Communication is the key. The communication medium can transform the message, but if you start with nothing, you just prettify emptiness.

Experience in computer communication design? From late 1980s (EIS and DSS simulation models "ergonomy"), to early 1990s (Lotus Notes), and then on the Web: mainly, to design communication for closed communities, using whatever tool (and expertise) was available.

Moreover- project management and management consulting (activities that are 90% communication + negotiation).

If a graphical design is needed (e.g. corporate identity), I prefer to draft the communication concept (target, message, etc) with people that "control" the content, and then discuss the visual concept with a visual artist.

Away from the keyboards: a whiteboard with multi-colored markers and a digital camera are my preferred "design tools".

When preparing these sites, the design concept had to mirror the purpose (I would not use "philosophy") of both the sites and the approach of the company.

Therefore, simple, minimalist guidelines, covering both the business approach and the potential channels used by viewers:

Design guideline
0. fast to load, no graphic, only text (printer-friendly)
1. has to look simple, clean, minimalist- to the point of being poor: communication, not showoff :)
2. any navigational information has to be redundant- click anywhere, get there- with minimal graphical "wizardry"
3. the two main items are the menu on the left and the one on the right
4. also if read with a smartphone or a device with a mini-screen, 2. should be accessible
5. anyway, for content navigation visibility sake, the page requires a minimum width of 640px x 480px
6. if the physical screen is less than 640px, the horizontal scrollbar will appear, but the menu will not be "crunched"
7. beside the usual grumbling checks to support Internet Explorer (tested with 7 and 8) no-browser specific
8. any information that requires more complex processing (e.g. details for the CV) is supplied by links
9. links should open in the layout only online; if saved, the links will open directly the content

Incidentally: this block of text comes from the source of the pages in this website- in pure OpenSource approach, the source is commented, to allow others to be "inspired" in how to use HTML, CSS, AJAX and other technologies... without learning or technicians.

Why the highlight on lines 4 5 6? Because more and more visitors will use their Internet mobile devices (the ITU said 50% from approx. 2012).

And point 9 was the last but not the least important one: if you copy-and-paste the link to any page on this website, it will open with just the content, without the layout.

Why? Because this way you can save or print the content of each page on any device, or copy-and-paste it into any text editing software.

Yes. It is all unprotected- but, anyway, each page contains an e-mail link.

And all those "Flash-based" website, that load a wonderful 2MB Flash movie that acts as a menu... are simply unreachable.

Ask how long it takes and how much it costs to download one of those websites.

And ask your design team if they did try their new design using the same connection speed that is used by the audience that they want to reach.

So, the choice was really simple: deliver the message, and, as listed in point 8., divert elsewhere to see something more complex.

But the basic information requires just a JavaScript-enabled browser (for AJAX), and it has been tested with half a dozen leading browsers.

Suggested configuration? 1024x768 with Firefox 3, but also 1024x600 (the typical NetBook) will work fine, without scrolling.

Come back in the future- new links to other "media concept" websites will be added as soon as one has been tested by the audience.

And for articles on technology, politics, and their impact (including DIY cross-media without a budget), please visit my blog

Contact: PartnershipIncubator@PartnershipIncubator.com