Most web sites exist primarily to create or strengthen the brand of a product or service. They include graphics such as logos, photography, and information that looks similar to the rest of a company's marketing materials, but they do not always include a sound site structure that promotes good usability. This can often cause more damage than having an ugly site (yes, I am a creative director). On the Web, the image of your brand is essentially created by the success or failure the customer experiences while interacting with your site.

Before I continue, let's clarify some brief descriptions of three terms that are mentioned throughout a good Web development process and this article:

Branding: Indirect perception (both positive and negative) by customers of a company or group's products, services, etc. It is subtle and takes time and money to develop. If not carried out consistently through all applications (offline, online, in-person), it can have a very counterproductive effect.

Marketing: Active and direct communication with customers; can vary depending on target audience

Usability: Relative to the Web, usability is the relationship between the Web site and its users (your customers); a highly usable site enables users to locate information intuitively and complete tasks effectively.

Quick Example
The best way to think about your Web site is to think of it in terms of being an extension of your office or as an additional store location. Just imagine walking into a retail music store and looking around to see cool art of album covers all over the wall and memorabilia that took you back to the years your favorite band ruled the world. Yet when you tried to find the CD you were after, there was no organization to their inventory, no signs distinguishing music types like Folk, Jazz, or Death Metal, and absolutely no one to help you. You may even get fed up and leave the store altogether. Obviously a frustrating experience and is a poor reflection on that store's brand.

The same idea applies to the Web. Like a retail store, the Web is a direct experience with the customer and is interactive, not passive. Because the direct experience is so powerful, the effects of indirect messaging (graphics, photos, etc) can just disappear. I know it sounds simple, but it is not always easy to develop. Stay focused on the purpose of the web site. If your primary focus is

Creating a useable Web site
Creating a Web site that meets branding and usability requirements, the design process must include the branding and usability teams as early as possible. A Pop Art web site usability consultant applies a proven process to the first third of each of our projects that allows our designers and strategists to gather the necessary information so they may develop their design approach:

• Marketing messages and structural designs are driven by Sitemaps and Wireframes
• Formal elements such as colors, fonts and photography treatments are documented in Mood Boards and Graphic Comps
• HTML templates and Style Guides are created for consistency in both maintaining and developing additional pages to a site.

Branding and usability are important service offerings in our industry. Companies need to realize that their Web sites serve as a part of their communication strategy, be it inward or outward facing, and thus not only need their site to be adapted to the look of the other collateral and printed materials, but also be spoken in the same voice and lead their customers so they may fulfill their objective. Providing these services needs expertise in design, usability engineering, and technology as well as communication and negotiation skills (and a good deal of perseverance).

For more information on Pop Art's design process, please see our Design White Paper.