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The two swatches shown here are identical,
but a slight texture has been added to the lower ellipse (Photoshop
Filter> Texture> Patchwork with default settings reduced. Filter>
Fade Patchwork with Dissolve Mode at a low setting.)
At first glance, even if this change
is repeated in many places on a design, your eye will not tell you
that you are looking at a pattern. The overall appearance may have
more texture and appeal, however.
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Have you ever noticed that a site that grabs your attention
is often very simple? However, if you do not bookmark it, and later
try to create a similar look, yours may lack the impact of the original.
If you are fortunate enough to find that site again, chances are that
you will discover that the differences between the original and the
details you remember are very slight. With a new eye you will see
tiny details that make the look dynamic, yet are individually, too
small for your memory to register.
I have decided to scratch the surface of this topic,
and bring a few ideas to you for livening up your site design. For
this topic, we will take a look at graphic elements in the context
of the entire design. NOTE: This is not an article about design
balance and proportion, though. To effectively use little enhancements,
you also owe yourself some time to understand the basic principles
of design.
You may also wish to refer back to a few articles from
past issues as well. Text by Design,
Rough it Up, Pro
Photo Edges and Gradients 1 and
Gradients 2 are worth a trip with
small enhancements in mind. All of those articles look at enhancement
methods on a large scale, but they are the basic tools of the Graphic
Lifts concept.
More than usual, this will be a discussion piece, rather
than a pure tutorial. In some ways, it is time to take a break from
the how-to, and talk about what to do with the techniques. We do take
a quick stop to review some basic techniques that are important to
production.
Also, keep in mind that our focus here is commercial
Web design. The software we use will create spectacular effects. Don't
think I am unaware of what can be done, it is just that my focus is
always towards what people will pay you to create. A lucky few get
to play-for-pay with experimental graphics and computer generated
art. For the rest of us, our clients are looking for a professional
product at a reasonable cost. The effects contained here will most
likely not lead to fame as an artist, or prompt the erection of a
hometown statue in your honor, but they will help to make your designing
time easier (read more profitable) and your customers happier (read
more customers). Call me crass and commercial, but I like those two
conditions in my design business.
Let's take a look at some samples.
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