Free Website, Printing and Graphic Design Tips

I firmly believe an image can “make or break” your web page design. Use photos that are clear, sharp and eye-catching. You want to evoke a feeling in your viewers. Motivate them to buy or browse further into your website. Images with electric lines running through them or other unrelated items aren’t going to get the results you want.
When taking a photo look carefully at what’s in your viewfinder and change your position to get the best image possible. Unrelated items in the background or forefront of your image are distracting and unprofessional. Crop out unwanted areas. Take note of how the available light is “falling” on your subject. Use your flash during daylight to fill in shady areas.
Make sure the object you want people to see is large enough to make an impact. If you’re selling surfboards you don’t want 80 percent of your photo to be the skyline and beach. Bring the surfboard up to the front of the picture! Zoom in on the surfboard either when taking the image or when cropping it for your website. You can keep some beach and sky but the board is the main focal point and should be sized accordingly. Visitors shouldn’t have to “try” to see portions of your photos.
Keep your main subject matter sharp, clear and up front. Reduce clutter and make the photo  large enough to compliment your layout and be easily seen. Take these few extra steps and your images will have more impact and your site will look a thousand percent more attractive and professional

Images are a powerful part of any website. A great photo or illusitration can catch a visitor’s eye and help to keep them on your site. There are many places to obtain photos or illustrations for your site. Some are free. Some are not. Microsoft Office Clipart Online has a great selection of free images but you must be sure to read and adhere to the terms. You are responsible for the legal rights to images you use on your site. Be sure you or your designer purchase images instead of just right-clicking and copying them. It might be free now to just copy and paste them into your site but later it can cost you a whole lot more in legal fees.
Be sure you read the documentation pertaining to the images you purchase and for the images you obtain for free. To purchase royalty-free images at very fair prices, visit i-stockphoto . Another good resource is Microsoft’s Office Online clip art. And remember, you don’t have to use any image in its entirety. Sometimes it’s better to enlarge and use only a section of the image. This technique can create more impact and it will also be less likely you’ll find that same image on someone else’s site.