Post by Guest blogger and the creator of my "magazine cover" on the left - Dawn Papandrea-Khan. I love her work! Met her on twitter via Willie Crawford. Social media connections! Plug into your social media connections too and work YOUR synergy energy. Thanks Dawn. Here's her article:
The most important aspect of any website or blog, when it comes to design elements, is whether or not you are making a good first impression.
Catching the attention of your visitors is crucial.
If you have something that you would like to promote or sell, it is important to come up with creative ideas that will draw potential readers and buyers in. And since many of you, who have internet businesses, may not have the opportunity to meet in person with your clients, your best bet is to create and use eye catching internet graphics that will make a good first impression.
Internet graphics can be anything from a custom optin box graphic, website or blog header, an Ecover design, a button ad, or even a social networking icon. These graphics are seen all over the internet. They paint a picture for us about a particular website, blog, book, or even product.
Here are a few ideas that will help you incorporate internet
graphics that are sure to make a good first impression:
Eye Catching is Better than Boring – Catching the attention of your visitors, clients, or potential buyers is extremely important. If your biggest focus is to build your list and gain subscribers to your site or blog, then you definitely want your optin box area to pop on the page that people land on. You can do this by adding a colorful background or border. Or you can also hire a professional graphic artist to design something special that will work specifically with the design of your site. Here is an example:
As you can see, the
optin box has been custom designed to match the site’s header incorporating the colors and logo. And when you enter the site, you immediately see the optin box right at the top.
Make your Purpose Clear – First time visitors may leave your site in a hurry if they cannot quickly and easily determine what the site is about. In just a few seconds, your site or internet graphics should communicate why your reader should spend their time or money there.
A website or blog header is a great example of an internet graphic that can be used to paint a picture of what you, your site, and your product is all about.
A header graphic should include the basic title and tagline as well as logo or images that would best represent what the site is all about. The header above is for a toddler nutrition site. As you can see they have all the necessary design elements which in turn makes the purpose very clear.
Keep it Simple – Many times, people try to put too much into one website or graphic. This can be a turn off. The last thing you want is to turn someone away because your site or internet graphics are cluttered or busy. The layout and design should never distract from the content. There should be a flow to both. This is where a professional graphic designer comes in. They can help you decide what would work well visually. Keeping things simple will depend on elements such as wording, font style, colors, size, etc.
Add Visual Interest – Internet Graphics are all about visual interest and appeal. Just like a logo design, they can help a person recognize a website, company, or brand. Wording is important in a graphic, but sometimes the image will leave an even bigger impression. As humans we are extremely visual. Just think about all the times you have seen the yellow McDonalds arches or the Nike swoosh, we automatically know who it is. This is the same for graphics and logos that we see on the internet. It is important to tie in that visual appeal into your internet graphics.
For instance if you have a
Ebook that you are working on that ties in with your website.
Take the design elements from your site and bring that into the Ecover design. Here is an example:
So, as you can see, the header and the actual Ecover carry the logo image which tie it all together nicely. These types of things are very important in adding visual interest.
When a visitor stops by your site for the first time, what do they see? What grabs their attention? Do you have an eye catching header? Is your site clean and attractive? Is it engaging and informative?
Is your purpose clear? The best way to find out the answers to these questions is by having a few people critique your site and your graphics.
Be open to constructive criticism, because in the long run you want your site and your graphics to be the best that they can be.
Hiring a professional graphic designer can make a huge difference. Custom designed graphics can give you just the push you need to make your site, business, or product look it’s best. You would be surprised at how affordable it can be as well.
If you are interested in graphic design work,
DPK Graphic Design would be happy to help you with your next project. They specialize in custom website & blog headers, ecovers, logos, twitter backgrounds, button ads, and so much more! Their prices are very reasonable and they work one on one with their clients to come up creative and inspiring designs. Be sure to check out their extensive design portfolios and do not hesitate to contact them today!
http://dpk-graphicdesign.com/
See
http://www.pamperryprcoach.com/ too and join
http://www.chocolatepagesnetwork.com/!
Also see
http://www.ivorycoastmedia.com/ for book trailers and video graphics!
