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Stephen

Tucker

01. Welcome!

03. About Me

04. Portfolio

02. Define Design

Your website is an engine - one you use as the means of communication between your company, your merchandise and your customers. In order for an online business to run successfully it’s engine must be finely-tuned and work well – this is no doubt the case with your own website. You may have product search boxes, or have spilt your goods into sections with a common denominator. You will also perhaps have some sort of online payment scheme for customers, and photographs of everything you offer. It does the job of displaying to browsers what you sell and handles order payments – but is this all that is needed to gain success?

Think now about a car and it’s manufacturer. A car essentially transports it’s owner from A to B with added features for comfort such as seats and a roof, much in the same way your website works. However, if this is all that people want then why do car manufacturers include expensive features such as fashionable bodyworks, paintjobs and alloy wheels? Why not opt for a much cheaper unpainted metal box with windows? The answer is that people want more than just an engine - they want looks. Now think again about your website. It may handle well and do the job it was built for perfectly, but does it’s own visual design do it justice? More importantly, is it enough to win people over? Ask yourself that.

The aim in visual website design is to cover up the ‘engine’ as much as possible. Your website should not simply be a tool for purchase but more an experience, a place that people can go to find what they want, complete with eye candy. It may seem rather insignificant in comparison to your other important e-shop features, but it is not. People to a great extent build up many of their impressions (especially first impressions) visually. It plays a part both consciously and subconsciously – websites being no exception. In fact, websites are often very reliant on their visual first impression to hook regular users (think about sites such as Google and Napster, for example). Choosing a format, a logo and a visual scheme that appeals to prospective customers should be a must and could drastically improve the number of visitors you hook and sales you make.

As an individual website designer I have my own system of guidelines which I follow (some of these are listed in the section entitled ‘Your Company’). I design, to a high standard, the visual aspects of websites based on their target audience and the type of goods/services they offer. I chose to specialise in this field because I have a natural eye for design and love the work. You may choose me because of the professional service I can offer you.

If you would like to know more about my past experience please take a look at the section ‘About Me’. If you would like to know more about how I work with my clients, visit the section entitled ‘Your Company’.

DefineDesign
Visual design explained

A brief introduction to this CD.

A brief outline of myself and my history in web design.

A portfolio of recent and relevant projects.

A straightforward but detailed explanation of how I assist my clients.

Call or e-mail me anytime for an informal chat about how I can help.

Order an edition of my free business CD (a hard copy of this website).

Freelance Consultant Media Designer