Web Design Tips for Graphics

By Lisa Lopuck

Part of the Web Design For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Graphics are a huge part of web design. Knowing and using the standards and formats for different types of web graphics can mean the difference between a web page that catches attention and one that browsers glance past. Use these tips to make sure your visual elements are visually arresting:

Build all web graphics in 72 dpi, the standard display resolution of the web.
For best download performance, save graphics that have a mix of text, flat-colored graphics, and photos, such as the one shown here, as adaptive palette GIF files that use as few colors as possible.

Save all purely photographic images as JPEG files. (PNG files work as well but are typically larger in file size.)
Always display anti-aliased graphics that use single color transparency (such as GIFs) on the correct background color; otherwise, you see an unsightly halo around them.
To achieve a soft transition from an image to a transparent background, use the PNG format. The PNG format supports alpha channel transparency.