There are a number of ways you can implement graphics into your website. Illustrations and vector artwork can be a catchy way of branding your company. But there are also useful methods to incorporate related graphics for your webpages. Content and headings will eventually blur together as blocks of text, but combined with page graphics you would be surprised at the various possibilities.
I want to present just a few tools and resources for generating enticing webpage designs. Screenshots and photographs tend to break up the landfill by offering a more unique and pleasurable experience. But to see the benefits of these ideas you’ll need to try them out for yourself.
Freebie Releases
Designers from all around the world are more than happy to share their freebies online. Sometimes you will run into other websites which require payment to download PSD/AI files. This is not always a bad idea depending on the quality you will need. I would recommend browsing around in search of something which perfectly matches your website layout.
A resource like Psddd updates constantly with the latest submissions to Dribbble. Not all the users are offering their shots for free, so you have to be careful with what you are using. It’s always best to go back and check the original post just to make sure their work has been released for free use on your projects. But for smaller website layouts this is definitely an easy route to follow.
Creative Commons Stocks
When writing business publications or launching your new startup it can help to include some related photographs. These may be interior shots of your building, maybe landscape/scenery from around where you work. Or they could even be other professional photographs which blend nicely into the design.
Lots of webmasters have heard about Depositphotos and many people still enjoy their services. I would recommend this website as a good starting point for browsing custom photographs. You may filter items by keyword and even choose your own customized image dimensions. But another reason I mention Depositphotos is for their banner designs.
Website graphics tend to be more fluid than just illustrations. You may also need advertisements, buttons, list icons, background gradients, and so forth. Depositphotos already has plenty of these common webpage elements for you to download. Plus they often come with multiple copies in PSD/AI files where you may edit colors and fonts.
Other users who are looking for a quick image search my try Flickr but the results are certainly not as good. Many people who submit to Flickr will post photos with copyright in-tact. But on the advanced search page you may custom search with creative commons as the main license. Even still, the results are not always perfect and you’ll have a more difficult time finding that perfect graphic for your layout.
Final Thoughts
Graphics can either make or break your website in a very short time. Visitors are judging a website’s layout within the first couple of seconds after the page loads. I think it should be clear that eye-grabbing icons and photographs will be a big push forward in the name of design aesthetics. But check out some of these resources and feel free to draw your own conclusions.
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