page layouts
One of the important decisions that need to be made in the design process is what type of layout will best serve your particular website. Not every website should have the same layout. Can you say "boring"? If your content does not fit a particular layout then look for another one that does fit. For example a three-column layout (like this site) requires that you have enough content to make each column interesting.
Listed below are some typical layouts and a brief description of the type of site that would benefit from its use. The links to the right will open a new window with a sample layout.
The examples shown here are just a few options. Once the design process begins then other options will present themselves as the content and the website's purpose are better defined.
one-column
Probably the most basic of websites, but it does its job well! If all that you need to do is get your message across quickly and without a lot supporting links, or other information then this layout will work for you.
I've used single column layouts for several elementary schools where there is not a lot of extra information that needs to be displayed along with the main message.
two-columns
This type of layout is almost as common as the one column layout. The second column (whether it's on the left or the right) lets you include a navigation menu (the most common use of the 2nd column), or perhaps a listing of related links. Blogs have utilized this layout very effectively.
The two column layout can also consist of 2 columns of equal width, providing more of a magazine or newsletter look. While attractive these can prove to be troublesome in terms of getting your columns to balance out.
There are numerous examples of two column layouts among the various links in the site design section.
three-columns
The three column layout has become more popular as the size of computer monitors has increased in recent years. The three columns lets you include a navigation section, a main content area, and a "News" or sidebar region that can be used for any number of things. As you can see on this site, I have used the 3rd column for displaying screen shots of site designs, providing links to example sites, and displaying the various types of layouts that can be considered.
The one disadvantage to the third column is the need to develop enough content to fill that column! Often times it's easy to come up with ideas for a few pages, but as your site gets larger it becomes more of a challenge to fill up all that space. But don't let that discourage you from considering a three column layout!
