As it seems, the job has almost been done. The favourite domain has been registered, the ideal hosting partner has been found, the websites are being developed

Now if for your own domain criteria such as availability or sometimes also compatibility with search engines are important and the hosting partner who seems to best meet your demands in terms of price-performance ratio has been entrusted with the job, the layout of your sites is certainly the decisive part of the project.

What you see is what you see.

Web design is to web sites what typography is to printed matters. It is far from being an art; maybe one could call it applied art, though. The designer should plan every singular step and check it afterwards.

Yet planning implies an objective which one is heading for, and so a series of important decisions have to be taken right at the beginning of the planning phase:

• Which target group is being addressed?
• Which functions is the product to fulfil?
• Is it meant to be publicity or is it rather to be used like a reference book?
• Do knowledge and information have to be imparted, even in times of "Big Brother"?
• Is technical feasibility prior to compatibility?
• Is a user-friendly form more important than absolutely ergonomic standards?
• Should it also be fun?
• Which browser generations and document standards of the W3-consortium are to be supported?

This list almost stretches to infinity.

But only by asking and answering these and other questions in good time, one has the chance of reaching the goal of good design: the perfect product.