frequently asked questions
contact jane if you need further information or need a consultation and/or advice for your project
faq's
- Describe the web design process and what you need to get started.
- what services do you provide?
- what formats are acceptable for logos - what is the difference?
- what format and resolution is best for photos?
- what format is best for video and audio files?
- what do i need to put a website on the internet?
- can you recommend a hosting provider and/or domain registrar?
- what platform do you recommend when selecting a hosting account?
- how can I communicate with you during the development of my website?
- do you work with international clients?
- i want my site to load the content in a frame, is this a good idea?
What to expect, from start to finish
Every project is handled individually, but the overall process begins with a consultation to determine your needs and discuss ideas. You will receive a short questionnaire if your project requires additional information, then a Project Scope is outlined in an Agreement and sent to you for approval. An estimated cost is included, based on the information you provide, and an initial invoice for the Engagement Fee is submitted to secure your project. Each project usually consists of 3 Phases, as follows:
Phase I: Design Concepts
After all aspects of your project are outlined and content is received, one or more design concepts will be sent to you in JPG format - including unlimited design revisions until you approve.
Phase II: Development
Your entire website will be coded and staged for a final review, or minor modifications, using all content provided to-date. Cross-browser testing is included to ensure your website appears consistently in all the latest and greatest browsers (even IE - go figure ;)
Phase III: Delivery
Your full website will be uploaded to your server at this time, and submitted to search engines. If your project requires any installations, such as shopping cart or a blog, all content will be moved from the test server to your own MySQL database.
Web Design / Print Design Offerings
Including, but not limited to:
- CSS / XHTML (including W3C Validated CSS!)
- Flash / Actionscript / XML integration
- HTML (hand-coded, with love)
- PHP frontend customization
- Customized templates in PHP, Smarty, CSS including shopping carts, blogs, forums, billing software, other
- Search engine optimization during development
- CD Packaging Design
- Brochures
- Business Cards
- Postcards, etc.
It is best to provide your logo in native format, preferably in Illustrator (or Photoshop if that is all that's available) for the clear and crisp results, as well as for creative freedom during the design process. I can do much more with a native file, than a GIF or JPG file including animation. If a JPG or GIF is all that's available, I cannot guarantee that your logo will scale down and retain clarity, but will do my best.
Photos - high resolution for the best results
All photos should be high resolution in order to scale down clearly and retain crisp quality. Photos will eventually be saved at 72 dpi (dots per inch) for the web, unless you require them to be printed by your visitors.
Videos - Formats and Conversion
Videos come in all formats and sizes, but the best results are achieved by sending me the best files you have available, so your files are converted and compressed properly. The most popular video format is .mov, created using QuickTime. This is a versatile format that allows me to also convert it to Flash Video (.FLV) which provides streaming capability during download. In other words, your video will load simultaneously, as the file is being downloaded, rather than having to wait for a full download. FLV players provide high quality video and are cross-browser compatible so your visitors will not have to download QuickTime or another plugin to view your content.
* Audio / Video Conversion and Compression is available.
To publish a website you need the following:
In order to have a website, you need a hosting provider - to store your website files and 'serve' them to the internet, a domain name which can be purchased by a Registrar, or may even be provided with your hosting account (be wary of resellers, make sure it's a reputable company) and of course, a website!
Recommended Hosting Providers and Domain Registrars
Domain Registrars can be tricky because many are 'resellers', so be smart and go with one that is listed on the Internic. Some recommendations include GoDaddy (again, not for hosting, just the domain), Enom, Register.com to name a few.
I prefer to work with Linux as opposed to Windows, it's more common, more secure, and I prefer to work with many of the programs that are built for Linux that use PHP and MySQL databases.
Correspondence - making the deadline
Once your project is started an account will be created for you online, that will enable us to communicate, share files and keep track of your project from start to finish. You will receive login information via email, to access your project 24/7 and post comments, upload or download files, and send approvals at specified milestones.
No matter where you are located, website design services are available, as long as payment is received in USD.
Dreadful Frames and Why To Avoid Them
"Frames are a sure sign that your website was designed by an amateur" (not my quote, but I have to agree). I don't know why anyone would want to use them unless they want their site to be excluded from search engines completely (such as a private family website), or they think that pages will load faster, which is actually the opposite. Frames are a problem for many browsers.
- Forget being indexed in search engines - robots see your site as only one page (no SEO for frames)
- Forget bookmarking pages in your site - you cannot bookmark a frame, much less view it in a new window
- Forget linking from one page to another from within a frame
- Forget custom page-specific design elements, you need a cookie-cutter layout
- Frames do not follow W3C Accessibility Guidelines, and are not W3C compliant
- Long download times (in some instances)
According to W3C, frames are "problematic" and break the previous page functionality, and are "impossible to refer to the current state of a frameset once content changes", and annoys users. I agree.
ask a question, receive an answer
if you do not see the answer to your questions above, feel free to drop me a line and I will respond to you shortly. Thanks!
