For most people graphic design does not come easy. Unfortunately this is
why there's an abundance of shall we say "struggling websites." At best,
most are less than great. Graphics are the tools of your website that give
your reader or potential prospect the visual they need to "see" what your
site is all about. The graphics of your site must transform your written
call to action into a live demonstration.
To be effective you know your website must flow with well positioned and
well relating graphics. Maybe you already know the image you want to
create. The next step is to figure out how to do it.
Obviously if you don't have artistic talent you must find the graphics you
want already created or hire a professional graphic designer (often the
best choice.)
When you start your search for great looking graphics on the web you'll
come up with thousands of sites offering clip-art graphics and
photographs. Don't become overwhelmed. Also there are a few terms you'll
want to learn. Understanding the lingo will save you much time and effort.
Terms:
Web Graphics - Web graphics includes dividers, buttons, arrows,
backgrounds, etc.
Clip Art - Clip art is images that don't fall under the web-graphics
category. Some examples might be people, buildings, signs, objects, etc.
Don't sell the clip art short. It can get your message across very
effectively.
Animations - Animated graphics, these may be either animated graphics or
animated clip art.
Photos - Photos, as distinct from clip art. These images will be photo
quality, whereas clip art is less distinct.
Site Search - Is a site search provided? This is an important feature of
any site that provides images. You don't want to spend hours and hours
searching through every graphic on a site, just to find the ONE you need.
There are thousands of sites providing graphics for free. You'll find
three of the most popular one listed below.
http://www.freegraphics.com
http://www.clipart.com
http://www.gifart.com
If you're looking for high-quality photos of any subject try
http://www.Photos.com. http://www.gettyimages.com. These photos aren't
free, but the quality is excellent.
There are some sites that charge a membership fee in order to view and
download the images they contain but these images are royalty free
thereafter. Some of these sites allow you to have a membership term of one
week. One week is often sufficient to get the images you need.
Typically even the free sites will have some terms and conditions to using
their images. Some are free for personal use, while commercial sites are
expected to pay.
As you browse for your graphics, choose carefully. Attempt to make sure
your graphics work well together to complement the theme of your site.
Using too many graphics can make your site appear cluttered. Too few and
you'll know something is missing. It's easy to spend hours and hours
tinkering with individual graphics, to get it "just right." Rarely will
you be able to achieve perfection, but an acceptable, workable, design is
possible.
Andy Eaton has created a 10 day ecourse, which includes informative
articles, training videos, special offer discounts, plus lots more -
finally learn to create your own amazing ecover graphics. simply send a
blank email to arpgraphicslist@graphicsecretsexposed.com or visit
http://www.graphicsecretsexposed.com
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