Continuing with our discussion on functionality and design, I am going to bring up the next main topic of this blog: Navigation.

Navigation:

Navigation is the key ingredient in allowing people to get the content they want at a rate that they are accustomed to.

The Navigation area is often the first to be tinkered with when developing an artistic or unique design for a site. However, it is also the most fragile of categories…stray too far from the simple and straightforward and you will have a website that no one will want to navigate or even visit again.

Flash banners/headers are a great way to make the simple seem different. Flash is a great solution in livening up a website in order to create a more interesting experience. When doing a flash navigation, create something that speaks to your client or company with brand identity, but try not to overdo the animation to the point that it overpowers the rest of the website. This should be seamless and add a touch of brilliance to the website.

Here are a few examples of interesting flash navigation. However, all of these sites are full flash, which is a Webflo Studios “No-No.” (We will touch on that subject on a different day).

Dreamworks and Popsound both have a sleek design, but each has an entirely different feel and purpose. I personally find the Dreamworks rollover to be a bit too long and slightly distracting, while the Popsound navigation is clean but with a twist. What do you think?

All in all, when you mix design and functionality nothing should ever overshadow the client’s experience. Keep the menu titles simple and concise, and do not let your viewer wait for their information like the Dreamworks site does. This does not mean that you cannot have an interesting or different navigation system. Just make sure your client knows where they are going and why they are going there.