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"Graphic Design is a popular art and a practical art, an
applied art and an ancient art. Simply put, it is the art of
visualizing ideas." -- Jessica Helfand
Graphic design is the art and craft of using
computer software and your own ideas to combine pictures and colors
to create visuals that create an impact on the viewer. Like any
creative endeavor, it's definitely not easy, but can be highly
rewarding and a lot of fun. There are many software programs out
there that you can use to create graphics. We
at SimpleHost highly recommend Adobe
Photoshop.
Photoshop is the most sophisticated program on the
market for creating graphics for the Web. While it is a complex
program, Adobe has great online tutorials for this product; you can
also find many free, step-by-step tutorials online at third-party
sites. The program is expensive (you get what you pay for!)
but if you are a student or educator, you can purchase the program
at a reduced price. Most college graphic arts computer labs will
have Photoshop installed and freely available for student or staff
use.
Adobe
Photoshop 7
Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time learning
Photoshop. But chances are, you'll have a lot of fun with this
program. And if you're serious about producing good designs, the
more you practice, the better your work will be.
While there are many, many sites out there
dedicated to Photoshop and creating web graphics, here are a few
link lists to get you started:
Yahoo!:
Graphic Design Resouce Link
Yahoo!:
Photoshop Graphic Design Resouce Link
If Photoshop is out of your reach financially, or
if you simply find it is too complicated, you can find listings of
inexpensive and even free web graphics programs for Windows, Macintosh,
and Linux
at Tucows and other sites.
Once you've gotten started with creating your own
graphics, check out the following sites, which have a plethora of
good information about graphics and web design:
Web Monkey
Designs By
Mark
Phong
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