Academic Library Web Site Design

In her article “Engaging Users: the Future of Academic Library Web Sites,” Shu Liu compares the content, function, and design of 111 ARL college library web sites. She concludes it would be best for schools to implement a portal design (similar to the Harvard site below) but divide the splash page into user types such as student, faculty, etc. It’s an interesting read.

Liu noticed recurring design patterns on the analyzed sites:

• columns by category
• horizontal sections by category
• mixed columns and horizontal sections
• four equally divided sections with sidebar(s) (Liu, 2008)

She recommends that designers,

Reduce the intimidating appearance of library homepages’ by using as little text as possible to convey only the most necessary access points and by employing an appealing graphical design that accomodates usability and accessibility requirements. (Liu, 2008)

Her ideas are definitely something to keep in mind for your library’s web presence.

Liu, S. (2008). Engaging users: the future of academic library web sites.
    College & Research Libraries, 69.1, 6-27.

Harvard College Library

This gateway site for the Harvard College Library is a good example of simple, grid-based design. The colors are vibrant and inviting, the text is easy to read, and navigation is intuitive. The seal in the background is a nice touch. Notice how each area of the site works from left to right. I especially like the feature under “Hours” that lets you know the library is “Open Right Now”. It reminds me of Krispy Kreme doughnut’s neon beacon.

The Grid

Grid Systems by Kimberly Elam is one of my favorite graphic design books. It helped me to understand the importance of viewing type as a visual element instead of the words that are near elements. Dividing up the project space into a grid allows you to balance type, images, and white space. This layout strategy promotes a visual hierarchy in your design, and enhances visual communication.

Beginning with basic grids, Elam shows the internal structure of several designs. Velum overlays with diagrams illustrate the technical skill of typography. The examples in Elam’s book are drawn from advertising, both print and on-line. But you can apply these ideas to each piece you design.

Grid use is not only useful for high impact advertising; interactive tutorials should also be thoughfully designed. How does type placement affect learning? Where is the best place to put navigation buttons? Check out Elam’s book and watch your designs change for the better.

Amazon has it on sale right now for dirt cheap.

Junk Mail

I just read this great post over at You the Designer about Direct Mail. Gino discusses the increased number of square direct mail pieces popping up recently.

But the best part of the post was the suggestion to collect direct mail. Yes, I mean KEEP your junk mail. Not everything, of course. But it is helpful to have inspiration pieces when you need a jump start. So next time the mail comes, sift through and decide what might be classified as keepable junk.