Design considerations for the Web

Using compression to reduce file size

The last—and possibly the most important—attribute of a web graphic is its file size. Anyone can create great-looking graphics with large, high-resolution images, but a web designer has to deliver the best possible graphics using low-resolution images that download fast.

For the most part, web designers can save files in a variety of different file formats, each of which utilizes compression techniques to help reduce file size. For the most part, file formats use one of the following two types of compression: lossless, and lossy. Lossless compression reduces file size without any loss in image quality or image detail. In contrast, lossy compression reduces file size by sacrificing image data, resulting in images that have less detail. As with just about anything else in life, a designer is faced with making decisions based on what attributes are most important on an image-by-image basis. In the next section, you’ll learn about all of the different file types Illustrator can utilize and the compression techniques these file types use.

Where to go from here

For more information about Illustrator and web design, check out the following resources:

Make a splash on the Web, by the Adobe Creative Team
Put Illustrator CS2 to work for you, by Total Training
Step Inside the Creative Mind

Design considerations for the Web

Table of Contents

Using compression to reduce file size

Where to go from here