Avoid Graphical Overload When designing a website, it's easy to start loading it up withgraphics. While tempting, you have to resist -- otherwise,you'll end up with graphical overload.
Why is that a bad thing? Here's why.
It Takes Too Long to Download
The first reason to cut down on graphics is that the more thereare, and the larger they are, the longer it will take each ofyour pages to download. People are impatient when waiting forpages to download -- you only have around 5 seconds before yourvisitor hits the Back button.
What can you do about this? Apart from using fewer pictures, youcan also make sure that you resize your images in a graphicseditor. This actually makes their file sizes smaller. If youjust resize images by specifying a width and height in HTML orCSS, they will still be slow to download because the full filesize is being used.
You should consider turning on compression in your image editor.JPEG files can often be compressed by up to 25% before there's anoticeable difference in quality. Try different formats andcompression levels to see what works.
It Gets Too Busy
If you use a site with more than 4 images on the page at once,your eyes are being pulled all over the page. They're not surewhere to focus because the page simply has too much going on.
Look at the front pages of newspapers, and notice how they leadon 1 picture. Putting 2 pictures on a front page is consideredto be poor: the reader doesn't know where to look.
That goes double for websites, where the viewable area is muchsmaller than a newspaper page. Even if you
have more than 1thing to say, it's better to 'go large' with 1 picture and thenexplain the other things in text, next to or below it.
It Distracts from the Content
Users visit your site to get information, not to look at yourgraphics. Too many graphics will distract from your content, or,worse, force readers to search for it. Any time your graphicsget in the way of people readily using your site, you'resuffering from graphical overload. And that is a bad thing.
What's the solution? Simply decide which of all those graphicsare really necessary. Remember, don't add graphics just to looknice, each graphic must have a specific purpose.
An Exception: Photo Galleries
If the purpose of your site is photo presentation, then clearlymultiple images are appropriate. However, don't just stick upseveral large photographs -- provide thumbnails: smallerversions of each image. If interested, the visitor can click on1 to make it larger.
This fits more pictures on each page, and avoids wasting userdownload time and your bandwidth.
Keep in mind that in all web design, the images are therestrictly to support the content. Even when the content isgraphical.
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Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if theresource box is left intact and the links live.
