This site is designed for readability by everyone, regardless of their abilities or the limitations imposed by computers.
While we use graphics and features that require later browsers, our pages are designed to be used with any Web browser.
Our Guidelines
Limit the size and number of graphics. If you use a background, make it light.
Use a caption on every graphic.
Use readable text. Don't be clever, don't try to cram a lot on the screen.
Use contrast in colors and fonts.
Use bulleted lists. End each line with a period to help readers distinguish the end of the line.
Try to keep the width of each line short. Shorter lines are easier to read, and aid eye-tracking.
Don't use image maps. If the image describes several links, use separate pictures for each link, and place them close together.
Don't hard-code the screen width; every page must be resizable. Every page should be usable on any screen 160-pixels wide or wider. Some people use very large fonts, which limits the amount of text on each line. If the document is displayed in frames, it must be resizable to avoid text running-off the right margin.
Consistency is good. While every page is unique and individual looking (blame it on right-brainedness), they share design elements that aid navigation.
The page must be usable if the reader has graphics turned off.
We do not claim conformance to any standards or to the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Performance
All layout is done by hand; we do not use page design programs. This ensures complete control over the page, greater compatibility, and eliminates hidden, extraneous tags in files. Performance is always important.
Our Performance Guidelines
Use a small home page. If it takes longer than five seconds to load, they may not wait.
Graphics are illustrations. They are not filler.
Don't require frames. They load slowly, rarely work correctly, and depend heavily on mousing-around. Yes, we use frames (you may be looking at them now), but we don't force frames on you.
Frames can sometimes be nested accidentally. Code links to framed documents or documents on other sites with TARGET="_top", to avoid this problem.
Don't put graphics inside of tables. It makes Netscape Navigator bog down.
Include the graphic image size in the IMG statement. This can be ignored if the the ALT= section is important, and it would be larger than the image size.
Use tables with contrasting background colors. Remember that not all browsers display table background colors, so the text must be readable in the screen background color. Colors must contrast to ensure that they stand-out on monochrome or grey-scale monitors, and by color blind readers.
Don't put the whole document in a table--and don't use nested tables. This causes delays while the browser calculates all those clever indentations.
Use fonts. While font changes are ignored by earlier browsers (even Netscape 2.x), they aid readability. Microsoft's Verdana font, for instance, is good for body text, designed for low-resolution; you can find this and other fonts free at Microsoft's TrueType site.
Don't assume that if the page looks good in your browser, it will be readable in others. Clever techniques often result in overlapping text or unexpected gaps.
Limit the color scheme. It should be readable on any screen, even in monochrome.
Early browsers ignore styles and style sheets. The main use for styles is consistency--they may also save space. We use styles, but we make sure documents work well without them.
Tip: If your (early) browser turns everything that's indented into italics, such as this paragraph, you may be able to disable this feature. For instance, CorelWeb Mosaic uses a file named CORELWEB.INI. You can search for lines in that file containing the word "BLOCKQUOTE" and "Italic", then change to "NoItalic". In other browsers, you may be able to change formatting in a Preferences, Options or Properties menu while running the program.
r_harvey