Design layer

Front-end stack

Compelling web sites begin with compelling design. Chances are, you and your team already have a good idea what your next web site should look like; and chances are you've been thinking of ways to draw your visitors in, quickly tell your story, and provide pathways for learning about and evaluating your business offerings. A great design can do all that without coercion.

Photoshop / Illustrator

The graphic design industry's software of choice is Adobe's Creative Suite: robust, proven, dependable—with the two leading stars being Photoshop and Illustrator.

• Adobe Photoshop has all the tools and effects needed to produce stunningly beautiful graphics and photo compositions that can tell your story in less than 1000 words.
• Adobe Illustrator has crisp line geometry and sharp text stroking to produce professional quality diagrams with subtle shading and gradients. Making your business nomenclature understandable to first time visitors is essential: and doing it with pizzazz is what Adobe Illustrator does best.

Kuler

Color theory is the secret sauce that differentiates. Make sure your next web site uses a color scheme that stands out from your competitors while still fitting within the industry norm.

• Adobe Kuler is a free on-line resource for color schemes. It's instructional, professional, creative, and just plain fun!

Color picker

Use this handy Adobe-style color picker to titrate your color scheme.