Pimping Web Design Graphics: How Low Can You Go?

Contributed by Ian Hess

The Graphic Web Design Dilemma

Starting out, most trained graphic Web design professionals suffer through various stages of disillusionment. Many of them are both artistic and love technology, therefore, they are idealists, which is youthful and great, especially if they can form a commitment to themselves to preserve this state of mind well into their hundreds (I'm personally idealistic about medical technology).

Ideals aside, reality results in Graphic Web design veterans looking upon their profession as being about the money. They may be artists, and they may be technologists, but in this online fusion, they hold no confusion. If they have survived to excel, then they are business entrepreneurs, and business is all about making money. Period. It really is the bottom line - low as that may seem.

Web Design Graphics are either Costly or Hard to Find

Web design graphics are an important part of any well designed Web site. Really, this is true. There are those that have their doubts, but let's ignore those for this article. Can you imagine a business site without one picture of something business-like? probably, but it wouldn't give the impression of substance.

You can be sure that if you're selling nothing else on a business site, then you're selling the business presence. Can you imagine a business trying to build online presence and identity with text only? In this case, no, because businesses are intangible. Without showing pictures of their products, they are legal abstractions. The difficulty of creating a business presence online is even more problematic when the business has multiple products that are very generic or also abstract, such as in big businesses like oil, banking, and holding companies.

In this case, the nature, professionalism and substance of business must be communicated using pictures of happy people working in suits and ties, powerful business buildings, iconic symbols of money and wealth. It's all about the million dollar smiles.

On the flip side, go to any union site, and their graphics are of happy workers. We know the stereotypes. Slightly disheveled in appearance, yet neat - often achieved by casual clothing that is slightly worn in so the collars are not rigid, and the colors are slightly dulled. They might just look harried in the stress on their face behind the less than million dollar, broad smile. They look more human and less mythological. You won't see Greek columns on any facades in these picture.

More »