Guidelines for Educational Sites:

Choose white or a light, browser-safe background color rather than a background image. Your page will load faster and tend to be more readable. Some of your viewers will want to print your pages, so it is a good idea to make your main text black or some other dark color.

Choose accent colors that work well together. A monochromatic color scheme works well to accent your content without being overbearing and distracting. Using similar graphics in different colors will help your viewer keep track of different sections of your site, while keeping the "look and feel" consistent.

Make sure that your viewers can understand your writing. Avoid long, complex sentences. Use smaller words and phrases to communicate complex ideas. It is hard to read words on a screen. Keep blocks of text short and to the point, and avoid huge blocks of text without images. Write like you talk, except when it is not appropriate. If you are putting a class on the web, you may need to write like a textbook.

Keep it simple. Limit your use of Java, animations, or large graphics. Yes, it's a lot of fun to cram your pages with neat effects or images, but they take time to download. A fast loading page will keep people coming back to your site. A page with a lot of distracting elements will make your viewer uncomfortable and keep them waiting while your page loads and reloads.

Limit the number and size of images on your page. Images take time to download. Large image take LOTS of time to download. Use images that will enhance your content rather than distract your viewers. Keep the number of images on your page low and keep the size of your images small. You can always link a small thumbnail image to a larger version. Keep design elements small and simple.