Graphics are a really important element for any website. But then again, so are words. So how do you get the mix right?
The reason I’ve chosen Words Vs Graphics for my blog today is because I’ve been working with a client whose website is loaded with graphics. I mean graphics are everywhere. If this website were a pizza it would be a pizza supreme with extra cheese.
It’s not so much loaded with graphics as suffering from graphic overload if you get my drift. There’s no particular style, no real sense to the colour palette, and a heap of small, difficult to read graphics that sadly contain some pretty key messages.
A picture might be able to paint a thousand words – but a few well chosen words can be a whole lot easier to follow than a jumble of graphics all with different messages.
Don’t get me wrong, I think graphics on a website are really important – they serve a number of purposes and should work with and be complementary to text content. But as Benjamin Franklin once said, there is “a place for everything, and everything in its place”
Here’s a few great ways to use graphics on your website:
Key Message Banners
Your key messages should SHOUT out to your audience. Don’t limit them to tiny graphics in wishy washy colours – add interesting and engaging visuals to your banners but make sure the key message is written.
Diagrams
Got a process or concept that needs to be explained? A diagram graphic is a great way to display your concept or explain your process visually – and it’s often a lot easier to understand than a written description.
Charts and Graphs
If you’ve got quantitative data such as financial or numerical statistics to display, it’ll be a lot easier to understand in a chart or graph format.
Illustrations and Pictures
A few well chosen illustrations and pictures can bring the words on your website to life, and make them seem more visually appealing.
Seeing is Believing
Always remember that pictures convey only what is being shown, and how the viewer chooses to interpret it. Words offer more freedom – the concept can be described in more detail than a picture can get across. Bot together, words and pictures can work magic.
If seeing is believing, you don’t want to leave it to your audience’s imagination to know what you’re really trying to communicate.
If you’d like to have a chat about the words and graphics on your website, give me a call on 0400 514579 – I’m waiting by the phone right now!