Graphics

Graphics are visual illustrations used to inform the audience. They can direct the audience into a certain direction too. When writing for the web, graphics play a key part as it attracts readers. Graphics heighten the audience's attention, thus making the information more credible and professional. Web users can better understand a particular concept, thus making it clear and interesting with the help of graphics.

Templates

Templates serves as the traditional format that people use to copy and edit for their own purposes.

Be careful about the template being used

To be safe, using traditional templates on site such as VisualCV and WordPress are strongly suggested. Steering away from the norm can turn the audience off. Customizing a template may come off as unprofessional as well. However, on sites such as About.Me and similar sites, customizing is necessary. Though the site has traditional graphic templates, they are stale and often used by many. Make sure though that the visual images being used look professionally done.

Pictures

Pictures on sites should be high quality. Pixilated and high contrast photos create dullness to the audience. Using editing programs like Photoshop and other programs will fix the photos. Multimedia and other borrowed graphics ought to be checked daily in case they are broken and deleted. This happening can ruin the cohesiveness of the site and your credibility. Formatting pictures has numerous file formats; however, the two most common are JPEG and GIF.

File Formats for Pictures

JPEG

Images commonly known as Joint Photographic Experts Group.

JPEGs is typically the most utilized format for graphic images. Typically images that are digital and color photography need to use this compression format. JPEG compression contains full color or gray scale. JPEG compression format possess a large range of colors too. JPEGs capture the "realistic" scenes in the images. According to Sarah Horton, "The more a photo is squeezed with JPEG compression, the more quality the photo loses." Saving an original image is strongly cautioned. Once a photo has been tweaked, the original image is lost and cannot be retrieved.

Advantages of JPEG

• JPEG download at quicker rates.
• JPEG has a larger color range than GIF.
• JPEG creates better images for professionally done images.

GIF

Images commonly known as Graphics Interchange Format.

Majority of graphics on the web support the GIFs. According to Sarah Horton, "GIFs lose compression to keep file size at a minimum without destroying the photo's quality."

According to Sarah Horton, "GIFs are typically 8-bit, only supporting 256 colors." They consist of a set images that are displayed in a set order. They tend to be moving graphic (or animated) images that loop endlessly. Typically, GIFs are used on Internet forums and media coverage blogs.

Advantages of GIFs

• GIF images are commonly supported on the web.
• GIF images look better online.

References

1. Carroll, Brian. (2010). "Writing for Digital Media". New York: Routledge. Retrieved 12 Nov. 2012.
2. Lynch, Patrick J., Horton, Sarah. (2009). "Web Style Guide, 3rd Edition". Web Style Guide. Retrieved 12 Nov 2012.