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Visual Elements

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Visual Elements

From Wikitechbook--students-developed, technology textbook

 

The visual elements of a website are important. Upon first glance, viewers will decide if they want to read what is on the website. Various visual elements enhance the appeal of a website, and create a sense of professionalism. The following visual elements are:

  • Colors Used in a Websites Design
  • Placement of Photos or Media
  • Text Format
  • Website Banners

 

 

Visual Elements 

Colors

Color use can be an issue when designing a website. Designers want a site to be visually appealing with color as an enhancement to the site. A site should have a reasonable amount of color, meaning less color may be more attractive. An overload of color may be overwhelming to viewers, and some colors are difficult to read. Using complementary colors for the backgrounds and text can also be very helpful for appeal purposes. While creating a site, be aware of the following:

 

  • Never underestimate the power of a plain white background; websites look clean and organized
  • Try to avoid overly florescent backgrounds or text

  •  If your site has a colorful background and text, try complimentary colors (colors directly across from each other on the color wheel).If you must have a bright color background, try to use a complimentary color that is somewhat muted.

 

 

Placement of Pictures and Media

Photos: It is important to be aware of the placement of photos on a website. Try not to place photos in the way of or right beside reading material. Always reduce the size of a photo before placing it on the website. Minimizing the amount of photos on your website also makes the purpose of your site, the content, rather than the photos, (unless the purpose of your site is about the photos, of course). Also, one should also be aware of the appropriateness of the photo. Make sure photo placement is tasteful, professional, and is not a distraction from the purpose of the site.  Keep files as small as possible. The larger the file, the longer the user will have to wait for the pictures to load. Also consider if pages will be printed or scanned.  For this, images with bright colors and sharp contrasts work the best. Since the home page is accessed the most, it should load quickly with little to no delay.

 

Media: Media elements should not distract from the purpose of the website, but to enhance the topic. Music, slideshows, and movies can be helpful to the websites appearance. On occasion too much media can be somewhat of a distraction to viewers.

 

Text Format

Text is an important component of the visual elements of website design. For an example, it can be difficult to read dark font on a dark background, so choose a background color that will enhance the text. Remember to spell check the entire website for grammatical and spelling errors. The recomended font for professional-looking website is Verdana. Text placement is important to the website, so be sure the text is easy to follow, by placing it where it can be read without any distractions. Simply, create visual appeal to the text by having font uniformity throughout the entire website.

 

 

Visual Elements Video

 

Website Banner

website's banner is the first thing viewers see when they arrive at a site. Make sure the website's banner is simple but interesting. Be sure that the banner is clear and not cluttered with advertisments. The banner needs to be cohesive and uniform on every page of the site.

 

References

 

Related Resources

 

 

Quiz your self Questions

1. What is the best background color to have with black text? (a) Yellow (b) Navy (c) Red (d) White

2. The more media on the site, the better.  (a) True (b) False

3. What is the best font for a professional website? (a) Comic Sans (b) Script (c) Verdana (d) Wingdings

4. A large majority of internet users typically scan a website, so it's important to grab their attention with visual elements. (a) True (b) False

5. The larger a file, the longer it takes to load, so smaller files should be used on websites.  (a) true  (b) false

 

Answers to Quiz

  1. d

  2. b

  3. c

  4. a

  5. a

 

Developers of this Page

Contributors from SBU: Brianna (Fall '08), Philip (Fall '08), Traci (Fall '08), Alisa (Winter '09),

     Anna (Winter '09), Lydia (Spring '09), Brittany (Spring '09), Wesley (Spring '09), Tiffany (Spring '09), Tavis (Spring '09)

Current Group members: Tad, Tyler, Trish, & Courtney

Editor of this page: Courtney, Trish

 

 

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