GRC 175 Class Lessons

Lesson 8—Controlling Layouts & Navigation—Layers, Image Maps and Navigation Bars

Terminology

Image Map

A graphic containing one or more invisible regions, called hotspots, which are associated hyperlinks

Layout

The placement of visual elements—text blocks, headlines and graphics—into a pleasing and readable arrangement on a page.

Navigation Bar

Sometimes shortened to "Navbar". A row of buttons or word links that take you to other parts of the site. Usually at the top or on the left side of a page.

 

Consistency in Layout and Navigation

According to the Basic Web Design Standards discussed in Lesson 3, Navigation needs to be simple and intuitive, allowing the user to easily get around from section to section on the web site.

Consistency, another standard, makes the site comfortable and usable. Navigation needs to be consistent and so does the page layout design, if it is to be easily understandable from page to page.

Maintaining a high level of consistency in both design and navigation is what controlling layouts and navigation is about.

Tables is the primary tool for constructing and controlling page layouts. You learned how to control layout using tables in Project 3.

Text links and an email link are the only navigation (hyperlink) features you have incorported into your previous projects.

Project 6 introduces you to another method of controlling layouts (layers) and two methods for controlling navigation (image maps and navigation bars).

But first you should look an at an overview of controlling layouts and the approach to developing design for the web.

Layers

This method gives great control over where elements appear on your page. Layers are containers that can appear on top of each other (by controlling a Z value) and where they appear on the page (by controlling the X and Y values on these respective axes).

continue to Layers >