Web Design Graphics Can Be Da Bomb or Just Bomb (cont.)
Contributed by Ian Hess
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In other words, graphics may often be cool, because they're art. But well used graphics are part of the bigger picture called a Web site. They are not meant to stand alone.
Use this measure to see if your graphics are the right graphics for your site: When you say, COOLNESS! upon seeing the graphic, is that "coolness" about the site's purpose, or is that coolness about the pretty little graphic, alone?
One detracts, the other enhances.
A Trick to Avoiding Graphic Web Design Bombs
Forget graphics.
No-no-no! I'm not a "Usability Nazi" (probably 98% of all usability pros aren't now) who implores everyone to create a non-graphic Web because it's usable by everyone and more effective. These people are out there, and they make big money advancing this idea. Heck, the entire purpose and wonder of the World Wide Web is that it's more than the Net, because it has multimedia power. No. You want to use graphics. But for just this moment, really, forget them.
First figure out a site's intention. Once I know if I'm designing a mass murderer trap, a carpenter trap, or a home improvement trap; once I have my site's purpose-audience target, then I quickly script it. I write down all my ideas, and then refine them into a structure listing all of the elements and the final outcome I expect each one has.
This means I'm not playing with or placing graphics. In fact, I am forced to write down what the graphic looks like, what it is about, and how it relates to the rest of the content and to the intended audience. Only then do I hunt for, create, or outsource with a professional photographer for my graphic content.
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