Web-Development Online News Articles Information

Web Site Design Tips - Graphics

Lots of people in business on the Internet feel that in order to have a web presence with their site, they have to load it up with graphics and tons of visual images in order to make the site more appealing. The truth is, as Les Wilder said in the movie "Angels In The Outfields", less is more. This is very true for web design. In this article, we're going to give you some web design tips for graphics that will give your page just the right look and also keep the load time to a minimum.

For starters, you want to make sure that any graphics that you use on your site are fully optimized for the web. In other words, if you've got some really large images that you want to display, shrink them down not only in size but in file size. The smaller the file size, the faster your page will load. Any good graphics program like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop will easily reduce your images to workable sizes.

The next thing you want to keep in mind is the number of graphics you have displayed on a single page. Sometimes, just having one or two photos makes them stand out more on the page. When you have a lot of graphics on a page, they tend to get lost in the soup. But with one or two, they will be noticed. Also, by limiting the number of graphics you have on a page, you increase the load speed. Not everybody has a fast Internet connection, so keep that in mind.

If you absolutely must have a large number of graphics on a single page, represent them as thumb nails that your visitor can click on in order to see the larger image. The thumb nails, because they are smaller, will load faster than the full size images. This way, a visitor can see what the image looks like right away and then if they want to see a larger view, all they need to do is click on the image. Of course you will have a note on the page telling the visitor to click on the thumb nail to see the larger view. Not everybody will know to do this.

Finally, you want to make sure that all your graphics are professionally done. If you can't do them yourself, hire somebody. Don't ruin your web site with poorly made graphics. If they are photos, make sure they are high resolution photos. You want the absolute best quality that you can have for your site. There is a lot of competition out there in every niche. A visually poor web site is not going to help you.