Captivating Pictures

Saturday, January 9, 2010

By Bianca Gubalke

Captivating Pictures

Captivating pictures are the essence of expressive Web Graphics Design, meaning the visible part people see when they land on your website or blog – besides the text of course. But just as words are a form of expression and have a strong psychological impact, so do pictures and specifically colors.

Web Design Consulting

At Web Design Consulting , the first thing we establish with our client before going any further with the Web Design is the color code to be used – for instance for the fonts, backgrounds, navigation bars, widgets and all sorts of basic graphic elements. Corporate clients have their own colors in most cases, presented in their logos for example, and used for their fonts.

Once this is clear and everybody is happy, it is crucial that all additional items like headers, banners, commercial or promotional ads and perhaps a topical background are in harmony with the whole, while directing peoples’ views to where one wants to guide them, for instance a hot new post under the Featured category, an exciting ad or a signup form, a link to a shop or whatever. The objective is to direct the readers’ attention and keeping them on the page itself… until they click where we want them to click.

Captivating Pictures

Captivating pictures mean images that attract, create a reaction within the viewer and – empathy.

Today everybody has a digital camera and it has become relatively easy to obtain good, sharp pictures – and that’s all it needs to start creating one’s own images and style. Ideally, you have Photoshop and learn how to manipulate these pictures into something more original and captivating. The world is flooded with pictures and images; however, anything that’s personalized jumps immediately into the eye. It means time and effort – even passion – invested to go the extra mile – and we all know a picture talks more than a thousand words.

If you don’t know where to start with this, join our Ycademy Workshops in 2010 and learn how – we will be telling you some of our ‘secrets’… :)

You may remember the simple picture I took for my article on “Noordhoek Accommodation” on Noordhoek Beach – during the current heatwave of temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. This picture was not manipulated, yet you can literally FEEL the heat, you agree?

Well, with a few artistic strokes and keeping strictly to my own original elements, I changed this picture into something even ‘hotter’, almost burning under the scorching heat that drained away even the Atlantic Ocean far back into the barren ocean bed at the horizon while the heat has am eerie metallic sound to it … as you see above.

By simply changing the colors, this can become a silver-dreamy nightscape where the moonlit waves have the quality of delicate lace… as you see further down.

And finally… after a large collection of variations, the total reduction that only has the seaweed reminding us of the silent ocean and the oyster catcher flying off through the morning mist… that I add for you below. All to illustrate the power of colors.

While this is just my personal artistic interpretation, it shows you how pictures with their different components trigger feelings within us and create empathy and inner response. That’s what captivates!

Web Graphics Design

Web Graphics Design is an essential part of creating attractive websites and blogs that stand out and captivate a readership or prospects.

As each website has a different purpose and target audience, it’s important to give this a lot of thought before getting into the unstoppable creative work flow, so the pictures reflect in a way the person behind the website, his or her objective and what he or she stand for. While images for say a Health website should radiate a feeling of freshness, youth and wellbeing using a rather pale palette from blue over turquoise to green, we would want to explore a much more colorful atmosphere of Fun and Joy for a Children’s Books or toys website.

Whatever we do, we have the customer and his objective in mind first – the rest follows.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.

Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.

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