The power of developing a state of the art content management and templating systems is starting to pay dividends. A new site has just been developed in around half a day. The Cala’n Forcat site has been rolled out in time for the summer holiday season. The resort of Cala’n Forcat can be found on the Mediterranean island of Menorca (also called Minorca). The island of Menorca is the second largest of the Balearic islands and is just 21 miles from the largest Balearic island, Majorca. Anyone who has previously taken a holiday in either Majorca or Ibiza, will soon discover that Menorca is generally quieter than the other islands. With more beaches than any other Balearic island, Menorca is famous for it’s many resorts that are suitable for families. The northern coast of Menorca is generally very rugged and populated with peaceful fishing villages. The south coast of Menorca is mainly a complete contrast and is populated with peaceful resorts that are family-friendly.

After my previous blog post I thought I should revisit the use of the Ca’n Piafort template example I discussed. The Alcudia Majorca web site has been developed using a similar template design and it looks pretty good. This is a great example of how a template can be developed for a site and then reused for a site with similar content. In fact the Alcudia Majorca site not only uses the same template system, but the actual place is also a nearby resort! By re-using the same template the site was developed in a very short time and therefore this is a good example of a templating system in use.

Most web designers like to re-use a well designed web page via Templates. It can take days to design a good looking web site so when a designer is happy with his design it makes sense to roll out that design, possibly with a few minor tweaks. A web designer recently explained how he had developed his own template design system for tourism web sites. An example of his work is on the newly created Ca’n Picafort site.

Developing a good page design is one of the most important factors when designing a web site or even a brochure or a magazine. An attractive design will develop trust among your readers and visitors. An important fact to remember is not over-designing the Website - and try to follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid). It doesn’t matter how many hours you’ve put into designing the site if no one can understand how to use it. Ask some non-technical users to check out your website before going live. If they find it easy to navigate and use then so will the rest of your visitors.

It is impossible to say exactly what makes the most beautiful and functional design since when it comes to web sites beaty is in the eye of the beholder and what one person thinks looks good may appear poor to another. There are a few basic rules in web page design which if followed are sure to please most of your visitors. The popular design trends for 2009 are multi-column layouts, large illustrations and plenty of white space.

Try to make the layout and design features on the page easily accessible and simple to understand. Where possible use standard HTML coding and avoid using Flash animations. Many users have browser settings that prevent them from viewing Flash which means that a complicated Flash design will not be seen by many visitors. Put yourself in the place of your users when designing your pages.