Since my brain has been buzzing with website design so far this week, I thought I'd share what I've discovered when it comes to web buttons.

Certain web buttons can help to make or break the design of your web page. And there's a lot to consider. For instance, do you want to keep it relatively simplistic with a button that properly uses subtle drop shadows and maybe a tad of beveling? Maybe you'd rather have a bold, and eye-catching button in an interesting shape for maximum attention? Or do you want a techy-looking button that's coloured vibrantly with gloss and sheen, and reversed type? Regardless of what you're after, there seem to be a few proven techniques that give your button a better chance of appealing to your website user. I've summarized a few below, but to educate yourself completely and to see good web button design in action, visit http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/10/13/call-to-action-buttons-examples-and-best-practices/.

1. Get attention with scale - Generally in web design the size of an element in comparison to that of surrounding elements indicates it's importance. So make the decision first thing when it comes to determining the importance of your button because this will directly affect how you should scale it.

2. Get attention with prominent positioning - Catch the viewer's eye by being particular where you place your button. Positioning a button in a prominent area like in a space with a lot of contrast or placed near the top with your navigation menu bar will lead to more clicking activity.

3. Use whitespace - Whitespace can give your page elements differentiation so ensure your button has some breathing room. This will make your button stand out and be more obvious to your users.

4. Be smart with colour - Your button will jump off the page with the proper use of contrasting colours so make sure the button doesn't blend in with the hues of your background or other nearby elements.

Finally, one of my own to add:
5. Less is more! - Don't go overboard with multiple effects, textures, patterns, embossing, outer glows, crazy outlines and whatever else you're itching to try. Better to lean towards simplicity and let the content speak for itself then to practically yell "CLICK HERE" and give the viewer a migraine..!