Graphics & Web Page Design (Laura Lemay's Web Workshop Series)

Laura Lemay, Sams Publishing

ISBN:1575211254, Edition: , 1996-08

Price: $55.00

C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

Introduction

Chapter 1   Making Effective Browser-Independent Graphics

• Describing Your Design
  • Write an Abstract First
• Creating an Abstract
  • Put Yourself in the Role of a Novice User
• Knowing the Functions of Web Graphics
  • Entertain
  • Inform
  • Communicate
  • Persuade
• Design First, Stylize Later
  • HTML as a Structural Tagging Language
  • HTML Is Not a Page Layout Tool
• Setting Up a Simple HTML Document
• Planning an Effective Design
  • Just Like Planning Your Vacation
• Planning an Initial Design
  • Would You Leave Without a Map?
• Enhancing Your Design with Great Graphics
• Next Steps
• Q&A

Chapter 2   Designing an Effective Web Site

• Put Your Hook on the Splash Page
• Knowing Where You Are in a Web Site
• Designing Consistency in Your Web Site
• Getting Where You Want to Go
• Knowing How to Leave
• Use a Diagramming Approach to Web Design
• Creating a Simple Web Site
  • Structured Versus Unstructured Design
  • A Web Site Is Not a Book
• Building a Working Shell
  • The Elements of a Functional Shell
• Building a Web Site Shell
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 3   Creating Cool Graphics for the Web

• Pushing Pixels with Raster Graphics
• Creating a Cool Web Page
  • We're Not in Vector Land Anymore
  • I Thought PostScript Was the Publishing Standard
  • Life at 72 dpi and 256 Colors
  • Design in Black and White (and Shades of Gray)
• Creating a Black-and-White Graphic
• Using Hexadecimal to Design in Color
• Determining Hexadecimal Color
• Understanding GIF Format Graphics
• Answering the JPEG Question
• Using Anti-Alias to Your Advantage
• Resizing an Anti-Aliased Figure
• Becoming an Artist
• Developing a Good Eye
• Reading Traditional Design Publications
• Make a Swipe File of Web Graphics
• Pizzazz at the Expense of Effectiveness
• Identifying Sources of Graphics for the Web
  • Copyrights and What's Fair Use
  • Popular Applications
  • Filters You Can't Live Without
• Protecting Your Original Work
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 4   Making Effective Web Graphics

• Graphic Tips for Nondesigners
• Making Graphics That Kids Will Enjoy
• Giving a Web Site That Corporate Look
• Creating a Corporate Web Page
• Experiencing the Avant Garde in Web Design
• Learning Font Secrets for Web Graphics
  • Font Families That Set the Tone
  • Fonts for the Screen
• Designing a Font-Rich Page
• Designing an Opening Web Splash Page
  • No One Likes to Scroll
  • The "Must Have" Elements
• Designing a Splash Page
• Planning for Inline Graphics
• Using External Graphics for Impact
• Creating a Colored Background
• Making Custom Background Patterns and Tiles
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 5   Using Multimedia and Special Effects on the Web

• Involving the User with Multimedia Graphics
  • Realistic Expectations on the InfoBahn
  • Shockwave
  • Java
  • Audio Elements in Design
• Embedding Multimedia Elements
• Using Tables to Format Graphics
• Creating a Table of Graphics
• Gather Information with Interactive Forms
• Creating an Interactive Form
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 6   Presenting Effective Web Graphics

Chapter 7   Designing Graphical Pages Anyone Can Download

• Sending Graphics Over the Wire-ZZZZZZ
• Deciding When to Download Inline Graphics
• The Importance of Thumbnails
• Testing Your Page
• Feeling the Power of a Graphic Browser
• Seeing How Hardware Affects Web Graphics
• Calculating Screen Dimensions and Resolution
• Overcoming Cross-Platform Difficulties
  • Tips for Windows Clients
  • Tips for Macintosh Clients
  • Tips for UNIX Clients
  • Operating System Palette Differences
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 8   Creating a Map of Your Web Site

• Planning the Home Page
• Creating a Home Page Plan
• Structuring Your Web Site
• Understanding the Importance of Level-One Sections
• Increasing the Detail on Level-Two Pages
• Adjusting Detail Levels
• Placing Your Resources on Level Three
• The Importance of Intrasite Internal Links
• Creating an Intrasite Link
• Providing Flexibility with Links to External URLs
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 9   Providing Visual Cues to Web Navigation Through Page Design

• Increasing Readability Through Consistent Page Design
• Making Quick Work of Color Coding
• Color Coding a Page
• Help Direct Your Browsing with Icons
• Creating Icons
• Ensuring Consistent Navigation Hardware
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 10   Understanding Form and Substance: The Dilemma of Web Style

• Developing a Genre of Web Design
• Surfing the Web with the First Wave
• Designing for the Web's Next Wave
• Creating a Swipe File of Web Style
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 11   How to Avoid the Ten Most Common Web Mistakes

• Number 10. You Use a New Graphic File for Figures That Have Repeating Elements
• Number 9. You Assume That Everyone Has a Graphical Browser
• Number 8. You Always Use a Full 8-Bit, 256-Color Palette
• Number 7. You Design Web Pages for Your Browser and Your Plug-Ins
• Number 6. You Use Designs and Colors in Tiles That Make It Difficult to Read Text That Is on Top of the Background
• Number 5. You Make Your User Wind His Way Back to the Home Page, One Level at a Time
• Number 4. You Always Load Your Best Images Inline
• Number 3. Your Graphics Always Have Halos Around Them
• Number 2. All Your Graphics and Designs Look the Same
• Number 1. You Design Web Pages for Yourself
• Next Steps

Chapter 12   Using Text in Design

• Mixing HTML Text and Your Graphics
• Creating a Mixed Page
• Designing with HTML Fonts
• Playing with Character Graphics
• Formatting Inline Graphics
• Coding an Inline Graphic
• Deciding Heading Options
• Avoiding the Boredom of Flat Text
• Making 3D Text
• Making Engraved Text
• Making Embossed Text
• Making Metallic Text
• Making Soft Rounded Text
• Making Projected Text
• Making Transparent Panel Text
• Making That Popular Fuzzy Drop Shadow
• Next Steps
• Q&A

Chapter 13   Designing Buttons That Work

• Understanding Light, Shade, and Shadow
• Making Square Buttons
• Making Round Buttons
• Making Soft Buttons
• Making Button Bars
• Making Irregular Clickable Objects
• Making the Button Hot
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 14   Making Image Maps and HTML Frames

• Deciding When You Need an Image Map
• Describing Areas of Your Page
• Writing HTML Code That Recognizes Your Map
• Making an Image Map
• Using Frames to Organize Your Page
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 15   Designing Backgrounds That Make Sense

• Promoting the Cardinal Rule of Backgrounds
• Making Panels
• Making Rules
• Making Bumpy Textures
• Making Wood Grain
• Making Metal
• Tiling a Graphic
• Making a Montage Graphic
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 16   Utilizing Inline Graphics to Your Advantage

• Planning Ahead to Fit the Page
• Anticipating the Need for Interlacing GIFs
• Making an Interlaced GIF
• Understanding When to Size the Graphic
• Resizing a Graphic
• Answering the Great Question of Transparency
• Making a Transparent GIF
• Progressive JPEG Files
• Thumbnails to External Graphics
• Making a Thumbnail of Your Graphic
• Expecting Helper Applications?
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 17   A Portfolio of Graphics from the Web

• Backgrounds
• Montage Graphics
• Buttons
• Button Bars
• Navigation Graphics
• Logos and Icons
• Eye Catchers
• Rules
• Jump Lists
• Page Layouts with Text and Graphics Using Tables

Chapter 18   Delivering Animations at Your Web Site

• Paying the High Price of Gee-Whiz Spinning Logos
• Animation Versus Video
• Understanding the Four Methods
• Netscape Animation-Client Pull
• Netscape Animation-Server Push
• Netscape Animation-Plug-In Streaming
• Helper Animation-Externally Linked Files
• Understanding Digital Formats
• Video for Windows-AVI Files
• Apple QuickTime-MOV Files
• Motion Picture Experts Group-MPEG Files
• Using Programs That Create Animations
• Using Programs That Create Digital Movies
• Designing a Digital Video for the Web
• Getting Ready for a Virtual World of Graphics-VRML
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 19   Understanding Advanced Graphic File Types

• Linking to Better JPEG Graphics
• Publishing TIFF Resources for Your Clients
• Creating a TIFF Document
• Delivering Technical Artwork in EPS Format on the Web
• Creating an EPS Document
• Making Documents Portable with Adobe's PDF
• Creating a Portable Document
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Chapter 20   Converting Graphics for Use on the Web

• Saving Original File Format Richness
• Becoming a Cross-Platform Whiz
• GIF Graphics
• Converting to GIF Format
• JPEG Graphics
• Converting to JPEG Format
• Vector Graphics
• Converting Vector Graphics
• Fonts
• Converting Fonts to Outlines
• Next Steps
• Q&A
  

Appendix A   Directory of Grphic Resources on the Web

• Graphics
  • Compression Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • File Formats FAQ
  • Graphics FAQ
  • JPEG FAQ
  • Image Conversion FAQ
  • Technical Illustration FAQ
  • Tips and Tricks FAQ
• Helper Applications
  • Indexes
• HTML
  • HTML 2.0 Specifications
  • HTML 3.0 Specifications
  • HTML Information
• Multimedia
  • Multimedia FAQ
• Plug-Ins
  • Indexes
  • Acrobat (Amber)
  • MIDI
  • Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
  • QuickTime
  • Shockwave
  • Sound
  • Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)
• Video
  • AVI
  • MPEG
  • QuickTime

Appendix B   Textures, Backgrounds, and Buttons

• Textures
• Backgrounds
• Buttons

Credits