Web Standards

The following style guidelines apply to the official Bethune-Cookman College Web pages:

General Guidelines

 

  Strive for Usability and Accessibility first and foremost.  Think about who will use the site, how they will use it, why they will use it and what they won't know about the site or its content. Then design with all of that in mind.
  Stick to good layout principles - Consistency, Repetition, Proximity, Alignment.
  Use "white space" to make pages easier to read. Make sure your text doesn't rest up against photos, navigation areas, etc.
  Check your pages in at least 2 different browsers.
  Check your pages on another person's computer so you can tell if you've mistakenly linked to files on your computer.
  Give all pages a <title> Meta tag and <keyword> tags; this will help search engines (like Google) index your site.
  Make sure your pages make sense out of context: (Institution, Department, etc.)
  Maintain visual identity with the site for which you're building the page - including logo, colors, etc.
  Include contact information on each page; an email link to Web Author for the Department economics@cookman.edu will suffice.
  Stick to a page design that is consistent with the design on the rest of the site (so users know they haven't left the site).
  Refrain from using gratuitous javascript - including things like scrolling messages.
  Don't disable the back button.
  Dont use visible hit counters.
  Avoid "Under construction" signs or notices and unfinished pages.   This includes blank pages and pages that are simply placeholders (e.g., "This is where something will be - check back soon!") All official pages must have useful, relevant content.
  Refrain from using commercial endorsements and advertising.
  Opening pages in new windows should be limited to off-site links, .pdf or multimedia files.

 

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Always include local & global navigation on all pages.
Keep local links (those relating to your site) relative.
Avoid frames. They break the basic navigational conventions of the Web.
If you use imagemaps, include redundant text navigation links for disabled users.
Whenever possible let users know: where they can go, where they have been and where they are in your navigation design.
Don't use spaces in filename.
Use a .html file extension.

 

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Try to use the fewest number of words possible.
Chunk areas of text out using bullets, callouts, etc.
Don't use italics unless grammatically necessary (unreadable online).
Don't use all bold - it makes the material more difficult to read.
DON'T USE ALL UPPERCASE CHARACTERS - they make the material more difficult to read.
Keep width of lines (typeface) within 4" (that is all the human eye can comfortably scan at a reading).
Use only Arial, sans serif, serif or Times New Roman fonts in text. 
Don't use more than 2 fonts on a page unless they are nearly identical.
Data tables need "header" cells defined (for users of screen readers).
Use heading tags to structure your information.
Don't underline text that is not a link.
Don't center lines of text (it is harder to read than left justified).

 

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To obtain a copy of the official Bethune-Cookman College logo, email Web Services at webservices@cookman.edu
In most cases images shouldn't be more than 104 pixels on the longest side  - and try to keep the file size smaller than 10K.
JPG format should be used for photo realistic images. Use gifs for solid color, line art and text.
Always use lowercase file extensions: .jpg, .gif
Make sure all images have alt text; for spacer images, use empty quotes ("")
Optimize images as much as possible before publishing.
Don't resize images in Dreamweaver. Use Photoshop and reduce them to the size they should display online.
Leave at least 5 pixels of gutter space between photographs and page text. Don't put them right up next to each other.

 

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