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I'm a professional webmaster and in this job I have to cope with many different types of tasks involving website design and maintenance. Quite frankly, a webmaster has to be a "Jack of all trades", and naturally, some of the jobs I find more difficult than others.
One Major Skill Problem
Of all the jobs associated with developing and running websites, the one which I find most challenging is the creation of graphics for my websites. Like many people, I am not particularly artistic. Also, some of the top-end graphics programs, such as PhotoShop, have a very steep learning curve, as well as being relatively expensive.
The general lack of graphics skills is very evident when you look at the many websites built by amateurs. They really haven't grasped the importance of having a well-presented website. If they are selling something, they are unlikely to gain the confidence of potential customers. Would you buy from a person who cannot present a professional appearance on their website? Probably not!
The Importance Of Website Graphics
For a site to be easily readable, the text needs to be broken up with appropriate images. These make a web page much easier to read. And it doesn't matter whether your website is a sales page, a blog or a content-rich site aiming to make money from advertising - if your site isn't easy to read, people will leave the site quickly.
Good quality images are also important to give a clear picture of something that it being sold on a website. Even if it is a digital product, delivered electronically, an image of a book cover or a software box can greatly increase the chance of making a sale.
When Should You Use A Graphic Designer?
If you need some really high-quality images, and you don't have good graphic design skills then you should use the services of a professional graphic designer. Yes, it could be expensive. And yes, you may have to wait a while for the work to be finished.
Finding a good graphic designer can be a challenge. You need to ensure that they have the skills to produce website graphics, not just off-line graphics. And look carefully at their style. Does it appeal to you. Every designer has their own style and you need to find one whose style you like. Check the sort of work that they have done. And check, also, that they can do the work in time for you. Some designers are very busy and they could end up delaying the launch of your product or site.
What About Ready-Made Website Graphics?
There are plenty of resources of ready-made graphics on the web. It's not difficult to find collections of icons, banners, buttons and good quality royalty-free photos.
The trouble is that the same graphics get used time and again on different websites, and people will soon realise that you are a "cheapskate"! Not a good impression to make! Of course, you can use your graphics software to modify pre-made graphics. If you want to make certain that your website stands out, you need to have access to valuable content that is relatively unique. But again, changing graphics takes time and skill. Like many people, I am short of both of these!
Also, it can be quite hard to track down the good sources of ready-made graphics. A lot of the stuff on the web is pure rubbish!
How I Solved The Problem Of Creating Website Graphics
I've spent a lot of time since starting as a webmaster in 1996 locating good website graphics resources on the web. But I've been excited recently to locate a growing number of services on the web which are far more sophisticated than the old collections of pre-made graphics and photo collections.
These website graphics services are amazing! With no graphic design skills you can build banners, buttons, badges and icons. You can change the appearance of existing photos. You can use the online equivalent of high-end graphics programs to work on existing images. And I've been impressed with the sites which help you design, from scratch, both website and blog templates. Almost daily I come across a new website graphics service online, and they are becoming more and more powerful.
Best of all, they don't cost you anything!
At first, I simply kept a list of the services I discovered. Then, for my convenience, I packaged them into a little piece of software I designed. I made it so that I could slot in new services as I found them
I passed a few copies of this software out to a few close friends to see what they thought of it. Their reaction was "Wow!! You could make a packet selling this". Well, I didn't particularly want to make "a packet" because I wanted to make it affordable to most "graphically-challenged" webmasters. So, when I added it to my "Webmasters CheatKit product range, I kept the price low, and it's become hugely successful.
One Major Skill Problem
Of all the jobs associated with developing and running websites, the one which I find most challenging is the creation of graphics for my websites. Like many people, I am not particularly artistic. Also, some of the top-end graphics programs, such as PhotoShop, have a very steep learning curve, as well as being relatively expensive.
The general lack of graphics skills is very evident when you look at the many websites built by amateurs. They really haven't grasped the importance of having a well-presented website. If they are selling something, they are unlikely to gain the confidence of potential customers. Would you buy from a person who cannot present a professional appearance on their website? Probably not!
The Importance Of Website Graphics
For a site to be easily readable, the text needs to be broken up with appropriate images. These make a web page much easier to read. And it doesn't matter whether your website is a sales page, a blog or a content-rich site aiming to make money from advertising - if your site isn't easy to read, people will leave the site quickly.
Good quality images are also important to give a clear picture of something that it being sold on a website. Even if it is a digital product, delivered electronically, an image of a book cover or a software box can greatly increase the chance of making a sale.
When Should You Use A Graphic Designer?
If you need some really high-quality images, and you don't have good graphic design skills then you should use the services of a professional graphic designer. Yes, it could be expensive. And yes, you may have to wait a while for the work to be finished.
Finding a good graphic designer can be a challenge. You need to ensure that they have the skills to produce website graphics, not just off-line graphics. And look carefully at their style. Does it appeal to you. Every designer has their own style and you need to find one whose style you like. Check the sort of work that they have done. And check, also, that they can do the work in time for you. Some designers are very busy and they could end up delaying the launch of your product or site.
What About Ready-Made Website Graphics?
There are plenty of resources of ready-made graphics on the web. It's not difficult to find collections of icons, banners, buttons and good quality royalty-free photos.
The trouble is that the same graphics get used time and again on different websites, and people will soon realise that you are a "cheapskate"! Not a good impression to make! Of course, you can use your graphics software to modify pre-made graphics. If you want to make certain that your website stands out, you need to have access to valuable content that is relatively unique. But again, changing graphics takes time and skill. Like many people, I am short of both of these!
Also, it can be quite hard to track down the good sources of ready-made graphics. A lot of the stuff on the web is pure rubbish!
How I Solved The Problem Of Creating Website Graphics
I've spent a lot of time since starting as a webmaster in 1996 locating good website graphics resources on the web. But I've been excited recently to locate a growing number of services on the web which are far more sophisticated than the old collections of pre-made graphics and photo collections.
These website graphics services are amazing! With no graphic design skills you can build banners, buttons, badges and icons. You can change the appearance of existing photos. You can use the online equivalent of high-end graphics programs to work on existing images. And I've been impressed with the sites which help you design, from scratch, both website and blog templates. Almost daily I come across a new website graphics service online, and they are becoming more and more powerful.
Best of all, they don't cost you anything!
At first, I simply kept a list of the services I discovered. Then, for my convenience, I packaged them into a little piece of software I designed. I made it so that I could slot in new services as I found them
I passed a few copies of this software out to a few close friends to see what they thought of it. Their reaction was "Wow!! You could make a packet selling this". Well, I didn't particularly want to make "a packet" because I wanted to make it affordable to most "graphically-challenged" webmasters. So, when I added it to my "Webmasters CheatKit product range, I kept the price low, and it's become hugely successful.
About the Author:
The author of this article, Ian Traynor, has spent years struggling with website graphics! He has made his "graphics in a box" software available at a low price from http://www.IanSays.com/WebmastersCheatKit/GraphicsWizard
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