Page elements, such as font size, colors, and other visual cues, serve as navigating and identifying cues to your viewers. Take a look at any typical magazine, book, or newsletter, and you'll notice that it has a distinctive logo or title, matching story or chapter title typefaces, and page numbers in the same place on every page. Once you've been a subscriber to the same magazine, you become familiar with what columns you want to read and where to find them, either by knowing in general what area of the magazine they can be found (new stories in the front, features in the middle, humor column on the last page), or by identifying the writers picture, or even knowing where to find a page number in the table of contents, if the design has remained consistent for at least a few issues.

The same goes for Web pages wall there are probably a lot of Web publishers that don't consider their sites a "magazine" or "newspaper" per se successful navigation and the rarity with a site depends on the same basic visual features. Subtitles, were larger than body text type, tell you you're about to embark on a new section. Text under an image or photograph explains what the picture is all about. A page, section, or chapter number gives you a hint about where you stand in the whole puddle of pages.

Nameplate/banner/logo

Generally the nameplate, banner, or logo of a site is the first and most prominent visual on the first page, impossibly subsequent pages. This identifying feature should be distinctive it serves to establish a visual identity that viewers will (hopefully) remember.

If you have an existing business, your business logo is an obvious choice for the identifying banner of your WebSite. If you're a logo rookie, the rules of a good logo are that it be unique, that it's stylish but not too trendy ( unless, of course, your running a "trendy" oriented business), and most of all, communicates what you want the audience know about you, your business, and your attitude.

Design your own logo/banner/nameplate

On a piece of paper sketch what you would like to have as your company logo. Try to deal in concepts rather than making a specific sketch. Label the parts for colors and shapes.

After your sketch has been approved go to a paint or drawing program and sketch or draw your logo. You may also take clip art and modify it for the purposes of this class.