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What makes those sites look professional?
Topic Started: Jul 20 2011, 09:40 AM (824 Views)
Arly
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Hey guys. Another random discussion for us all :)

Wandering around the big wide world of the internet, after a while I start disecting what I see as a designer, the most common question running through my head being, "why does that site look professional?"

So let's discuss lol! Why is it, that online game sites such as Rappelz, WoW, Runescape and others look professional? What are they doing in their designs that make them appear it?

For me, it's that they have a clean layout, with all font readable, have utilised the use of sidebars without too much unneeded fluff and have footers at the bottom of relvant links (as well as being regularily updated).

What do you guys think?

And while we're at it, apart from online professional games such as those mentioned above, what makes a forum look professional? For me its: clean, clear and not cluttered with excessive amounts of areas.
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Eccentric Feline
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I don't think that a website has to have a corporate or cold feel in order for it to be professional. The Apple website is undoubtedly a professional web design (and great in its own right,) but the WoW website is professional in its own way as well.

In order for a website to be professional (for me) the style must be related to the content of the site, and it should be consistent throughout. I think there should be a cohesive appearance throughout the site, not a hodgepodge of different ideas. For example, the WoW site goes completely with an old world, epic mood and it is carried throughout every section of the website. The ornate, gold logo, the brown color pallet, dramatic background image, and old scrolls on the forum pages all work together to form a consistent style voice. Also, I think the fact that everything is thought about makes for a professional site. Even the tiny details are taken into consideration (registration pages, buttons... etc). In a theme, for example, all defaults should be removed.

In addition, I think that a lack of clutter in both the layout of the content and design itself is a mark of a professional site. The content has to be user friendly and not overwhelming to the users. Form over function. Font readability, accessibility, and easy to use navigation are all hallmarks of a professionally made website.
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OverTheBelow
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One trademark colour, consistency and simplicity are key points that make a website look professional, in my opinion.

Royal blue couple with dark grey & white is always a good scheme to use if you are aiming for a professional look. ;)
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Karabox-ZNR
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The simpler the better for a professional look. Potential customers or clients should not have to search through a lot of fluffy images and tables to find what they need. That's not to say it must be plain. You can find a way to intregate creative design with simplicity, just like DeviantArt or Twitter does, but just take a look at Google, arguably the top visited site on the web, and also the simplest.
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Moonface-ZNR
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If it looks good but isn't usable, or looks terrible but very usable, then it isn't very good. It has to be a nice mix of appearance and usability, whether that be simple or complex, it just has to be appealing in both of those aspects in my opinion.
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aoaoo0
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Some Design Tips:

Logo

Make a logo for your site and show it at the top of every page. Even if you don't have an actual logo, do something nice with straight text (add a drop shadow, use a great font, etc.). It'll make your site look more professional and creates branding. You want people to remember your site and recognize it as yours whether they're on the first page or 10 pages in.

Colors

Find a palette to work with and stick with it. Sites should look unified, just as you want the logo at the top of every page, you'll want the pages to look pretty much the same (unless you're doing something cool, but ask someone if it's really cool, or if you just think it is). You're giving the visitor an experience and again, you want them to know as clear as day where they are.

Remember, colors evoke moods and describe your website's personality, so bright, screaming loud colors that might be great for a game website will likely freak people out on a yoga site. Your best bet is to scour the web and find sites you like and borrow their palettes.

One trick that works well is to keep the colors in the same family. So if you pick a nice green from the color chooser in your graphics or web design program as your main color, you might want to choose the other colors by moving the slider upwards for lighter shades, down for darker. By only moving the slider vertically, you retain the base color, giving you a great monochromatic look.

Alternatively, you might choose 3 totally different colors and build your site around that. Hopefully, you have a modicum of taste, and if not, ask your friends for an opinion. I'm sure they'll tell you if your color scheme sucks.
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Louisa
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it's probably mostly to do it's actually been designed by a professional who's aware of the design process, details, the market, etc.
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Maad
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Clean, elegant, proper explanation of the theme/topic. I think this are the things that make it all look professional.
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