All good websites have defined structures used in designing the layout. Best way to look at it is as if you are writing a format letter. There are guidelines on how you write a formal letter depending on what type of letter and who the letter is being addressed to, same with web pages. A page layout can be broken down into sections as seen in the diagram below:
Header
Header section is similar to your heading in a letter. It contains the logo of the website and navigation bar Main Menu also any addresses you would like the viewer to reference.
Main Menu
Usually situated in the Header section and is a very important feature of the header. This is usually a horizontal navigational me nu that allows viewer navigation through various sections of the website.
Side Bar
Side bar are also called secondary menus, they are usually vertical navigation bars that allow the viewer navigate to other pages of interest in the site. Believe it or not there actually is a science or a well thought out process to building up navigation hierarchy of a side bars.
Main Content
This is where most of the content is found like the main body of a formal letter after a salutation to the addressee.
Footer
Footer is another important section of a web page. It usually contains information related to contact information for any organizations, or declaimer notifications, or links to relevant external site. Most importantly the footer contains a footer navigational menu, usually is meant to be redundant to the header menu. Its supposed to give the viewer an idiot proof way of navigating through the website.
BODY
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I’m a first-year graphic design student and was looking for a web page layout. That’s when I came across your web page. Two things you mentioned really popped out for me. Algebra, which is not my best subject, which I will take the Fall semester, and what you say about art.
We have our strengths and weaknesses, some think more logically hence tend to go towards Algebra other tend to think logically hence Arts. You are lucky if you have a high degree of both, since you are a graphics design student build on your creative strengths, never be afraid stretch out your imagination no matter how weird it may seem at first. You’ll find that there is a little genius in there, just need to step back and look at it from a different angle.
That being said, you still need to have your Algebra, at least enough to be understand it, because even in Art like in Algebra there are principals and mechanics that guide it. Every stroke of a brush, or shade of color used in pixels, or your angle in a curve, or your masking an object, they all have their mechanics. Where you decided to be an software engineer or graphics artist you will always do better when you have a balance of both logic and creativity.