Each week we will be introducing a member of the 2JDesign team! each with their own unique cartoon illustration!  Visit our Facebook page 2J Design – Ecommerce Web Design! this week its all Dan our junior graphic designer. Find out which is Dan’s favourite site he has worked on since joining 2JDesign fresh from college & university. Also what he thinks is our best logo design, there were lots to choose from! Any questions you would like to ask Dan post to our Facebook page. Next week will be another one of our amazing team.

graphic designer · graphic designer sheffield

As a part of web design, Graphic design is meant to provide a visual message to the visitors of the website. An important factor to consider while designing graphics is to grab the attention of user for a long time, while, simultaneously ensuring that the graphics do not use too much memory space and impede the loading of the webpage. This factor is most important for Ecommerce websites where longer stays result in improved probability of purchase, while reduced loading speed may result in the user getting put off and leaving the website.

Sheffield graphic designers use various methods and techniques to create a visual display of concepts, ideas and messages. Graphic design consists of words, symbols, pictures, colours, lines, shapes, backgrounds, etc. Sheffield graphic designs ensure optimum organization of these elements and various visual arts and layout design techniques to produce the most effective result for the client. A graphic designer’s task involves arranging and using elements on various types of media such as a poster, a package or a website. Sheffield graphic designers make extensive use of special graphics software, especially from Adobe, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Flash and Acrobat.

There are many companies offering graphic design services, but only some of them offer specialised services in all aspects of graphic design and have a proficient team of graphic designers. They can do various type of work for you depending on your business such as logo design, brochure design, stationary design, flyers, posters, etc. As graphic design plays a significant role in promoting your business, Sheffield graphic design also offers advertising assistance.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

Graphic design companies take on the entire gamut of work for creating an Ecommerce website and its offline support mechanism. The work which is usually outsourced to graphic design companies includes logo design, brochure design, flyers and posters, stationary design etc. Since graphic design is one of the major components of business promotion, some graphic design companies also offer advertising support.

Why is a logo used?  One of the reasons is that a logo is an image and images are placed easily in a person’s memory and are also remembered faster than words alone. A logo makes a better and long term impact than words. It is a simpler way to promote a business or brand presence. It can also communicate what the business is about.  Logos present brand name identification and put in visual appeal to web pages. As a logo is a unique graphic image, it draws the visitor’s attention. It is very important for any business to have an attractive, unique and easily recallable logo design to project the business. Graphic design companies can help design a logo for your business as a part of their overall service activities package.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

It is advantageous to contract out graphic design work to a local graphic design company. The main benefits of contracting with a local company include customisation of services, matching working hours, geographical proximity, convenience of approaching and contacting, similarity in value systems and approaches, common understanding of legal issues such as copyright, etc. Proficiency in Graphic Design is a combination of general skills and technical skills. General skills include project management, creativity, leadership skills, networking, communication, etc. Technical skills include ability to handle the relevant software like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, QuarkXPress, Dreamweaver Flash, etc. and languages like XML, HTML, etc.
A Graphic Designer should appreciate the difficulties in designing for an Ecommerce website vis-à-vis other types of websites. An Ecommerce web design consists of designing catalogs, product pages, templates, shopping carts, payment gateways and many more. An easy-to-operate Ecommerce website is a union of good planning and competent execution. An effective Ecommerce design is clean, concise, comprehensive, reliable and easy to use. The inputs of an adept Graphic Designer with knowledge of the local target market are indispensable in creating such a website.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

Lots of companies offer graphic design services, but very few offer specialised services in all aspects of graphic design and have proficient team of graphic designers. These companies can do different kinds of work such as logo design, brochure design, flyers and posters, stationary design etc. Since graphic design is one of the major components of business promotion, some companies also offer advertising support. Graphic design is the most critical part of web designing as it helps create the first impression on visitors. Hence, it is imperative for companies offering graphic designing services to have skilled and experienced manpower delivering high quality services to clients.

If you are looking to outsource your graphic design, then you should choose companies which offer customised services. The main advantage of having customised service is that you can get consistency in every aspect of the graphic design from brochures and logos to stationary and website design. In case of web design, graphic design is meant to establish visual communication between the website and its users to create a meaningful website experience. An essential thing to consider while designing graphics is to capture the attention of user. This aspect is most important for Ecommerce web sites since visits may translate into sales.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

A graphic designer’s task involves arranging and using elements on various types of media such as a poster, a package or a website. This is done through the use of specialised graphics softwares such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign. One of the essential requirements for a graphic design is project management skills. He should be able to understand the client’s project.  An effective graphic designer should be able to handle different projects and should be creative and innovative. (S)he should design graphics in such a manner that they would form an active communication between the client’s website and the target audience.
A graphic designer has an entire set of graphic images, including logos, bullet points, divider lines (horizontal rules), background images, headings (or text graphics) and photos, any of which can be used to capture the visitor’s attention. The graphic designer should ensure that the images on a web site match in colour, typeface and special effects. The navigation buttons, mastheads, bullet points, and divider lines look best if they are designed using one among the colours present in the logo. While using these, the designer should take care that the download time of the web page is not increased substantially. In case of delay in downloading, the graphic images should be sized down (in KB terms) without losing the integrity of the graphic image.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

Graphics are found among reading matter all around us, including newspapers, books, magazines, etc.  As a part of web design, graphic design is meant to provide a visual message to the website’s visitors. It enhances their website user experience. An important factor to consider while designing graphics is to grab the attention of user while he is going through the site and attempt to make him/her retain the message. This factor is most important for Ecommerce web sites since the length of stay by a visitor on their website increases the possibility of generating an online sale to the visitor. Hence, special care should be given to graphic design during Ecommerce web design.

The graphic designer should communicate with the client and understand the message the client wants to impart to his visitors. This message can then be translated to images and transferred to the website though graphic design. Graphic designers use various methods and techniques to create a visual display of concepts, ideas and messages. Graphic design consists of various elements such as words, symbols, pictures, colours, lines, shapes, backgrounds etc. It is imperative for a successful graphic designer to know how to organise these elements and maintain a balance in their use. Visual arts and layout design techniques can also be used to produce the desired result. Graphic designers should be able to establish an active communication between the client’s website and the targeted audience through effective graphic design.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

Graphic images are a very attractive part of websites and easily capture the visitor’s attention. It is very important for graphic designers to make balanced and proper use of graphic images.  Sometimes, graphic designers, in an effort to improve the attractiveness of web pages, tend to focus on the looks and forget about functionality. This should be voided because even if the web pages are very attractive to look at, but lack in functionality, or take a very long time to download, they lose their worth.
Graphics in web pages have to serve a function. The number of graphic images in your website is directly proportional to the time required to download your web pages.  More graphic images in your website means more download time.  Prospective customers may be lost if they find the website to be very slow. Some types of graphic images that are suitable on a web page like navigation buttons and image maps should be used and designed with functionality in mind:
Navigation buttons – These are used to assist your visitors navigate through your web site.  These navigation buttons must be pleasing to the eye and easy to read.
Image maps – These are used to facilitate visitors navigate your web site and add to the visual appeal.  But if improperly designed, they may increase download time of your web pages.

Graphic Design · graphic designer

All the graphic images on a web site should match in colour, typeface, and special effects. For example, the text in all the navigation buttons should use the same typeface and have the same special effects on them. The navigation buttons, mastheads, bullet points, and divider lines look best if they are designed using one among the colors present in the logo.

For a truly professional look to the website, the minimum graphics on the web pages should include a set of navigational graphics, a logo, bullet points, and set of mastheads. If this set of graphics does not significantly increase a page’s download time, then additional graphic images can be inserted to enhance the visual appeal of the site. The general rule is to keep web page size between 40 and 60 KB. If the business for which the website is designed belongs to a graphic designer, photographer, architect, or programmer, a 75 KB web page will still give a relatively fast download time.

Any extra graphic images on your web pages should serve a function that is directly related to your business. Illustrations can also serve a navigational function. In some websites, the visitor can tell the section of the website, based on the illustration shown. A talented graphic design is one in which graphic images download quickly and look good. In case of delay in downloading, graphic images should be sized down (in K) without losing the integrity of the graphic image.

Remember, graphic images are primarily used to enhance a web page’s function. If graphic images considerably increase the web pages’ download time, size down the graphic images, replace them with smaller images, or replace them with the HTML default bullets, horizontal rules, or coloured heading text.

Graphic Design · Graphic Design Sheffield · graphic designer

Graphic design deals with one of the more attractive and attracting features of any Ecommerce website. It is essential for a graphic designer to make appropriate, effective and balanced use of graphics in the web pages – neither should they seem over-dressed, nor should any necessary graphics be left out. Following are the different types of graphic images used in website design:

Logos – Logos create the corporate image or identity. They enhance brand recognition and add visual appeal to the matter given on the web page.

Bullet points – These are used to draw the visitor’s attention to the key points given in the page.

Mastheads – This type of graphic image is used to make the visitor know which web page (s)he is on. They are also known as title graphics. Adding a graphic to a masthead adds visual appeal.

Divider lines or horizontal rules – These are normally used to divide footers, categories within a single web page and FAQ questions & answers.

Background images – Background images are used to increase visual appeal of a web page and make a website simpler to navigate. The most common background images are sidebars that generally have links to the other pages in the website.

Headings or text graphics – These are usually used to maintain a typeface that most people don’t have on their computers.

Photos – Photos are added to web pages to make them look more personable and attractive to capture the visitor’s attention.

Graphic Design · graphic designer