The first screenful of content makes or breaks any website. Most arts organizations have a lot of in-depth information to convey, so 90% of the success of an arts website is decided by the structure. There are five features that every first screenful must include, and I'm spelling them out in five separate blog posts.

Essential Element 1: What is it? and Why should I Care? (aka "the meta message")
Beware the Curse of Knowledge. You know what your organization is and what it does, but that doesn't mean a visitor to your website will know it, even if they have come there deliberately as a result of a specific search or a link from your e-blast. Also, don't assume website visitors care about the art form for its own sake. You must tell them in both words and pictures what they will get out of it, what it will feel like to experience it.

Good Example 1

It's easy to figure out the meta message here. First, the title of the center -- the "Philharmonic Center for the Arts" says exactly what the website is about, and it is backed up by the concise slogan, "Your cultural destination in Naples, FL." A quick scan of the other elements and we can see the center has "performances," an "orchestra" and a "museum." The billboard below the main header rotates among upcoming shows. This screen shot happens to feature an upcoming opera. The small teasers below it are similar to the other billboards that rotate in the larger position where the opera appears now.

Good Example 2

Even without realistic or symbolic representations of "music," it takes just a second to know that this website is for the San Francisco Opera, we can get details on all of the season's operas very quickly, including the Ring cycle playing next summer, and we are ultimately expected to purchase tickets (the shopping cart at the top and the "Buy Now" button near the bottom of the first screen).

Poor Example

There are many positive things to say about this website, but they mostly involve other pages. The "first impression" opportunity afforded by the top of the homepage is largely squandered because of the enigmatic photo in the top left that doesn't clearly convey any information, and the unreadable text underneath the "Southwest Montana Arts Council" header bar is a huge distraction. The really key information about the fact that events are taking place and there are tickets available does not appear in the first screen. Surveys suggest that anywhere from 50% to 90% of website visitors do not scroll down the home page, so anything "below the fold" so to speak will go largely unnoticed.

Next posting (part 2): Why is 6 the maximum number of buttons that should appear in a navigation bar?