Proper layout

[Fire Dragon]

I'm now making somekind "serious" layout and I want it looks proper and should be easy to use. Site would be database kind what haves ABCD... menu and such.I'm planning it now in my head but I wanted first ask do anyone have good advices what can help me to make proper looking website?I don't ask you make me one, I only want some tips (like color combinations etc.) from experts who have been webdeveloper much more longer.Thank you very much.I really appreciate your help!PS:I have read w3schools' webbuilding article too.

[Skemcin]

Its been said many times that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder - same is true for websites.The first thing to do is to figure out who you are catering to - that will strongly influence your design - if I was building a site for an automechanic shop, I wouldn't start of thinking it would be pink, unless the mechanic was a female or the shop targeted women for business.Secondly, there are a few simple things to remember.aa.) try not to use more than three colors in your design. You logo is one thing (even though the rule applies there too) but your site should not be too busy (with respect to colo).b.) always use sans serif fonts - those are the fonts that don't have those little feet at the ends of the characters like Times New Romain. I prefer Tahoma, but Verdana is one of the most popular web site fonts.c.) Use a font that is a system default on Windows and Mac - like Verdana - this ensures that the look and feel is consistant from one user to the other.d.) don't get too graphic intense unless that is what the site is about.That should get you started, if not try templatemonster.com or freewebtemplates.com.

[Fire Dragon]

Thanks for advices! I will remember those.

[dcole.ath.cx]

More on colors:1) Keep your colors dark on light. It is easy for people to read when you have for example a white background and a dark text.2) I hear alot about having a plan background, like 1 solid color... fancy background make it hard to read text.3) People view things by color. They will look at the brightest thing first!! This means your headings should be a different color, and the same for links. When there done reading, visitors will want to move on and you want them to see your links. (My website has a white background with black text and dark red for link, and headings.)Layout:1) Keep the nav on the left or the top... having it in a new spot may make your site different but then users have to search around and this is anoying..2) don't have blinky ads by text your reading or have ads over text. This goes for pop-ups or fake pop-ups too... These things distract and make user leave.