Design Archives - Page 7 of 16

Sandy’s Great Graphic Tips: Why Use Graphics?

February 4, 2007 by Liz

What Does Learning Style Have To Do With Graphics?

We each have a different learning style. The three basic styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (VAK). Approximately 60-70% (depending on the source) of the general population are predominantly visual learners. They need visual aids to fully grasp a concept or idea.

Graphics are a huge reason people flock to the web. Humans are generally more receptive to things we see compared to things we hear. That means a well-placed graphic on your post can make a world of difference to their experience.

The term ‘graphic’ describes visual elements like photographs, drawings, illustrations, diagrams, charts, maps, symbols, fonts, etc. Graphics can be a very effective method to express a concept. Remember the proverb, “a picture is worth a thousand words”? Sometimes you can use a graphic to express an idea that may otherwise take pages.

Graphics:

add color and depth
tell a story
catch the eye
retain reader interest
express a concept

What’s Your Learning Style?

What type of learning style do you have? Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic? Find out with the Learning Style Survey.

Here’s my results. The graphic says it all…

Stay tuned… in upcoming weeks we’ll talk more about graphics. Let me know what you think. If there are specific things you want to discuss, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll start there.

Here’s some ideas I thought of:

Using graphics effectively
Selecting graphic file types (.gif, .jpg)
Sizing and optimizing graphics
Editing image tags in html
Using white space
Cropping photos
File naming conventions
Placing images in text
Using a scanner to create graphics
Finding graphics
Using special effects
Locating books and resources
Using color, grayscale, or duotone

See you next time!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: PicMaster

January 28, 2007 by Liz

How Do They Create Those Mosaics?

Great Find: PicMaster

Permalink: http://www.graphics-tools.com/

Target Audience: All Windows users

Content: This week we’re taking a look at a program called PicMaster. There are a number of features this program is known for, but the one I like the best is the mosaic function. I’ve seen those mosaics made with a lot of little photos and wanted to try it. This software makes it easy. Make sure you have a large selection of photos that can be made into thumbnails for the finished piece. Then it’s just a matter of telling the software what you want and waiting a few minutes.

VoilÃÂ¡! A mosaic for your viewing pleasure.

PicMaster is offered as Shareware so you can try it before paying the $29.90 U.S. fee. There are restrictions though, so if you like what this tool offers, you will want to purchase it to eliminate the watermark and realize the full potential of the software.

Here are seven things I like about PicMaster :

Create mosaics.
Remove red-eye with the image editor.
Manage your pictures with the image browser.
Print individual pages to make a huge poster.
Morph images (e.g., a cat into a dog).
Use the filters (preview first) to create neat effects.
Add sound comments to your pictures.

I had fun with this program. Let me know what you think.

Stay tuned… next week we’ll have a graphics tip!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: Pixel Ruler

January 21, 2007 by Liz

Need to measure graphics? Here’s a great tool . . .

Great Find: Pixel Ruler v3.1

Permalink: http://www.mioplanet.com/products/pixelruler/index.htm

Target Audience: All Windows users

Content: This week I want to tell you about a tool I use a lot. It’s a virtual ruler for your desktop that you can use to measure pixels. What are pixels? They are the tiny colored squares that make up a web page. It helps to communicate with others if you speak the same language.

I also worked in the print world, and it’s an adjustment to switch from thinking about inches to measuring in pixels. So I looked for help. There’s plenty of tools out there, but this one works great, the price is right, and it’s simple. Click the screen shot to take you there.

Here are three things I like about Pixel Ruler:

It’s handy for reading large tables and spreadsheets.
You can change the color of the skin.
It’s free.

The next time someone asks you the size of a banner or graphic, use a ruler that floats on your screen. Keep a shortcut to Pixel Ruler handy so you can open it quickly. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Stay tuned… next week is another tool that’s free!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Above the Fold: 11 Things Right about Escape from Cubicle Nation

January 15, 2007 by Liz

Great Design Doesn’t Shout

From the eyes of a naive, intelligent customer, Escape from Cubicle Nation is not just great content. It’s also reader-supporting design done well. Let me point out 11 Things so elegantly right above the fold.

The title says what the blog is about.
The tag line makes the promise even clearer.
I can see who the writer is.
The About Page and Contact information are right there.
Any free offers are easy to find.
The main content is what draws my eye.
The content is supported by a fabulous photo that draws me in.
The title and typeface are readable and all parts of the post are identifiable.
Everything is where I expect it to be.
All of the pieces that go together seem to hang as one unit.
It’s easy to see how to subscribe by email, RSS, or even podcast.

If you’re looking for a model of clean, reader-friendly design, follow the 11 Things that Escape from Cubicle Nation does well. All that and what you notice is the great content. Exactly how a great design works — great design doesn’t shout.

Click the image below to go there.

What else do you see?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: FavIcon from Pics

January 14, 2007 by Liz

Sometimes It’s the Little Things That Get Noticed . . .

Great Find: FavIcon from Pics

Permalink: http://www.chami.com/html-kit/services/favicon/

Target Audience: All computer users

Content: You’ve probably noticed those small graphic symbols next to the URL in the address bar of your browser or in your bookmarks. Maybe you wondered how they did that. The symbols are called favicons. What’s that?

Favicon is short for favorite icon, and sometimes you will see it referred to as a bookmark icon. The file is very small (16×16 pixels and 16 colors) and is saved with the name favicon.ico.

You can convert your logo or picture with special tools. There are several to choose from, and the one we’ll talk about today is Favicon from Pics. This tool creates still or animated favicons from your images.

Simply browse to select the file on your computer (it must be a *.gif, *.jpg, *.png, *.ico or *.bmp) and click the GenerateFavicon.ico button. Then you have a choice to Download Favicon or Test in Browser.

How slick is that?

Three things I like about FavIcon from Pics are:

It’s easy to use.
It’s free.
It’s web based, so there’s nothing to download except your finished file.

Depending on which blogging software you use, the instructions for uploading your file vary. Check the help section for instructions.

Stay tuned… next week is another tool that’s free!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Reluctant Readers: Content Is King, But . . . I’m Too Tired to Read

January 9, 2007 by Liz

What This Is Not: This is NOT a design critique. It doesn’t take into account, the elegance, usability, great content, SEO, or revenue values of the fabulous blog discussed here: Read/WriteWeb, which is one of my favorite reads.

What This Is: It’s an exercise in point of view, how readers look at things. It also only addresses one value — how folks read. I choose a great blog to illustrate that even the greatest blog can challenge the patience of a tired, reluctant reader.

We’re All Reluctant Readers

In literacy education, there’s a euphemism, RELUCTANT READERS. That term is meant to name adults and children who come to print after having failed at learning to read. They come with specific needs. It’s hard to catch and keep their attention. Most educators use the term to identify folks who read below the level of the average population.

I use the term more literally. I think, at times we’re all reluctant readers — no matter how strong our skills are. Any time we have to read when we’re out of steam, we become reluctant readers — even if it’s our favorite topic. Then there are the times when we just aren’t interested. we’re definitely reluctant readers at those times too.

If you question that you’re ever been a reluctant reader, try this — pick up a legal document you don’t care about, and dig in for entertainment. . . . Bet you’ll wish for some pictures and some subheads.

Serving and Being a Reluctant Reader

Last night I was a reluctant reader. I decided to go with it. I looked at pages as an a naive, intelligent customer. My quest was to see when the page made it hard for me to read the content. What I found was that the question of supporting reluctant readers is only one value.

Beautiful blogs have many values.

Here’s a page from Read/WriteWeb, a blog I read regularly. This particular page features a post on Web Previews. The screen shots that follow tell the story.

Read/WriteWeb: the page full width.

Read/WriteWeb: same page main text only.

To get the fullest effect, visit the Read/WriteWeb page itself.

Feeds are a moot point in this discussion. Readers can’t see the ads, but they also can’t respond to them. Some questions to consider about folks who see the whole page:

Where does your eye want to spend it’s time?
Would you call this choosing for the reader?
Could design tweaks increase readership, without sacrificing revenues?
Is content king on this page? How would you order the elements by importance as you take the page in visually?

Read/WriteWeb is an excellent blog. with great content, great design, and a loyal readerhip. They’re in a business that is sponsored by advertising. That’s what lead me to realize that accessing the content has to be a partnership between the blog and the reader. Each has a part to make the experience work effectively.

What do you see that supports a reluctant reader? What might you do to draw that reader into the content?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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