TIPS ON GRAPHICS

  1. GRAPHICS ARE GREAT FUN, but unless your page is absolutely unhinged they should be used with restraint. Firstly, they take time to load, and that can really test a person's motivation to stick with your page. Secondly, they can detract from the point of the page. If the graphics take over from the message then the tail is wagging the dog. Don't include graphics just for the sake of it. They've got to have a purpose.

  2. The <IMG SRC> tag has attribute commands. Some people don't bother with them, so what you end up with on the initial loading of the page is disorganised text separated by lots of little squares set to your browser's default. It's not only messy but the page leaps about the screen while the graphics load and change these square's dimensions. If you set the <IMG SRC> attributes in the HTML text then the reader can get on with reading text while the graphics load. It's one of those small courtesies which make the difference between a mediocre site and a great one!

    e.g. for a gif image named "picture.gif" measuring 120 by 160 pixels

    <IMG SRC="picture.gif" HEIGHT="120" WIDTH="160" BORDER=0>

    will mean that the picture and the page round it will be set at the very beginning just as it will be after the image has loaded. It takes no time to do but it shows that you are treating your reader with respect! Setting the border is a matter of taste. I prefer not to have a border round my graphics so I usually set it to "0".

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