The goal is to establish quickly a consistent, logical screen layout that allows you to insert text and graphics for each new page quickly and without having to stop and re-think the basic design every time. Without a firm underlying design grid, page layout will be driven by the problems of the moment, and the overall design of the web system will be patchy and visually confusing. 3.5.3.7 Think in screens of information, not pages Always base your page header design on what average users with the average display monitor will see within the first screen of information. The most effective web page headers incorporate a combination of graphics and interactive links, often in the form of an image map. 3.5.3.8 Consistent graphic identity One of the major purposes of careful graphic design is to give your web site a unique visual identity.
Graphics used within headers can also signal that a series of web pages is related.
Even if you decide not to use graphics on your pages, the header of a web page should contain a prominent title at or very near the top of the page. Graphics placed above the title line should not be so large that they force the title and introductory text off the page on standard office-size monitors. In a related series of documents there may also be subtitles, section titles, or other text elements that convey the relationship of the currently visible document to others in the series. To be effective, these elements must be standard in all the pages in your site. Good typography depends on the contrast between fonts and between text blocks and the surrounding empty space.