We’ve all heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, a website is worth a million! A first impression is often times all we get in today’s fast-paced world of communication, and more importantly, competitive-natured society.

Being a graphic designer requires you to be creative at a drop of a dime. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do, especially after working on, let’s say… a 70-page instruction manual (not the most inspirational project). So when I find myself having a hard time getting the creative juices going, I like to visit some websites and blogs that I find inspirational. I thought I’d share a few of them with you.

When designing websites, it’s important to know which file format to use. Graphics, in their original form, are usually too large to quickly download over the internet and image files on websites are typically compressed. The standard formats for compression are GIF and JPEG.

As a designer, I believe one of the most important design elements is the colors you use. Selecting the right color combination is a vital part for any design, whether it’s a logo, print ad or interactive website. Colors can instantly evoke a feeling or emotion. They can make us feel comfortable and calm, or they can create excitement and drama. It’s important to come up with the correct color combination to get across the emotion you intend or be subtle enough not to be too distracting.