of information. Use anchors and bookmarks to help the user jump from one section to another. An anchor is a hidden piece of code connected to a link that takes the user directly to a specific part of the page when clicked. (See purple links in the graphic below)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Finally, use clean and complementary combinations of fonts--usually no more than three. Serif fonts, such as the text of this column [Garamond] can be harder to read on screen, and are usually best for larger headings. When possible, opt for a Sans Serif font, such as the one used for this column's heading [Frutiger Bold]. Remember too, that not every computer has the same set of fonts, and a font that looks great on your computer may appear garbled or different on another. Universal font sets include Times New Roman, Arial, Geneva and Helvetica, among others.

Working with Images and Color