Beginning SharePoint® 2010: Building Business Solutions with SharePoint

Chapter 9. Branding and the User Experience

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER:

• Why organizations brand

• Best practices for enhancing the user experience

• Working with themes

• Working with master pages

In the previous two chapters, we discussed the basics of creating collaboration sites and working with web parts to extend those sites, bringing users rich features that will help them to more easily store, share, and find people, processes, and information within their organization.

In this chapter, we will delve into the world of user experience and the role branding plays in its success. More specifically, we will attempt to uncover the layers of a successful brand strategy and unleash the secrets leading to mass user adoption, the ultimate compliment and purpose of any brand.

Finally in this chapter, we will dive into a slightly more technical side of SharePoint branding, working with master pages where you will learn how to leverage this out-of-the-box feature to build a consistent user interface in tune with corporate brand standards.

WHY ORGANIZATIONS BRAND

The reasons to brand are many and may differ slightly from organization to organization, but there are a few consistent underlying motivations across the board, and that is where we will focus our attention.

Most organizations strive to build a trusted image that encompasses the core values and general purpose the organization represents. That image or brand is often broken down into a set of tools, patterns, and practices that, when ...