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Read First!

What is a Graphics/Web Designer? This is what I now have my potential clients to READ FIRST.  Let's see if I can explain this in a scenario. Say you want to have a brand new home built. I am the contractor. I will need to know exactly what you want, such as the layout, colors, theme, etc.  If I am not supplied with your important information then most likely you wouldn't be at all happy with the finished product.

Step 1. Know what you want

Step 2. Know that you are ready.

Step 3. Purchase your domain name & hosting, preferably from the same company.

Step 4. When you are ready for me to create your site, I will need to have all photos and text content emailed to me, either attached as WORD document, or saved in NOTEPAD. as well as obtaining a copy of your domain login information.

When buying a home, you are required to make a down payment, and I require the same. This lets me know that you are serious about having a website, and I will not waste precious time creating.

Communication is important!!! Please let me know in advance of your website budget, so I can work and stay within your needs.

I work fast, so when you are ready, and have all your information to me, your website will most likely be up and running within a few days..

Once you know what you want, and let ME know, I will be able to present you with a price and send you an invoice. I do require 50% upfront, and the remaining within 10 days of completing your site. No exceptions.

If you have a specific graphic(s) that you want me to use, you need to supply me with them.

If you do not supply me with graphics that you want me to use, you need to inform me of exactly what you want. *If I create something and you tell me how much you love it and even have me change it a few times to your liking, please don't come back to me a days later and say, "Well, it's not at all what I originally wanted". That's wasting my precious time, energy and money.

If you want a certain photo(s) on your page, you need to scan it/them and send to me via email. I will crop and resize as needed.

If you cannot supply me with the tools I need, then I cannot proceed in creating a product you will be happy with.

TEXT typed out and saved in WORD or NOTEPAD. This also includes all page titles, text content for each page as well as keywords for search engine submission.

I am not a secretary and I don't get paid extra for typing, therefore if you cannot supply me with your text content as requested, you'll need to find a secretary who can. *said lovingly*

Time is money, and money is time, right?

***Most of this is repetitive, as I have explained under "What I Offer", however, I felt the need to clarify a few things.

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What I Offer:

Complete Web Site Design
Splash page
Site Editing/Maintenance
Site Remodeling
FTP Transfers
E-mail setups
Shockwave Flash
Business Cards
Announcements
Logo Design
Flyers
Email Stationery
Graphics
Animations
Desktop Icons
Photo Editing
HTML Tutoring
Photo Restoration
Magazine Covers
Candy Wrappers
Customized Gifts

Please email me with your requests and I will reply with a price quote.

How I Work

I will need a written list of your expectations, such as graphics ideas, and any pictures must be scanned and e-mailed to me. Please supply me with a web site name, individual page titles, name of songs to be on each page (optional), and text pre-typed and saved in Microsoft Word or Notepad. I will preview your page with you by corresponding back and forth through email. Remember: ANY changes that you would like; all you have to do is speak up! I am just a "click" away! This is YOUR page, and I want you to be very pleased!

*If you already have your own domain name and web space, I will be more than happy to build your site at that location.

**If you are a small business or organization and do not yet have a domain name and web space purchased, feel free to contact me and I will be more than happy to walk you through that step.

***For personal web sites, most people do not realize that with their ISP, you can contact them to find out how much "free" web space they offer to you. If you would like, I can build your site there, once you provide me with the proper information. When contacting your ISP, remember to ask them if there are any popup banners, etc. If they offer to you free web space with NO popup banners, then that is where you will probably want your site to be built.

My Terms of Service

I require a small text credit link to my site (as shown below). I would also appreciate any "word of mouth" business, if you know of anyone wanting a web site!

I REFUSE to create a web page or website that promotes hatred, gambling, drinking, drugs, intolerance, racism, violence (towards people OR animals), or anything relating to sex in any way, shape, or form.

There is no charge for editing text or photos within the first 30 days that I BEGIN to create your website. After 30 days from the START of working with me, a fee of $20/hr. will apply for editing any text or photos. This does NOT include a change in site design, graphics or layout. You may decide to edit your pages yourself or have someone else, if you so desire. You are not contracted or locked in with me for site maintenance once your site is up, running and completed.

Payments

I require one half payment of initial quoted price to be made in advance. There may be a change in pricing as we go, and I will keep you informed of those increases. Once your site is up and running, the remaining balance will be expected within 10 days of completing your web site. NO EXCEPTIONS. I prefer Paypal, but also accept a cashier's check or money order. If you prefer to pay by using Paypal, please let me know IN ADVANCE so that I can quote you with the proper price which will include Paypal fees.


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Design Tips:

The look of your site should be original. (Example: If your site is about Music, it would be best to have the "look and feel" of your site to be music related.)

Be sure to have good content. Explain what exactly your site is all about and what you have to offer, and it will assure you that your audience will not be left with unanswered questions.

Theme and/or Color for your entire site should be consistent, changing only the page titles and text content for each page.

Easy Navigation: Make sure that nobody gets lost while browsing your site. Being able to get TO any page FROM any page is a plus.  Most people prefer to have a "Sitemap" page linked to every page.  *raising hand*

Fonts: Choose a font that is a Windows standard font and stick with the same font throughout your entire site. (So that it will view the same on anyone's computer... If you choose a font for example, that is not a windows standard font, and your audience does not have that particular font downloaded to their computer, they will not be able to view the page as intended.)

Scrolling: Most viewers do NOT like to scroll too far down the page. Make sure you do not put all your content on 1 page, that would be better divided up into 10 pages, with 10 different page titles.  If you do have long pages, it's a good idea to use "page anchors", as I have done with my own site.

Contact: Be sure you are able to be reached! Post your email link on each page or be sure to have it listed on a "Contact" page.

Don't use other people's graphics and claim them as your own. If you are required to give credit where credit is due, then respect the artist.

Don't overdo your pages filled with too many animations or "under construction" images. Most likely, the viewer will not return.

Don't make your pages to align to the left only. Just because YOU may be viewing at 800 x 600 screen resolution, another viewer may not be! Therefore, they will be able to view your page, but see a lot of excess empty space to the right of all your pages. Center your content, and put it in a table! =)

Don't upload photos to your site unless you have first resized them. Nothing worse than having a picture come up so huge, that you have to scroll to the right to view the entire picture. A good recommended photo size is 400 x 300 pixels, max.

Don't use a text size that is too small or too large. Try to choose a medium font size (3 or 4) so it is easy to see.

Don't play music on your page if it does not go with the particular page theme. Remember:  Keep it uniform.

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What To Avoid:

(10 Surefire Ways to Annoy Your Visitors)

1.  Start with your entry page. Be sure to include a huge graphical logo, but absolutely no useful information. In general, large unnecessary downloads such as background music (ideally totally inappropriate music), multimedia presentations and video files, are an essential element of the truly annoying site, so include six or seven on every page.


2.  Very tiny text (SIZE=1) can be a great way to damage your visitors' eyesight. Unfortunately modern browsers include a font-sizing feature which negates much of the power of this technique. Webmasters can seize back control by mixing tiny (SIZE=1) and very large (SIZE=6) text on the same page.

 
3.  Low contrast color combinations like yellow on white, or better yet, dark gray on black, have been proven to increase web surfers' aggression levels.

 
4.  WRITING EVERYTHING IN CAPITAL LETTERS CAN HAVE INTERESTING EFFECTS IN YOUR VISITORS' PSYCHOLOGICAL MAKE-UP. EXPERIMENT WITH switching between CASES FOR absolutely NO REASON, preferably EVEN IN THE midDLE of WOrds, TO REALLY WIND THEM UP!


5.  Make sure absolutely every page positively requires horizontal scrolling.


6.  Frames can be a powerful technology for making people's blood boil. Be sure to use them heavily, and don't let users easily break out even when leaving your site. For extra credit, combine this with horizontal scrolling and have the 'Home' button "accidentally" put the entire frame-set inside the smallest frame.

 
7.  Forms are most interesting when they don't work at all. Unfortunately, it won't waste much of your visitors' time if the form has only a couple of fields. Therefore make sure your form has at least 20 fields which must be filled out exactly right (add validation code), and wait till they've struggled through them all, before giving a CGI error.


8.  Banners adverts are one of the most under-used technologies on the web. Some sites have only 2 or 3 per page. Show those sites how to do it right, by having at least 20 banners per page. Remember never use a text link when you have a chance to use a banner!


9.  Sadly some hosts do not add pop-ups to your pages. If your web host is holding you back in this way, don't despair. After you've mailed your letter of compliant to the hosting company, add a little JavaScript to your pages to achieve the same effect.

 
10. Finally the old ideas are often still the best ones: Bad English is well-known technique that many webmasters are familiar with. Be sure to include a more than adequate number of speling misteaks in all your text, or for a really exciting twist make your sentences really long, with way too many clauses, a superabundance of overlong and unnecessarily obtuse terminology and gratuitous jargon, and unexpected changes from formal language into the a more colloquial style: as it this way cool example!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Exclamation marks are also good, the more the better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


It has come to my attention that there are a few webmasters who actually want people to enjoy their site, bookmark it, and maybe even come back more than once. If you are a member of this particular minority group, you can of course do the exact opposite of the above mentioned suggestions. *wink*

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