Probably the biggest challenge before you is to resist the temptation
to emblazon the Web with artistic masterpieces that will win awards
for you but drastically retard the download speed of the Web site.
As you peruse the Graphics section, you may feel like Rembrandt being told that the only
tools he can use are Crayolas. But I betcha Rembrandt could
whomp up some really nice crayon art if he put his mind to it.
If you're just now experimenting with this new medium, keep
this sobering fact in mind: The ideal site "weighs"
no more than 50 KB. Ouch! This means that Web graphics
must be kept small just for the pragmatic reason that large
splashy graphics load so slowly that the viewer often will not
wait for them. Now, when I say small, I don't mean tiny
dimensions; I mean small file size. The tutorials
in the Graphics section explain how to compress graphics for
greatest efficiency.
How do you determine how much a Web page weighs? Most HTML
editors will clue you in on such things. If your editor isn't
that forthcoming, try copying all the graphics and the HTML
file for that page in a single folder (directory), and check
the size of the folder.
It helps to keep in mind that the best Web sites are the
result of teamwork between artist, writer, and programmer.
Your collective target is a Web site that does the job its
sponsor intended.
It is interesting to note that David Siegel, the
"father of Web design" and author of the famed book
Creating Killer Web Sites, has "given up
cutting-edge design altogether," according to a news release article
by David Walker of Lighthouse e-zine. The article goes
on to say:
"...Siegel does accept one final reason why the beautiful
sites he pointed to in 1995 and 1996 have not gained ground.
Consumers didn't like them. Take Discovery Channel Online,
which once boasted one of the Web's most elegant opening pages.
The site has returned to a more conventional and less exciting
scrollable table of contents. Most lovers of Web design would
deplore the change. But as Siegel notes, Discovery carefully
tests all elements of its site with its users - and the less
beautiful site tested much better."
Having said all that, I think everyone in the business of
designing Web sites agrees that this work is a hoot! Once
you get into it, it becomes habit-forming. You just can't
get enough of it!
