Clipart has something of a bad name. And it's true, there's some
terrible clip art out there. I always think of the images that
appeared in my grade-school reading workbooks: rigid line
drawings of kids playing sports, pictures of fruit bowls (the
apples were always colored in with lots of little dots for some
reason), and dopey-looking cartoon animals. Though the world and
the web still overflow with plenty of cut-rate, third-grade clip
art, there's also a lot of good stuff out there, much of it free.
If you don't have access to a scanner or a digital camera,
chances are you've probably already found some free graphics on
the web to jazz up your web page. If your site is a personal
homepage, then feel free to post all the Garfield the Cat images
you want. However, if you're trying to run a small business on
the web, the choice of graphics can drastically affect your
professional image. So, rule number one: no Garfields, unless
you're selling Garfield merchandise.
Rule number two: don't resign yourself to using pixely, B-grade
images--there are surprising sources of quality graphics all
over the web. One of these is the Library of Congress website.
Many of their images are free in terms of both cost and
copyright. Just be sure to check carefully to make sure the
image is domain-free before you use it. Most of the images tend
to be rather large, so be sure to reduce the size, and shrink
the K by using a program such as Ulead's Smartsaver.
Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/
If you've got the time for some serious browsing, visit
http://www.clipart.com/ for a listing of free clipart sites.
They've listed the best sites, rated them, and included visitor
comments--which can really help you narrow down what sites you
want to search. The clipart searcher
(http://www.webplaces.com/search/) offers a free three-day trial
membership, if you don't find what you're looking for on
clipart.com.
Though clipart can be fun, I still encourage you to hunt down a
scanner. A small, basic scanner runs at about $70 (and remember,
you can write that off on your taxes), or you may have access to
one at your local library or university. My favorite method of
scaring up web graphics is to lurk though used bookstores and
find old pamphlets, maps, magazines and photos and slap them on
the scanner. This may be a little too arty for some people, but
remember, if you can access a scanner, you don't need a digital
camera. It will allow you to digitize product photos or
pamphlets for your site. If you want to make one big trip of it
and are prepared to pay through the nose, Kinko's will also scan
things for you (though I think buying a scanner is probably a
more cost- efficient choice here.)
The whole key is to find interesting images that relate to your
product, have a crisp, clean appearance, dowload quickly, and
give your site a unique look. Try to find images that speak to
your audience, but use images they've never seen before. Images
can become as cliche as phrases, and a cliched graphic is just
as weak as a worn-out saying--poor old Garfield being a fine
example.
If you have questions about how to shrink your images and make
your graphics fast and snappy, here's an article from the
archives to help you with *that* particular ball of wax!
Practical Graphics: http://www.fixmywebsite.com/article07.htm
About the author:
Expert Stefene Russell will do a complete analysis of your site,
including personalized tips on copy and design at
http://fixmywebsite.com/analysis.htm Whether you're an
e-business or a content provider, find ut how to make your site
professional and effective. Read Stefene's free web site tips at
http://FixMyWebsite.com Reach her at stefene@drnunley.com or
801-328-9006.
