Layout

Web pages always have a dominant element and a number of additional, peripheral elements. On content pages, the dominant element is always situated in the left top corner of a page. This is where the title and primary content is located. Everything else on the page is considered secondary to this main element, but secondary elements also have a hierarchy.

Separate Content: Defining what is "Primary" and "Secondary"

The informational content on a Web site can have various content types: It can be displayed as text, images, videos, multimedia presentations, audio files, slideshows, or promotions. Within every content type, it is important to separate the “most important” from the “least important” – or in our terms, “primary” and “secondary” content – and classify the hierarchy of importance of what we would like to communicate to the public (site viewer).

Considering the interactive character of the internet and the limited space on the screen, it is important to wisely determine your site’s most important goals when choosing to publish the content.

Main text content can have other related content. For example: photo galleries or videos, interactive forms, or multimedia presentations. It is up to the author to determine what the most important, related content is and its hierarchy within the page.

Making choices is the key to successful layout. Some believe every topic is important and so it may be hard to make these choices. However, they do have to be made, particularly when one subject leads into another, or because it is easier to read from primary to secondary content then reading an undistinguished block of the same size content.

Photography

Photography used on the NYU.edu site must be web-ready and must be approved for use on the website.  

We recommend using the NYU Photo Bureau for University photography needs to help ensure that you have both the appropriate level of quality and the permission to use images on the University website.

Graphics

While the use of graphics on the NYU.edu website is limited, any graphics used must be web-ready and must be approved for use on the website, and must follow guidelines provided in the University Identity and Style Guide.

We recommend using high-quality graphics created by designers rather than line or clip art.

Videos

We recommend that videos on the web are no longer than 2 minutes in length and don't require proprietary software for site viewers to watch. We also strongly recommend that all videos contain captions.

NYU.edu uses the JW Player by LongTail as its local video player.