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Web Design Mistakes - Graphics
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Good design involves a good balance of text and graphic design. How
many graphics you choose to use on your web page, if any,
depends on what your site is about. A sales letter page about a
virtual downloadable product doesn't need a lot of graphics. For
example, an e-book page may contain graphics of a book cover
(for example of a book cover graphic, see
http://www.brealweb.com/writing/freebook.asp), bullets, a header
and navigational links which are all small, fast loading
graphics files. However, an art gallery will have a lot of
graphics, and a visitor to that site will be expecting a lot of
images.
The problem with graphics is that they really slow down page
loading time. For users of 28.8 KB modems (Yes, they are still
in use) the loading time of a page is of primary importance. For
those with high speed connections, loading time is unimportant,
but bandwidth may be an issue (send a blank e-mail to
mailto:bandwidth@brealweb.com for an article explaining
bandwidth). So the rule of thumb is, ---Only Use Optimised
Graphics Infrequently---
There are a few common mistakes made when using graphics that
can be easily avoided and will make your site visitor's
experience much more enjoyable.
1. Large and Uncompressed Graphics. Large graphics are needed on
the web, but they should be kept in their place. (E.g. high
resolution maps, wallpaper images, etc). Where a site has these
images, there should be a lower resolution thumbnail linking to
the larger image. Then only the people who want the large image
will have to wait for it to download.
Even smaller graphics can still have large file sizes if they're
not compressed properly. Consider the following:
* JPG files can be easily compressed by increasing the loss
percentage - just check that you are retaining enough image
quality though. * Reduce the number of colours in a GIF image to
make it smaller. * Save photographs as JPG files and clip art
type graphics as GIFs. * Decrease the actual pixel size of your
image. Although you may have high resolution on your computer
monitor, your site visitor may not. Consider keeping your high
quality image under 800 x 600 pixels.
2. What About Animated Graphics? With the popularity of Flash
movies, animation file sizes can be huge and a person with a
slow modem may never get to see your masterpiece.
Simple graphic animations can be optimised in a similar way that
static GIF's can. Reduce the number of colours, remove redundant
pixels and keep them simple! Look around at other sites for
ideas for effective GIF animations if you have trouble keeping
your own creative genius under control.
Flash graphics are a topic on their own, but they do require the
user has a plug-in so they are able to see your creation. Some
people will not get the plug-in, just so they can see your
creation, so it may be wise to consider putting your most
important content into another format.
3. Creating Backgrounds And Fonts
If you have a favourite, but obscure font you want to use on
your web site, then you should use it in a graphic. However, it
needs to be kept simple (there's that word again!). It really
needs to be readable, so consider the font size and effects you
will use on it.
Don't create garish font/background combinations. Dark purple
font on a navy background cannot easily be seen, and red on blue
is difficult for many to read too. For more information about
font design errors, send a blank e-mail to
mailto:wdm-fonts@brealweb.com
So when you're making your next graphic masterpieces for your
web site, remember these suggestions, and your site will be
pleasing to your visitors.
About the author:
Breal provides cost effective web site design and hosting with a
full 30 day money back guarantee. Web hosting even comes with
six months free hosting on yearly accounts. To find out more
visit http://www.brealweb.com For a complete list of current
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