Say "No" to dull and boring intranets

Experience suggests that when it comes to look and feel of intranets that broadly speaking there are two schools of thought when it comes to design;

Option 1: Adopting the corporate look and feel.

or,

Option 2: Going for something completely different.

When talking to someone about their thoughts on the style of their intranet their comment was, "They [colleagues] know who they work for, so why does it need to look like everything else?" Whilst some clients are required to adopt corporate standards and 'branding' others have more of a free rein. The question to ask is, "Does it need to replicate any corporate branding, or is there scope for a fresh, unique style for the Intranet."

There is no right answer to this question, it really does depend on what suits you (your company) best. Amongst Odyssey's clients the split between Option 1 and Option 2 is roughly 50/50. With as many clients going down the corporate route as those who design their intranet to look different and 'avoid' corporate branding. Those that go for a bespoke style then sub-divide into intranets that take some design cues from corporate colours and styles and those intranets that are designed using a completely different palette.

An example of those who 'borrow' from the corporate style is a major retailer whose external customers are presented a website of that has primarily white text on a black background. However on the intranet internal customers see a 'negative image' - the same general style that switches to a white background with black text. This slight twist marking the differentiation between Internet and intranet site.

An example of an intranet that goes down the unique route was a recent install where the client's corporate blue was replaced with an 'intranet' green. Some customers that have named their intranet (see last week's blog) also adopt a character for their intranet. For instance the intranet called ERNIE is characterised by a cartoon mole, a chameleon is the identity of COLIN.

Best use CSS

Ideally you want to be able to manage the style via CSS style sheets, as CSS offers the following benefits;

• HTML code becomes much simpler and more manageable


• using relative measurements in your style sheet means that you can style your documents to look good on any monitor at any resolution.


• you have control over presentation


• you can define the look of the intranet in one place, and if required change the look of the whole site by changing just the one file


• people with older browsers can still see your pages


• people with disabilities have better access to your pages

further details on CSS can be found here http://www.w3.org/Style/

Style tips;

1) The style: i.e.the main colour; any images (logos/brands) featured within a top-banner etc., could be changed on a seasonal basis. Changing styles can also be very effective to support company initiatives or product launches.

2) When designing the Intranet make sure that you view it as a user would, i.e. view the Intranet through the screens and resolutions that the majority of user will use.

3) Avoid colour clashes or intranets that look like an explosion in a paint factory. The presentation shouldn't detract from the content.

Don't forget though that style is no substitute for substance. It's no good having an attractive looking intranet if the content doesn't match the high standards set by the design!