WWW: Beyond the Basics

10. Graphical Design

by Joseph W. Reiss

ABSTRACT

Layout and design professionals have been honing their craft since publishing began hundreds of years ago. However, the early years of each new publishing revolution always seem to be spent rediscovering this knowledge. This happened in the 1980s with desktop publishing when every page contained 20 different fonts and several pieces of clipart. It is happening again in the 1990s on the World Wide Web. There is a strong tendency to include design elements simply because one can, and not because one should.

This chapter provides some hints on how to produce designs that are both attractive and effective, without being browser exclusive. Some are drawn from print media. Others come from the areas of hypermedia and multimedia. And a few others are specific to the web. We will also look at some pitfalls of bad design and discuss better ways to present the same information.

CHAPTER CONTENT

  1. Introduction
  2. Hypermedia
    1. Lost in Hyperspace
    2. Guiding the User
  3. Printed Media
    1. When Philosophies Collide
    2. Working Within the System
    3. If You Can't Beat Them, Create a New Standard
  4. Multimedia
    1. The Bleeding Edge
    2. Proceed with Caution
  5. Conclusion
References

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Copyright © 1996 Joseph W. Reiss, All Rights Reserved

Joe Reiss <jreiss@vt.edu>
Last modified: Sat Dec 7 12:42:01 1996