Has
anything struck you as funny or tacky about this week's column
yet? You're probably smiling, laughing, or shaking your head
at all of these obnoxious animated gifs.
However,
if you are thinking, "wow, those are pretty cool, I'd like
to use that..." it's a good thing you're reading this!
Using gifs like this is an instant sign of amateurism. Using
an overabundance of them is ridiculous. It not only gives the
impression that you were too lazy to create images that fit
the unique theme of your site -- it may also be unethical if
you merely found the gifs and "stole" them from someone
else's site. (In this case, these gifs are all royalty-free,
but you won't catch me using them outside this column..!)
Unfortunately, we've all seen websites with a bunch of distracting,
rotating, animations that don't fit the theme of the site they
appear on. Worse yet, we've seen them so many times that they've
lost whatever "cool" effect they might have once had.
Animations can be effective if used in a subtle manner. These
animations are not subtle... they're annoying.
Sadly,
we are all going to have web clients who surf around, pick up
what they perceive to be a "cool" image, and insist
that we use it on their site. Why they wouldn't want a custom
image or animation that's more appropriate to their page is
beyond me... but that's another question for another day. If
at all possible, try to advise them that a custom image that
hasn't been seen before is a much better alternative.
(I won't be burdening you with clipart through the rest of
this column. I think I've made my point.)
Beginning web developers often ask for my honest opinion of
their work, and it's always hard to find nice things to say
when their "work" is a page littered with animations
like the ones above. When told that the page would be a lot
better without the clipart animations, they usually get very
defensive.
I realize that not everyone out there is a pro with graphics
software. You don't need a lot of graphics to have a good site.
If you're not good with graphics, don't use them yet. It's much
better to have a simple site with good content than a gaudy
site with no content. Look around you -- some of the most-used
sites on the web, like Yahoo and Google, have very few graphics
at all. On the web, content is key, and making it look nice
is secondary.
So, the original question remains: When, if ever, should you
use a ready-made image?
If the site you're creating needs an image to convey a point,
and the client does not provide one: I love clients who provide
images for their sites. Pictures tell a story. For example,
photos of a brick-and-mortar store can convey trust for online
shoppers - they see the store, and the photo lends legitimacy
to their potential purchase.
However, many clients have a concept in mind that they simply
don't have photos of, and as a designer, you'll be expected
to deliver what they have in their minds. We did a site for
a school once which asked for a chalkboard... then an apple..
then some office supplies, pencils, erasers, staplers. The client
knows what they want -- it's your job to somehow deliver it.
For times like this, it's wise to invest in a few well-chosen
cds of photos and art. With photos that are royalty-free, once
you purchase them, you can use them however you like. Corbis.com
also has an online catalog where you can purchase royalty-free
photos right on the internet.
Whichever you choose, never surf around on the net and steal
images. You'll be branded not only as an amateur but also a
thief, and you never know what images are copyrighted. It's
very easy to embed a digital watermark that's invisible to the
eye, and even after heavy modification, the watermark will still
be a part of the photograph. Do you really want to be slapped
with a lawsuit for stealing someone else's image?
Once you have a library of art and photo cds, use them sparingly.
It's too easy to slide into the clipart trap, relying on the
cds for images instead of using or creating custom ones. Use
the cds as a tool, not a template. Obviously, the best scenario
is to get actual photos of your customer's products, place of
business or employees. But if you can't, a well-selected ready-made
image can work well if used effectively.
Summary:
* Never use a ready-made image when you have or can make a
custom one.
* An image that the user hasn't seen before is always better
than a tired, overused image.
* Break the free animated gif habit (especially in large quantities!)
* If you're just starting out, invest in one or two royalty-free
photo cds to use when client's photos aren't available.
Webmaster's Corner is written biweekly by Jill
Cataldo, Senior Web Developer for NewRamp.com. She has been
working in web development since 1996. Articles are copyright
©2005 NewRamp and may not be reproduced without permission.
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