Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Conclusion
Designing for microsites has a few different steps and several of
the same steps as designing for banner ads. Going back over
some of those steps in this chapter, you
ll see that one big differ-
ence between the two is the fact that you aren
'
'
tconstrainedby
'
final file size or time limits when you
re working on a microsite.
However,whilemoreandmorepeoplearemovingtosomeform
of broadband Internet connection, you should still try to keep
your files and your site from getting too bloated. If you make
people wait too long to see your microsite, they may give up and
leave.
Coming up with a concept for microsites is similar to coming
up with a concept for banners, but more detailed and on a larger
scale. Your clients want their product (and brand) to be remem-
bered, and your design will help them accomplish that goal.
Remember that this isn
s corporate Web site, so
depending on the product and where it takes you, keep your con-
cepts from being too stuffy and strict. In other words, try to design
for users to have a memorable experience rather than forcing them
to read a bunch of legal copy.
Partofbeingabletocreateconceptsforanewmicrositeisto
know something about the product and the brand. If it
'
tyourclient
'
'
sabrand
that you
re already familiar with, then ideas should start generating
in your head right away based on your past experiences with it.
On the other hand, it may not be anything that you
'
'
ve ever come
in contact with and that means you
ll need to do a little research
to get a feel for the brand. One way to find your answer is talking
to people you know who fall into the target audience of the
product.
Menu design is very important on a microsite. It
'
showusers
will find their way to new areas of the experience, and they should
be able to do so very easily. Just like the overall design itself, the
layout of the menu is going to be dependent on the client or pro-
duct involved. For some, you
'
ll need to stick with the classic left or
top menu bar, while others will call for something more creative
and fun. The most important thing to remember in designing the
menu is to make it easy and intuitive. Otherwise, you may end up
with users who leave too soon simply because they got confused
on how to navigate the site.
Finally, think about how your design will live and breathe.
You
'
re designing a microsite that will be built in Flash, so go
ahead and design some animation and transitions while you
'
re
at it. However, remember to actually plan those movements
whileyouwork.Makesureyouhavealltheassetsthatwillbe
needed in order to create those animations in advance of hand-
ing the design over to the Flash developer. Once you do hand it
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