Archive for October, 2006

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

#TILTE#Flash- Pros and Cons#/TITLE#

Flash banners (those of .swf extension) are becoming very common in Internet promotion they are so frequently new because of Macromedia Flash is a rather simple tool to produce complicated animation effects of fine quality. Though, my experience shows that this identifiable variety of banner has several drawbacks.

The first one is that leading browsers do not first support Flash additional plug-ins are required. Furthermore, it in fact happens, that to view banners produced in later Flash versions downloading newer plug-ins is needed. Statistics show that 75% of users feature Microsoft Internet Explorers (data from www.w3schools.com) most of them are users with basic skills that are less likely to download any upgrades.

In Macromedia Flash animated banners a delay is set between frames. In case web-page visitor is using a not very advanced machine, it is most probable that wile loading the page the banner will also be loading slowly user will not obtain the necessary info from it, as he will not wait for the next frame to appear.

Another inconvenience of not only Flash banners, but also of Flash web-sites is that right-click on the splendid link or banner does not offer a chance to open it in used window or feature within the same window. This is often annoying, especially when about 15 windows are already opened used window increases CPU usage.

Though, Flash banners have some advantages in comparison with animated .gif banners Flash banners’ use vector animation, thus a big size banner occupies less memory than ordinary one of the primary same size. Actually, basing on experience I can proclaim that .gif animated banners can only be efficiently new for small banners with 2-3 frames.

The major advantage of Flash banner is the range of available colors .gif format offers a very limited range of only 256 colors very little for a good value banner. Flash provides palette of much wider choice of colors, quality of banner improves immensely.

To conclude I can only advise to use Flash for big size banners (at least 468×60 pixels) or for pop up banners than the quality does really matter. But to draw a small animated button 88×31 px, the usage of Flash will be obsolete.

Flash banners (those of .swf extension) are becoming very common in Internet promotion they are so frequently used because of Macromedia Flash is a rather simple tool to produce complicated animation effects of fine quality. Though, my experience shows that this type of banner has several drawbacks. The first one is that leading browsers do not initially support Flash additional plug-ins are required. Furthermore, it sometimes happens, that to view banners produced in later Flash versions downloading newer plug-ins is needed. Statistics show that 75% of users feature Microsoft Internet Explorers (data from www.w3schools.com) most of them are users with basic skills that are less likely to download any upgrades. In Macromedia Flash animated banners a delay is set between frames. In case web-page visitor is using a not very advanced machine, it is likely that wile loading the page the banner will also be loading slowly user will not get the necessary info from it, as he will not wait for the next frame to appear. Another inconvenience of not only Flash banners, but also of Flash web-sites is that right-click on the link or banner does not offer a possibility to open it in new window or in the same window. This is often annoying, especially when about 15 windows are already opened new window increases CPU usage. Though, Flash banners have some advantages in comparison with animated .gif banners Flash banners’ use vector animation, thus a big size banner occupies less memory than ordinary one of the same size. Actually, basing on experience I can say that .gif animated banners can only be effectively used for small banners with 2-3 frames. The major advantage of Flash banner is the range of available colors .gif format offers a very limited range of only 256 colors very little for a decent banner. Flash provides palette of much wider choice of colors, quality of banner improves immensely. To conclude I can only advise to use Flash for big size banners (at least 468×60 pixels) or for pop up banners than the quality does really matter. But to draw a small animated button 88×31 px, the usage of Flash will be obsolete.

 
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Professional web design - Web designing tips for you

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

A website’s success is very much dependent on web pages you design. It’s been seen that beginners are not much successful first time when it comes to website designing. New enthusiastic website designers generally design poor web pages and thinks they have done a good job. Just thinking those pages are ready to upload doesn t make so. The reason they think they have done a good job generally because they are the one who have design that stuff, In most cases- first time . Like all areas of expertise, designing a webpage also requires a fair amount of practice. So guys never under estimate the power of practice, it does make perfect and the more time you design you will get better and better on your craft.

We are not trying to discourage you but it s almost impossible to design a perfect website on your first attempt. Actually you can expect this miracle only if you are a very good observer and ready to follow the same path of experts. Of course, there are other ways to achieve this. Say, by using a user friendly templates or getting an experts help.
You can t ignore this-Even by reading this article! It would not be a bad idea to follow our tips and advices to achieve great results while designing your web page

If you are from the group of people who still thinks more graphics and more colours will make a great website, we would like to discourage you. In a standard style of designing that would be a completely wrong advice for anyone. Please understand the value of space. When it comes to designing a web page, less is always better. Stay away from adding lot of strange fonts and thousands of colours; that will put your visitors off and will also give jarring effect on eyes. Think how much loading time it will increase for your web page. A general observation says that most people get distracted and bored after 10 seconds of uploading. Most people hate to wait and get impatient very easily.

Think about the most popular websites for a second. Take Google for an example. It has more plain background than any other website; still it is the most popular search engine in the world. Now take a look at its features:
    lots of empty space (white space)
    a beautiful logo
    few links in blue
    And a search box

 That s it! More people will agree on point of simplicity when it comes to design better web pages. We can give plenty of examples for this. eBay, hotornot.com and papal are just some of these websites following the same path.

Some thorough tips for making great looking WebPages:

Using more frames and background music is never a good idea, follow the same rule when it comes to colour.

Layout lines are desirable to be simple.

Font colours should not exceed more than two or three max. Any kind of overuse is a strict no-no.
Flaming taxes, animated GIF images will kill the beauty of your webpage.

Be sensible while you apply a contrast between webpage background and colour of the text and vise versa.

Deciding about the font size? Don t overlook the thumb rule of balance, too big or too small fonts will not do any good to your website.

Verdana and Arial are the widely used fonts because they look just right on your computer screen.

Making very wide website is a mistake you should not do. Better test it on multiple sized screens and even on several screen resolutions

Keep the above points in mind while you are designing your webpage, remember that great design is not much better than better design but it s always good to aim for better design because it is better than the average one. Don’t forget, webpage designing is important but not more than content. It s content of your website that is making your website famous and successful.

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Technorati Tags: logo design solutions softbean.com   Flickr Tags: logo  

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

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Creating a company logo becomes much easier when one begins to get a feel for what is appealing and why it is so. It is essential to learn how to use the principles of visual communications and combine them efectively with basic production techniques. Equally important is, gain awareness of how important are the factors of ethics and social responsibility highlight within the creation of visuals. Much of good logo design is a matter of taste, and invariably differs from person to person.

The company logo design is a graphical representation intended to differentiate companies and their products from their competitors trait within the market. It typically includes the brand name and indeed, an allegorical graphic element, called an “emblem” or “combination mark” aspect element within the professional jargon. A company logo must be a direct, simple and powerful representation of the brand s name and character. Complicated illustrations and types are to be avoided unless mentioned specifically. A company logo design has to convey a great number of information with a few strokes, letters and spots of color. The company logo is an asset for the company and is its registered property that goes with its products.

Originality and distinctiveness are the essence of a company logo design. highlight within the highly competitive market no one could risk to mistakenly design a logo similar to that of another company. This can lead to the confusing the potential customer about the business. Company logos have become the faces and economy of our business. Even the general public has become very responsive to logos, their meanings and implementations. The companies take pride in their logos and want to protect its image on printed matter, on the excellent Internet, in advertisements and other places that put them feature within the public eye.

The logo design process begins with the formulation of a set of objectives and a verbal description of what the logo has to convey. The consistent use of clear typefaces is a way of establishing a recognized and professional identity. The typography can and could be new to create a dynamic look that allows the viewer to focus resting on the logo. A large bold or semi-bold typeface often signals strength and significance. An italic typeface can be used to describe softer values and to convey a lighter impression. A professional logo designer develops conceptual pathways for the logo, combining the various aspects and transforming ideas into sketches.

Ultimately a logo stands for everything a company or product represents. It is undoubtedly one of the top most important parts of an organization s corporate branding strategy. It is the reflection of the company s culture; it s purpose and goals as well as the values and aspiration of its customers. Whether starting a new business, launching a new product or service or revitalizing an existing company, branding and identity would considered to be an integral part of the business plan from the start. A good company logo design stands as a part of the marketing strategy, when competitors can underestimate its value and effectiveness. The company logo can give the business a much-needed edge resting on the road to success.

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

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Affordable web design - Being at the first page of results or SEO friendly pages

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

If you re relatively new to the business of search engine optimization, you may have heard the term long tail being bandied about, often without much of an explanation. You may even have heard people talking about making money on the long tail of search.

Specifically speaking, you and your customer are not different people. They will do same when they will want some information about a product or service. Let me ask you, what do you do when you are in same need? You go online and search using Google right? Well that is exactly what your customers will also be doing. Don’t you want to be there on the first page of search results when they search for keywords relating to the products or service you offer?

Don t you think it s time to learn about some research secrets like Search Engine Optimization? Now you too can let the world know that you exist. Research optimization is not a magic even though it sounds so. SEO is a systematic, inexpensive, thought intensive procedure that helps a website get a higher ranking in search engines. In simple words, effective SEO makes sure that your page appears within the top results when somebody types in particular keywords on Google, Yahoo, MSN, or other such search bars

 It is also a very effective a marketing tool in cyber age. When you want to market a product online, you have three popular choices,
    register with an online directory
    advertise online using MSN India Ads, Google or Ad sense
    third is trying SEO
Yes, whichever sites listed in first page generally went in for SEO. A little example will help you understand, a Punjab based company has been a name to be reckoned with in the Yoga articles yogaseekers.com for over a decade. The challenge was to list and achieve top ranking with their most popular keywords to get clients and business. They wanted their website to rank above their competitor’s website in major search engines. Since it was a relatively new site with low Web traffic, they faced with the challenge of starting the SEO activity from scratch. The hard work paid off, though. In 60 days, their website got listed successfully in all major search engines and directories with top positions for the important keywords and key phrases.
      The point here is to accept a new powerful tool in web world. SEO do work and it actually works like a magic. All the right key words and blends of all possible key phrases is rather art than science.

Tell me what it is?

Simply stating, Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of methods which is aimed at improving the ranking or the number of hits from the traffic of global populace. Also its purpose is to improve website s search engine listings.
SEO is an industry of expert consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients’ sites. There are also some categories like “white hat SEO whose methods are totally legal and approved by search engines. On the other hand there are also black hat SEO too, whose tricks such as cloaking are not accepted by search engines.
Summarizing in the end what you need to remember is SEO can really boost your websites chances to appear on the first page.

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