I believe it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Ok, so I didn’t think that up all by myself, but I do believe this tried and true axiom to be especially relevant to web design. You see, I believe design is communication, and web design is communication that is meant to be used, so a well-crafted website not only has something to say, it invites the user to experience the information by being aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. Intuitive navigation through the site, a logical flow of information, graphical elements that enhance and clarify rather than distract and clutter, these things all speak as loudly as any text on the page.

Simply put, I handcraft all of my websites. Yes, this sounds a bit quaint, especially when talking about the internet, but the concept holds true nonetheless. Websites are a lot like furniture; if you’re looking for a desk that’s attractive and trendy but inexpensive, you could go to Target or IKEA or any number of Big Box stores and find something that looks nice enough, but it’s all pressboard and plastic and cheap veneer. The same is true of a website. There are any number of ways to build a site quickly and easily: on-line editors, Frontpage, GoLive, and DreamWeaver are just a few of the options, and these WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors can often get you what you want—on the surface. The problem with these options is the code underneath, as it’s almost always a bloated mess (larger files mean longer load times) and there is very little chance of easily and reliably ensuring cross-browser compatibility or of meeting accessibility standards.

At Ginkgo Leaf Design, I craft all of my websites in a text editor. I personally type in every line of code, so there’s no mystery, no redundancy, no bloat. I also test every site I build in every major modern browser (and quite a few minor and older ones as well), on both PCs and Macs, to ensure that whoever is looking at your site sees exactly what you want, exactly the way you want. Finally, every page is validated for accessibility, so you can be sure that anyone using assistive technology is not being left out in the cold.