It is not an accident that beautiful, fast-loading and efficient designer web graphics are created. The art of web design is a combination of natural visual talent and knowledge of website functionality. Web design is a combination of know-how and show-how.
The 2012 Occupational Outlook of the U.S. Bureau of Labor lists graphic designers’ median hourly pay at $21.22 (1). The entry-level education range is defined by a Bachelor’s degree. Graphic design jobs totaled 259,000 in 2012. Graphic designers work in specialized agencies such as:
- Advertising
- Public relations
- Publishing
- WEBSITE graphic design
Website Graphics Optimized for Superior Web Performance
Graphic website designs can be so beautiful when they are done well that it hides the SEO education and training that made it all work together. Vision and color mixing are the key ingredients to creating web imagery that is successful. Optimized web graphics are essential to speed up your website’s loading speeds.
Web graphics optimized for designers take up less space. They load faster than standard images. They stimulate the imagination. They move visitors towards your business goals. This is not an easy process. Graphic website development requires expertise.
Three primary processes are involved in graphic optimization:
- Physical size reduction
- Reduced number of colors displayed
- Image resolution is reduced by reducing the number of dots per inch.
Website graphic designers who are trained in the art of website design understand and apply each process’s principles and methodology. Expert graphic designers can help you bring your website to life, whether editing existing images or creating custom graphics. They also know how to maintain the desired loading speeds.
Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Information Technology Division defines 150KB as the maximum web image size. (2) Website designers are advised to keep images as grayscale as possible by the Information Technology Division of Brookhaven National Laboratory. Most sites opt for extensive use of color graphics due to the speed of Internet connections.
Designers can also reduce image load times by using these tips:
- Thumbnail links – By using gray-scale thumbnails to link to full-size full-color images, your visitor can save the cost of downloading images that don’t interest them.
- Main Image Size – Reducing large images to 400-500 pixels helps speed up loading and reduces the need to scroll.
- Thumbnail Descriptions: Including thumbnail captions that include the main image’s file-size gives visitors an idea of the loading time
- Captions – Use captions in order to describe what the viewer sees, what the image means for the site and the viewer, as well as what the viewer should be seeing in the image.
How to find great website graphics
There are many ways to create a graphic website design. Designers can locate and modify images for free. Others web designers customize each image. Both methods are used by the most efficient web design teams.
Free Images
Warning! Not all web images that are “free” are free. Make sure you are careful when searching for images online. Many photographers and artists are willing to share their images with others. Others allow you to use the images for free and do not require anything in return. Some require a link back to the original share website. You must ensure that you understand the copyright notice for shared graphics on “so-called website”. Respect the artist’s rights.
Website images custom made
While many web designers can rework existing images, custom graphics are best created by skilled Internet artists. Few people possess the ability to create beautiful, efficient and effective designer graphics .