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A podcast for those who design, develop and run websites.

Boagworld is the personal website of Paul (the Wurzel) Boag who lives in the heart of rural Dorset. He produces a weekly podcast along with Marcus (pop star) Lillington on all things relating to building and running websites.

Latest shows

127. Context
In this week's show we discuss taking context into consideration when designing websites and we answer your questions about video for an elderly audience and the most influential books in the industry. 
126. Scaling
In this weeks show we learn lessons from the botched iPhone launch here in the UK. We chat to Jeff Veen about the designer / developer relationship and Marcus talks about adding jingles to your website.
125. Copy
In this weeks show we discuss how to give personality to your site copy and we talk with Elliot Jay Stocks about going freelance.
124. HTML 5
In this weeks show we explore how to create better online surveys and Lachlan Hunt joins us to discuss HTML5
123. Plight
In this weeks show we review Textmate and the Top 5 Tips for Web Designers and we discuss the plight of in-house designers.

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Design 101: Layout

Published on: July 8, 2005 by Paul Boag

For the next in my slightly sporadic series on the basics of good web design I am going to look at the issue of layout. In particular I want to address the use of negative space, the grid system (and when to break it), and creating a hierarchy in your design. If you not a designer don't worry, this article is actually for you. To be honest any designer should already know these things. If you know them too it helps you select the right designer for the job!

www.webdesignpractices.com

Conclusions

Layout is fundamental to good design and one of the most powerful tools for guiding users gently around your site. Design hierarchy, grids, negative space and catering to user expectations are all great ways of pushing up dwell time and ensuring your users complete your call to action

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