CLASS FOUR - Program Notes

Kevin, how large a role do graphics play in a user's first impression?

Graphics can make or break a site.Good use of graphics will enhance the overall design by making your site more interesting, easy to navigate, and easy to read. This will add credibility and instill confidence and invite visitor to 'look around'.Poorly designed graphics will clutter the page, increase download times, and make navigation difficult. This will lead visitors to 'turn around' and seek their information elsewhereBetter to have no graphics than to have poorly designed graphics

We talk a lot about the importance of branding. What exactly is branding anyway?

Branding is everything you do to influence and control your customer's perception of your business.I like to use Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart as examples because most people are familiar with their television commercials and their ads in the Sunday paper.Cordell, what words or feeling come to mind when you think of Target? (ex. young, fresh, hip)Wal-Mart? (friendly, affordable)K-Mart? (Martha Stewart)You can get many of the same products at each of these stores but each one 'brands' themselves differently through their Sunday ads, their television commercials and to some extent, the products they carry.

What can graphics do to affect a customer's perception of a web site? Compare: cheaptickets.com & icheapairfare.com

The quality of your graphic design and layout will tell visitors how serious you are. For some businesses this is more important that others.

What kinds of graphics are necessary and what kinds are gratuitous?

Logos and other graphics that tie into your company brand are important to maintaining brand consistency.In the case of e-commerce sites product photos are essential.Other graphics are the layout graphics that make sites easy to read and navigate. These often are the graphics that become gaudy and gratuitous.

Sometimes products just need to be shown to be understood. How can you shorten up the download time?

Use thumbnails.For photos use jpeg'sFor solid color illustrations such as logo's use gifs

Anyone who's spent any time looking at web sites are familiar with those little blinking, flashing animated graphics. Most of them are annoying but there must be some applications when they are useful?

Blinking is bad! Yes they draw attention but they create a negative impression and are often associated with advertisements.

Site review: www.cityofmoorhead.com