Web Page Specifications
The purpose of this document
is to give web designers at Brock University specifications when taking on the creative task of developing web pages. Web
page design and implementation has become a part of many of our job descriptions.
With these specifications we aspire to a web space that presents Brock
University information in an informative, consistent and easy to navigate
manner. In no way are these specifications meant to limit creative freedom
of our faculty, staff and students.
1. Copyright and Trademarks
| 1.1. |
Brock University
retains all rights to its name and registered marks. University personnel
developing web material are expected to respect the rights of other
organizations. |
| 1.2. |
Use of the University's
registered marks are governed by the Brock University Graphic Standards
policy, available from the Office of University Advancement. |
| 1.3. |
Office of University Advancement has on file many pictures depicting Brock University in different
modes that may be used freely. |
| 1.4. |
Copyright laws apply
to electronic publishing/posting as well as to print publishing. Be
sure you have permission to publish the information. |
2. Taking on the Role of an Information Provider
| 2.1. |
When posting information
about the University make sure to keep the information current. |
| 2.2. |
When posting a link
from your page to another page, it is courteous to inform the maintainer
of the page that the link exists. |
| 2.3. |
Link to existing information
instead of duplication. |
3. Web Page Specifications
An official page is defined as any page containing
Brock University information that is externally accessible
to the general public and not designated a personal
page by the author. It is up to the author or maintainer
of the web site to make sure that the page complies
with the specifications set out for official pages.
Personal pages are permitted but must be officially
designated as such on the main or top level page in
the individuals personal page hierarchy. All pages
under the officially designated personal page are
also assumed to be personal. Brock University Registered
Marks may not be placed on personal pages (please
call the Office of University Advancement for details).
3.1 Official Page Specifications
| 3.1.1 |
Each page shall have
an identifier that clearly states that it is a Brock University page.
The department should also be listed so that visitors know where they
are at all times. A visitor may reach your page from a search engine
and not through the Brock University home page. |
| 3.1.2. |
Each page will have
a set of navigational buttons that let the user, if applicable, go
back, forward, return to the department's main page and go to the
University home page. Sample buttons can be found in the graphics
library (See section 4) that you can link to. |
| 3.1.3. |
The use of frames
is discouraged. They are hard to bookmark, search engines can have
problems perusing them and they can be difficult for the person viewing
the page to print. |
| 3.1.4. |
A footer is required
on each page which will include the following:
- An e-mail address
for the page maintainer (which must be a Brock University
account).
- A link to Brock University's
web page disclaimer
- The date the page
was last modified
|
| 3.1.5. |
With the permission
of the rights holder, the registered marks of donors, sponsors, affinity
program marketers or employers, among others entities with relationships
to Brock University, may be used on University pages. Students, faculty
and staff may not promote any commercial product or service on Brock
University pages. |
| 3.1.6. |
To ensure a strong
and consistent presence and functionality, University pages will be
based on the templates provided through University Marketing and Communications. |
| 3.1.7. |
To ensure that your
pages can be viewed by users with disabilities you must check them
by using a tool called Bobby.
Bobby will scan your pages and give you specifications, if needed,
to ensure your page can be viewed by individuals with impaired vision. |
| 3.1.8. |
Every page must have
a title tag with appropriate descriptive information. |
| 3.1.9. |
All pages must be
free of spelling and grammatical errors. This may be checked, along
with other page statistics, by using the free service Doctor HTML.
To access Doctor HTML point your browser to http://www2.imagiware.com/RxHTML. |
3.2 Departmental Page Specifications
| 3.2.1. |
Each departmental
page must meet all Official Page Specifications. |
| 3.2.2. |
The name of the department
or unit appears at the top of the page with the University logo and
logotype. |
| 3.2.3. |
An introduction or
description of the department must appear on the main page. |
| 3.2.4. |
A page listing names
and contact information for faculty, staff and administrators must
be available from the main page. |
| 3.2.5. |
A course page describing
in detail the current courses offered should be available from the
departmental page. At a minimum there must be a link to the official
course calendar available via the Registrar's pages. |
3.3 Personal Page Specifications
| 3.3.1. |
Contents of all pages
must comply with Brock University's "a guide to academic computing behavior". |
| 3.3.2. |
All pages must comply
with local and federal laws. |
| 3.3.3. |
A Brock University
e-mail address for the page author must be present. |
| 3.3.4. |
Each personal page
must state in its disclaimer that it is not an official publication
of Brock University and that the contents do not reflect the opinion
of Brock University and that the author, not Brock University, is
responsible for any and all content. |
| 3.3.5. |
See rules regarding
advertising and use of marks (3.1.5.) |
| 3.3.6. |
The registered marks
of Brock University may not be used on personal pages. |
4. Templates and Graphics Libraries
| 4.1. |
Templates will be made
available for many of the various pages you may need to design. |
| 4.2. |
A graphics
library has been produced containing approved images, such as the
cameo, a variety of campus pictures, faculty staff and students in day
to day activities at Brock University, photos of our Badgers and much
more. It is preferred that you link to these graphics in their original
locations and not make local copies. |
5. Help with Pages