Web Design

Since one of the possible ancillary tasks was to create a promotional website for a band, I researched web design basics. Some of the things which I will have to make sure I consider are:

• Planning the website before making it

• Designing it with the target audience in mind

• Getting volunteers to test the website before releasing it

• Making sure the navigation is simple and intuitive

• Using simple fonts that every computer will have

• Limiting the amount of images and other media that will increase loading times

• Creating an interesting and eye-catching homepage to grab people's attention

I will also need to consider the conventions of typical promotion websites for artists, and make sure that I only break them knowingly, in order to achieve a particular effect. Including all the information and features that the audience looks for on a band's website will be key, so I am aiming to include Web 2.0 features like links to Myspace, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks.

Other important things to include on the site include:

• A concise artist biography, or 'about' page.

• News about the artist and live performances

• Clips of the music that are playable

• Videos of the artist, including the music video produced in the main task

• Photos of performances, album covers etc.

• Options for buying the music, with links to iTunes, Amazon and other sites.