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Design considerations for the Web

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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The attributes of web graphics—color, quality, and file size
  3. Understanding and using web-safe colors
  4. Maximizing image quality on the Web
  5. Using compression to reduce file size
  • PDF Version

    • The attributes of web graphics—color, quality, and file size

    In the business world, there’s a saying that goes “we offer excellent service, exceptional quality, and cheap prices—pick any two out of the three.” You can apply a similar saying to web graphics; it would sound something like “there’s color, quality, and file size—pick any two out of the three.” Allow us to explain.

    With web graphics, there’s a delicate balance between the way an image looks when viewed on a computer screen and the time it takes to download the image so that you can view it. No matter how good the image looks, if viewers have to wait too long for a graphic to appear on their screen, their patience runs out and they click to some other website in the blink of an eye. In general, there is a direct correlation between the detail and number of colors in an image and the size of the file. A file with many colors may have a large file size, but an image with a small file size may not have enough colors or detail to look good. As a designer, your job is to find a happy medium—an image that looks good and is small enough that it downloads quickly. Luckily, you have Illustrator CS2 on your side, which has the tools you’ll need to get results.

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