DESIGN CRITERIA

This section describes what we are looking for in the design and presentation of your website. A maximum of 30 points can be scored here.

Site Simplicity - 2pts

Is your site simple to use? By keeping your site as simple as possible first time users will be able to get around your site with ease. Everything should be at hand, including all links to your pages.

Font Consistency - 2pts

Fonts are a very important constituent of any site. We will check for consistency and good justification. Left justification is preferred over centered as this is easier to read. Remember TypE LIke THis iS UNaccePTablE!!

Easy To Read - 4pts

We we have to strain our eyes to read your text? Try to use a subtle use of fonts, bold type to emphasize a word or a small group of words. Use italics sparingly and if you underline your links do not use it as text decoration also. A good contrast between the font and background colour will be looked for. Also remember that by choosing a font that is not present on most computers as a 'default font' can seriously affect your presentation. Stay within safe limits by using fonts such as arial, verdana or times. Stick to your choice of font family for a cleaner look, mixing your fonts can result in a very busy page! If you do wish to use different families then use one for headings and another for body text. e.g a sans-serif font for a heading and a serif font for the body text.

Quality Images - 2pts

Are your graphics of a high quality? A good webmaster will have chosen images that are clear, not fuzzy or pixilated and are optimized for quick loading.

Graphic Enhancement - 2pts

Have you used your graphics to complement and enhance your site? We will look for a good balance between text and artisitc skills. Remember that less is more! Never over use graphics and animaton, it will result in busy mis-matched pages.

Visual Interest - 2pts

Have you created a visually interesting site? Arouse interest and entice your viewer through a good use of colour, design and graphics to continue with their visit.

Attention To Detail - 2pts

To earn these points we like to see a webmaster who has paid attention to detail. We love to see a site that where this consideration has been fully embraced. It is the smallest details that make the difference between a good website and a great one!

Colour - 2pts

Colour is a very important design decision. We will appraise as to whether your colour choices are sympathetic to the content, including colour used for text and links.

White Space - 2pts

The proper use of white space is extremely important for any site design. Do not try to cram as much as possible onto a page. The same applies to too much wasted space within your presentation or at the end of your pages. Allow for margins around your text, aligning text flush against the left (or even the right) side of your text can make it very difficult to read.

Consistent Theme - 4pts

Have you taken the time to create a consistent theme by the use of fonts, colour and backgrounds? Avoid having different coloured pages and backgrounds unless this is an integral part of your design.

Award Display - 2pts

As you have a page to proudly display your awards won are they as neatly arranged as the rest of your site? Have you taken the time to include laudations and dates? This also applies if have not won any to date, as we like to see how your page will look.

Missing Images - 2pts

Have you remembered to check your site for broken images? Little red crosses are most disappointing when visiting a site. We prefer not to see any but allow for maximum of (2) two missing images per site.
0 - 2pts :: 1-2 - 1pt :: 2+ - 0pts

Alt Tags - 2pts

Have you added descriptions to your images? Alt tags on images are important for viewers with impaired vision and 'no image' page views to read what your pictures are about. These points will be yours if you show this consideration.

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