My Site is Darn Ugly.

[Captain Fabulous]

Yes, yes it is. It is hideous. Admittedly, this is my first attempt at learning HTML, and I think I'm doing ok. I've designed other webpages before, but always with a graphic webpage designing tool like Yahoo Pagebuilder, and so on. I've got some images I'd like to place behind my comic, so that they kind of make a border on two edges. It's supposed to look cool.

<pre>
_______ <- side thingie.
|
|
comic

|
|
________ <- side thingie.

</pre>
So I made them in Corel Photopaint, and they're square with a black background (to match my page's background). But now I need to know how to put them behind the comic on the page, make the comic update overtop of them, so on and so forth. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Toxic]

*Takes a picture of the site*

*Mails it to ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Keenspace Edition"*

[VileTerror]

Well, I tried to warn Cap Fab with a private message that this was in the wrong forum, so he could move it to T3, but Toxic just made that impossible.

mcDuffies: box it up, and ship it over!

[Toxic]

And by replying again instead of PMing me, you have condemned this thread to undeletableness. Ooh, burn!

[VileTerror]

Like you would have even considered it. PHA!

[McDuffies]

Going to TTT forum, poof!

[Nking79]

I use a 'tables' when designing websites. A table is a lot like a grid. They are very flexible if you know how to use them. You can even place a table within a table.

Take a look at the attached image. The thin grey lines show the table, but they are not visible on the actual website. I begin each website in Photoshop and use the Slice tool to export as a table/HTML. The HTML is then opened in a web editing program to be put together.

As a beginner, familiarize yourself with basic HTML and then learn how to use Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive or some other web editing program. It takes time, so be patient.

[RemusShepherd]

I'd like to drive this thread in a different direction.

My site is also ugly and barren, but then it's new (I'm not planning for readers for another month or so). I *know* how to make HTML websites and tables and all that stuff previously mentioned. I just don't know what I *should* do on my website. I don't need advice about 'how', I need advice about 'what'.

Maybe a list of random, stream-of-consciousness questions will illustrate the problems I have in designing my comic's site:

• Should my comic be centered on the page? Should my navigation buttons (first, previous, next, last) be on top, on bottom, on the side? What are some guidelines when making nav buttons -- how big/small can they be before they are annoying?
  
  Should the 'extra' stuff (title, calendar, any text accompanying the comic, any links, etc) be above, below, or on the side of the comic?
  
  How do I put up a Keenspace 'Newsbox' ad? (I've figured out the calendar.) Should I put up links to other webcomics as a separate page, or as a horde of ads on the main page?
  
  If my comic is black and white, should I use color on the buttons and page decorations? Should my background be white, black, colored, or textured? Can I put animated GIFs or hovering javascript images on the main page without detracting from my comic?

I know that most of these questions can't be answered -- they depend on what the comic looks like and on my own personal taste. For most of them, the answer is, "Whatever you think looks best". But what I'm wondering is whether there are any pearls of wisdom that the experienced comic people can give. Something like, "90% of all comic readers hate hovering javascript images", or "Most screens are 800 pixels wide and anything larger than that forces people to scroll" would be useful info.

[Faub]

Some answers from a reader (as well as an artist):

Should my comic be centered on the page? Should my navigation buttons (first, previous, next, last) be on top, on bottom, on the side? What are some guidelines when making nav buttons -- how big/small can they be before they are annoying?

I want to be able to see the comic with as little work as possible on my part. Without scrolling is best, but I have an 800x600 screen so it's tough to make a good site with this restriction. Vertical scrolling with the mouse wheel is next best. Horizontal scrolling is only okay if no vertical scrolling is required. If you make me scroll horizontally AND vertically just to read your comic I will probably avoid your site in the future.

I want to be able to find the nav buttons without scrolling to the bottom in case I'm searching through your archives for a specific comic and want to go backward as well as forward. Nav buttons should be accessible if I've scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page. Preferrably next to (or right on) where my mouse will be when I finish scrolling.

The size of a nav button is not as important as knowing what to hit. If you can keep it in the same position on the page every time, that's best. If the nav buttons are small, put some space between them so I can sloppily click in the general area and have what I expect to happen actually happen.

How do I put up a Keenspace 'Newsbox' ad? (I've figured out the calendar.) Should I put up links to other webcomics as a separate page, or as a horde of ads on the main page?

The smaller the main page, the faster it will load. This is important because it's the page most everyone will see. Your archive page is much less important and should be as stripped down as possible.

If my comic is black and white, should I use color on the buttons and page decorations? Should my background be white, black, colored, or textured?

Some color helps distiguish between areas of the page. Too much color can make your comic look VERY black & white. Too much white and the comic will fade into the background of the page. Contrast is important.
http://insanityforthepoor.keenspace.com/
This is a B&W comic with a B&W site that completely distinguishes the navigation from the comic.