The Doกs of Banner Designing

The Doกs of Banner Designing

by: Grannyกs Mettle

Banners are effective media materials that can make or break a companyกs ad campaign. For web sites, along with the corporate logo, the banner speaks of your message and what you want to achieve for your corporate image and identity.

To help you with your banner design, we have compiled the following tips and suggestions that have made other web sites effective in terms of the amount of visitors and sales.

The Doกs of Designing Your Banner

DO use animation. Especially animation that is quick to download. Animations do attract the attention of your target audience, but it should not take much time to download or else your visitors would just click on to another site.

But remember to provide animation in the minimum. Too much would not attract but irritate your visitors. It will also overwhelm your page.

Grantastic Designs have provided the following general guidelines for animated banners:

The animation should be subtle enough to attract attention but should not be so ostentatious as to interfere or clash with the design of the web page you are advertising on.

An animation that loops endlessly tends to irritate visitors. Have the animation loop 710 times, leaving the main message on the last animation frame.

Conversely, some visitors will stop a web page from loading before the banner animation has loaded, leaving only the first frame. Thus, it might be a good idea to have your message come across in your first frame if you know that the web page you are advertising on has a long download time.

DO provide features that call for some action. Images that ask visitors to กclickก or กsubmitก on your banner can improve significantly the rate of visitors clicking on your web page. Visitors are attracted to click on icons especially if you offer them something in return.

DO provide กFREEก in your banner. Human nature provides for attraction of anything that is offered กFREEก. Depending on what is being offered, the word กFREEก can increase the rate of visitors clicking on your web site. Web sites usually offer free demonstrations of new software. This often gets good response from the target audience. Offering free money though produces suspicion among the browsers since people tend to question what the catch is.

DO use bright colors. Statistics show that the colors yellow, green, and blue in banners produce a higher rate of visitors, compared to those in blackandwhite. Also, red should also be used sparingly, as it suggests aggressiveness that seems to repel many of the browsers.

DO provide a benefit for clicking on your banner. When you have questions in your banner, be sure to provide the answer on your web site. Make sure that the benefit you provide is found in your web site. Or else, your visitors will never go to your web site the second time. Itกs so hard to make a good impression; but it takes only seconds to have a wrong perception of your company.

DO keep your message short and concise. Simple banners get more attention than wordy and unfocused ones. Thereกs no need to give a lengthy description of your web site. Any information that your visitors would want to know they will be able to get from the pages of your web site.

DO link your banner to a particular page. Visitors should be able to go directly to the appropriate page for the information they want. When they click on your banner, make sure that they don’t have to go to your home page and hunt for the information. You will lose visitors as fast as you can say banner.

We hope that we have helped you make your banners more effective and efficient in providing you with a tool to achieve success.

About The Author

Grannyกs Mettle is a 30something, professional web content writer. She has created various web content on a diverse range of topics, which includes digital printing topics, medical news, as well as legal issues. Her articles are composed of reviews, suggestions, tips and more for the printing and designing industry.

Her thoughts on writing: กWriting gives me pleasure… pleasure and excitement that you have created something to share with others. And with the wide world of the Internet, it gives me great satisfaction that my articles reach more people in the quickest time you could imagine.ก

On her spare time, she loves to stay at home, reading books on just about any topic she fancies, cooking a great meal, and taking care of her husband and kids.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 03

by Grannyกs Mettle

An Extended Christmas Animation

An Extended Christmas Animation

by: Nashville

According to the blog entitled ขAnimationข which was posted by Neil last December 2, 2004 at www.eightlines.com, someone spent way too long on a Christmas Flash animation. You can actually view the animation at http://www.tongcom.co.kr/dingani_13.htm. It was definitely enjoyable and entertaining! The animator used the song ขLast Christmasข by Beatles as the background for the animated Christmas music video.

I must say that the one who made this animation has already mastered the Flash software. For your information, Flash is a powerful software program that can be used to create animated movies that are small in file size, load quickly, and incorporate user interaction and sound. Apparently, it may appear to be a relatively simple program because of its few tools compared to other software programs. However, a world of complex authoring structures, advanced techniques, and sophisticated effects begins to unfold as one learns more about Flash.

Regarding the creator of this animation, he certainly has a good combination of images, graphics and sounds in this masterpiece. He must have used his creativity and imagination meticulously in this animation. I was really impressed with the way it was created. It’s very fascinating.

With what I’ve seen, I’m looking forward to see your other creations, too. I hardly find experts in this software application and whenever I do, I’m always impressed with their works of art. You’ll get two thumbs up from me.

To the creator of this Christmas animation, I only have three words for you. ขYou definitely rock!ข Keep it up, dude! Godspeed!

About The Author

Nash Ville

Well, I must say that I am not a born writer. I didn’t acquire this gift hereditarily either. However, I’m an adventure book lover and used to read everything that I come across in the Internet that sounds interesting. I think, I only developed it through constant practice and exposure to numerous writing stuff. I was chosen to compete in press conferences that showcased my needsowelldeveloped writing skills. I became part of our school publication staff. I started as a news writer and photojournalist of the school paper. Soon, I was appointed editorinchief. It was during this time when I realized that I needed to be more efficient in writing because duty called for it. I should say that this event in my life opened me wholly to the wonderful world of writing.

With all these, I can’t say that I have mastered writing because of these writing experiences. I believe that this craft is also a continuous learning process. I’ve been working hard to become amore efficient and competent in writing, most especially now that I’m working as a content writer for this company. I’m doing articles for printing companies, medical sites, legal sites, and many more.

For comentaries, explanation and additional info about the article you may contact the author at http://www.mypostcardprinting.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 07

by Nashville

Combined Hot Multimedia Practical Tips

Combined Hot Multimedia Practical Tips

by: Lala C. Ballatan

In the site, http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/99/26/index1a.html?tw=multimedia Francis Preve’s article on Hot Multimedia Tips, he emphasized that, ขAs web designers, we don’t want to get caught flatfooted when all our favorite videographers, record producers, and best boys start setting up camp in our backyard. After all, aren’t these some of the folks who inspired us in the first place?ข

In his article, he polled the best and brightest web developers and designers at HotWired, together with some other creative types. It is an attempt to get a handle on several secret techniques they use to create effective audio, video, and animation on the Web. Thus, in a compilation, he gathered together a must –read assortment of tips, tricks, and general wisdom, guaranteed to help maximize your multimedia efforts.

The assortment of tips and tricks come from Anna Macmillan, Designer, Hotwired; Taylor, Technologist/Former Hotwiredite; Craig Schwartz, associate producer, hotwired; Michael Kay, interface Developer, Hotwired; Steve Mack, Cocreative Director, RealNetworks, and; Francis Preve, program director for NemeSys Music Technology. Each person mentioned had given their own practical tips and techniques depending on the area of their expertise. Some had also given us some general multimedia techniques for us to feel undaunted once taking on the world of digital technology – web and graphic design and/or animation. Don’t get too excited, though, while these tips are given by various multimedia experts, browsing through and knowing their theories won’t make you a multimedia expert overnight.

All in all, the article contained some 30 or so tips and techniques, and after going through it, we have bunched up the many theories these experts have in common. Now, these are the ones you really should pay attention to.

Using the right tool for the job – choose your web weapons wisely, from among the selections of audio and animation options. For lowbrandwidth, highimpact animation, Flash is an excellent choice. Meanwhile, stick to QuickTime and RealVideo for best results in working with video. For audio, MP3 tops all downloading highres, fulllength compositions.

Keeping your audience in mind as you work – since you are creating for a target audience, then always put on top of everything else what they are waiting for from you. Have a care for your viewer’s brandwidth capacity and balance technical flashiness. Your work’s content must always jibe on what’s accessible for your audience.

Avoiding interactivity – unless you’re designing a very interesting interactive game, try to keep interactivity of your visual design for your users to an all time low. Remember that television and movies are still the standards for realtime visual entertainment. For many, being passively engaged is a source of relaxation…Thus, by keeping your audience inactive, just looking on, understanding and getting them enthralled throughout will prevent them from clicking away from your ‘site.’

There you go, folks, no matter what your medium you use, as long as you stick to these principles, it might help for your creations and should keep your priorities on top of everything else.30

About The Author

Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 yearold Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a nongovernment organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion mysteries, horrors, psychothrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 11

by Lala C. Ballatan