Saint Mary's College

A user interface style guide can serve as:

A tool for ensuring consistency
A way to get groups to work together
The repository for design guidelines and standards
A training aid for new users who maintain a web page/site

A style guide can be a training tool for new members of the design team, or a reference for anyone maintaining a department website. Since a style guide provides the basic graphic guidelines, controls, and rules of design for a suite of products, it is advised that every new developer read the entire document before touching a line of user interface code.

This isn't to say that your area can't enjoy its own unique features...indeed, you should show them off!

Be Creative! For example, these Web Design Standards & Guidelines employ judicious use of images to enliven its content. They're not imposing, and they add some visual interest to this site.

If you have images or artwork* you would like to incorporate into your content, feel free!

Whether or not you choose to add a bit of "your personality" to your area, please remember that if the college doesn't look good as a whole, your area's reputation will also suffer.

If departments and offices participate in at least the minimum requirements, we all benefit.

*If you would like assistance locating appropriate images or artwork for your site, would like help using them in a new way, or optimizing them for the web, E-mail Us. We can help.

How this site is set up...

The pages in this site provide the details and resources for you to create official websites within the Saint Mary's domain.

The links on the left side of these pages will guide you through the basic design expectations for your site. We hope that you will refer this document as you maintain your website.

Included are step by step instructions on how to apply a custom graphic header to your pages, or if you would feel more comfortable requesting assistance, please submit the "Redesign Request Form".

This is an on-going resource--additional information and will added to this website in the future, so please bookmark the URL and check back often.

If you can't find it here, let us know!
We're here to help!

For clarification about design and content issues, contact: webstandards@saintmarys.edu

For clarification on technical issues contact: webmaster@saintmarys.edu