Current trends in graphic design

People are changing the way that they consume online information so nature of the Website brings with it an expectation of interaction with information and modern Web design are become work of web designer

Current trends in graphic design include using fonts of different sizes in headlines and pull quotes or using a very small font in the margins of magazine articles. You see this especially in magazines where designers have broken many rules in order to achieve “innovative” design. These trends then trickle down to marketing design where they are seen in ads, direct mailers, on web sites, etc.

Such design elements are eye catching and nice to look at, but they can also be difficult to read, lowering reader comprehension. Which means, if people aren't reading your expensively designed marketing collateral, they probably aren't going to respond to it either. If you are putting together an ad, web site or a direct mail piece, consider these following time-tested design rules:


1. Use alternate forms of navigation including the ability to browse by user, tag clouds, tabbed navigation etc

1. In the US, serif typefaces are the easiest to read. In Europe though, people find sans serif easiest to read.

2. Make your web site easy to read by using typefaces that were designed to be easy to read on a computer screen. Some examples are: Georgia (serif) and Trebuchet or Verdana (sans serif).

3. Reverse type (white type on a black background) is much harder to read. Rather than not using this design devise, which can be attention getting, you can assist the reader by keeping the amount of text short and/or the point size large.

4. Engage the attention of Web users by drawing their eye to what is important, rather than trying to provide them with everything under the sun.

Source : http://enricodesign.com/newsletters/type.html

Hot multimedia tips

Some of Howwired's best web developers and graphic designers have converged to share their techniques to create effective audio, video and animation in the web. Here are excerpts from the pool's tips, tricks and wizardry to help you optimize your multimedia efforts.

· Use layers as often as you want to. Using a liberal dose of layers will make it much easier later when it's time to re-edit and animate. In addition, it doesn't add much to the overall file size.

· Save copies of the file as you work when using Flash. This is especially helpful when you're using a Mac. This will come in handy when you suddenly experience problems in opening a Flash file you've been slaving your days with.

· Use color outline layers and guide layers liberally. Both are found under the layer pulldown menu. The color outline layers show a layer in its outline form--- great for getting quick and precise positioning particularly with scanned drawings. Guide layers are for positioning bitmap guides or for testing layers you may want to remove from your final version. They allow you to keep a layer from exporting.

· Mix and match programs and media to get better results. Experiment and try combinations such as flat color vectors with photographic bitmaps for an interesting and rich output.

· For additional depth and color to vector images, use gradients; but don't overuse so as to avoid adding to the file size and speeds.

· Don't overdo your media. Your audience will definitely get indigestion from your web site.

· Never make your audience wait. Downloading an image that takes millions of years to finish will definitely make your audience cranky. They'd probably clicked to another site even before your banner finished downloading itself. "If people have to wait, be sure it's really worth their while," says HotWired's resident interface designer.

· Design delays that cover the loading process. Flash features full attributes that helps in keeping the audience occupied while that giant sound file is loading in the background. Flash's Bandwidth Profiler is said to provide a big help on this.

· Use the knowledge and wisdom of your friends and colleagues. A good multimedia comes from a diverse source of skills found in people. The adage that two minds are better than one definitely applies here. Talk to other multimedia designers or join groups and mailing lists to share ideas and knowledge. What you think is trash for you might be a goldmine for another artist.

Written by Sally

Source : Creative graphic designs