Website

Design and Organization

Our content management system (CMS), LiveWhale, establishes the design for your pages and allows you to fill them with text, images, and more. Below, we list the best design practices you should bear in mind as you create and edit your content on the website.

Text

Headings

Use these to organize your pages and help readers scan the content. To prevent confusion, please apply headings judiciously and maintain our recommended hierarchy: 

Heading 2 should be used for the main section headers on your page.

Heading 3 should be used for subsections on your page.

Heading 4 works like bold.

We recommend using this heading rather than simply applying bold style to your header text because it helps screen readers break up the text into new sections.

Heading 5 is the smallest header style and works like italic.

We recommend using this heading rather than simply applying italic style to your header text because it helps screen readers break up the text into new sections.

Note: Header 1 is the size at which the words Lewis & Clark appear in the orange website header at the top of the page. It is not available for use on most pages.

Paragraph should be used for all regular text on your page.

Alignment

Left-justified text is the easiest to read on a screen. Don’t center your text, especially if it is in paragraph form.

Colors

To ensure consistent readability across our website, it is important that you not apply color to any text. If you’re looking for ways to add emphasis, please consider applying headers or contact New Media for advice.

Case

Unless you want to be accused of YELLING, don’t put your text in all caps.

Bold and Italics

These font styles can be effective in small doses, but avoid applying them to large sections of text—they can quickly overwhelm the eye. To learn more about how to use italics, consult the Style Guide.

Underlining

It’s all too easy for readers to mistake underlined text for a hyperlink, so avoid underlining when creating digital content.

Links

• Don’t add your own underlining to links. Lewis & Clark’s CMS, LiveWhale, will format them automatically.
• Link nouns, not verbs. (For example, use “Schedule a campus visit” rather than “Schedule a campus visit”.) This helps your audience quickly understand the destination of your link.
• Avoid using “click here” or “link”, which make the content less accessible. Instead, simply link the thing itself. (For example, use “Submit your application” rather than “Click here to apply”.)
• When linking to a file or document, include a reference to the file type. This helps visitors to the website understand what they are opening. (For example, “Download the registration form (PDF)” gives users a clear idea what to expect.)

Images

• Upload the largest available version of your image. LiveWhale will take care of any resizing that might be necessary.
• If you need new or different images for your web project, please refer to our Image Media Bank, or get in touch with us to discuss your image needs.
• Always add a caption to your image. Screen-reading software can pick it up as alternative text for people with vision impairments and convert it into speech or braille.
• If you need to create a graphic for your event or story, our office recommends using Canva. Refer to our Visual Identity Guide for guidance on logos, colors, and fonts.
• Important: See Image Usage Rights for information on image copyright and licensing.

Logo

The Lewis & Clark website already displays the logo where needed, so there’s almost never a situation in which you need to add that graphic yourself. If you have questions about how or where Lewis & Clark uses the logo and related graphics, please refer to our Visual Identity Guide. 

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Go Addresses

Reach out to New Media if you need a shortened URL address (like go.lclark.edu/apply) for your event or webpage in LiveWhale for easier sharing and promotion.

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Analytics

Each page within the LiveWhale CMS tracks basic analytics such as page views, which editors can see in page details and the dashboard. If you need more detailed information, contact Director of New Media Morgan Stone Grether, who can set up a personalized Google Analytics report for your department or office webpages.