Ask the Experts, Question 5:

Is the award graphic important?

by Heidi Walsh, Webmistress, Heidi's Sammelsurium
21 January 2002

Print Version

Dave Selig, Webmaster Ultraweb Awards

Editor's Choice

I do not imagine that any award giver or award seeker thinks that the award graphic is not important. Here are a few reasons why I believe that the award graphic is one of the most important aspects of an award program.

The award graphic is the symbol that represents your award program. It is the element of your program that the public first sees and uses to judge the importance and quality of your award program. The award graphic is like a corporate logo. The public identifies your "product" or "service" with the graphic, and your program gains more and more credibility the longer the graphic exists in the public eye.

Once you design a decent quality award graphic, you should stick with it for the life of your award program. Look at a couple of the big "awards." The Academy Award has been represented by the Oscar for years and years. The National Hockey League continues to award the Stanley Cup year after year. Actors and hockey players of all ages aspire to win those particular awards.

Why? In great part, because they are established high quality icons.

Successful corporations understand the importance of brand recognition, corporate identity, and long-term success. The same principles apply to your award program. Over time, your award graphic will help establish your program as a major player.

Consequently, if you desire to change your award graphic, you should generally work with your existing theme to improve the graphic, rather than create an entire new look, or you will risk losing the goodwill you have gained. Remember the New Coke versus the Classic Coke fiasco? Regardless of the industry, the award icon is very important. The big boys rarely change their awards. Why not follow their lead?

By examining the behavior of award seekers, it is apparent that the award graphic is significant. It is a fact that many award seekers do not read award criteria. They look at award graphics at different award programs, and decide whether or not they would like to display the graphics on their sites. They go straight for the application form. While I am not condoning such a practice, I am suggesting that the award graphic is a powerful icon that attracts or repels award seekers — in and of itself.

Even people who read the award criteria first decide whether or not they would want to add the award graphic to their sites before going further. It's human nature to want something "cool."

Finally, if you want to attract professional webmasters to your award program, understand that professionals are looking for recognition from top award programs. One major step in developing such a program is to design an award graphic that is worthy of being seen on a professional quality site.

In conclusion, I believe a good quality award graphic that becomes established over time will go a long way to establish your award program as one of the best. Keep it simple, and keep it clean. Best of luck in 2002!

Karen Pimtzner, Webmistress
petalperfect Digital Photography Gallery (site closed)

You've heard the expression "eye on the prize." Well your award graphic is just that ... it is the visual prize that will be earned, should an applicant meet or exceed the criteria set forth by an award program. It is the program's "eye candy" as it were. In a sea of words, ideas and mission statements, criteria, guidelines and disqualifiers, it is this one picture that is "worth a thousand words."

Your award graphic is the first impression an applicant will have of the quality of your awards program. How graphically pleasing your award is may just mean the difference between whether your submission box will be empty or full.

If the award is personalized, it is testament to the fact that a particular web site or webmaster earned the award. Often it is inscribed with the date or rating level, as well ... making it a truly unique offering to each person who earns it.

Some will argue that it is not the graphic, but the laudatio or words of praise that accompany it, that is important.

Those with more visual tendencies may disagree. But, whether it is the primary or the secondary reason that one may apply for a particular award, the significance is the same. It is an honor bestowed on the lucky few whose web site design skills are the representative best on the Web.

Marie Summers, Webmistress
Shadow Poetry Dragonfly Awards (award program closed)

The award graphic, in my opinion, is one of the most visually important aspects of an award program. The graphic gives the program a certain type of identity, one that other people throughout the Internet will recognize. In a sense, the award graphic may become a second website logo.

A web award graphic should match or compliment the design of the site hosting the award program, and it should be a reflection of the site's uniqueness.

Here are some guidelines that I think are important in designing an award graphic:

Susan Hawkins, Webmistress
Elite Web Awards (site closed)

I certainly think the award program's award graphic is important. The award graphic is the most visible part of the program. A lot of new award seekers don't know about sites like Website Awards, Awardsville, or AS! They are arriving at our AP's via the link from winners of our awards.

If the award seeker finds the graphic repulsive, they won't try to win it. On the other hand, if they love your award, hopefully they will try very hard to win it, even if that means adjusting some things on their site to meet the criteria.

Award seekers and givers alike make instant connections to the AP through their graphic. For instance, if I was to describe an award with a black background with a cityscape scene and the award's level leaving a trail behind it, you would immediately think of 42nd Street Awards. (Nikki was just the first one to come to mind :) )

Think of your award graphic in terms of a "trophy." If you are showing off your accomplishments (via your awards received page), you want all of your awards to be beautiful, eye-catching treasures ... right? No one wants some lima-bean-green award with purple letters as a "trophy" for their accomplishments!

The awards graphic is a reflection of your award program as a whole. If you are willing to throw something together and call it an award, how highly do you think that award will be sought after? Your award graphic should be something you and your winners can be proud of.

Fabian Lorenzen, Webmaster
El Fabi Awards

In my opinion, the design of the award and its aesthetic qualities are some of the basic characteristics that make up a convincing and acknowledged award program.

It's both the small visiting-card of the awardmaster that spreads in the web and the first clue a possible applicant might have, beside a laudatio or a short description, when she or he meets the award in a hall of fame or an award index. And, as we all know, the first impression counts.

The award graphic is — beside the laudatio — the trophy a winner later presents in her or his award section. So, in order to honor the works and projects of a webmaster the way she or he deserves it, the award graphic has to meet several demands. The more the graphic is like a piece of jewelry, the more it gets the feel of a real worthy honour.

This, of course, is not all of the business. The most wonderful award graphic is worthless if it's given away like spam without any selection and careful evaluation of the awarded page. But nevertheless the optical appearance of an award graphic can never be put aside. As far as possible, it should be a little work of art to make it attractive and aesthetic — and individual.

Andries van Straten, Webmaster
Jetzone Awards

To get an answer to this question we need to understand why people apply for awards. Is it for the honest and thorough evaluation of their work, to get a pat on the back, have a nice and shiny graphic, or a combination of these? We all want to get a pat on the back once in a while.

An evaluation of our sites is appreciated especially if the result is positive and provides you with some helpful hints and tips to improve it further. But what about that award graphic? Would you like to display an ugly 400 x 300 sized, 250 Kb, flashing award graphic (believe me they exist) on your site?

We all have seen those trophy cases filled with website awards. Perhaps, you've noted too that lots of people have applied for awards with a certain theme. Some have a lot of animal, angel or animated awards displayed, while others go for shine, metallic looking graphic with stars, crowns or trophies.

This is a clear indication that people have to "like" a particular kind award graphic. If you look at the criteria of organizations like Award Sites!, German Top Awards or CEM/CEMA (to name a few), you will see that they all have an opinion on size and dimensions of the award associated with their programs. Among the serious award programs, you find hardly anyone offering awards that are larger or bigger than these generally accepted guidelines.

But having a killer graphic alone is not enough. It should be backed up by a serious program that offers that award only if you meet their specific and serious criteria. Otherwise, it would mean nothing.

If someone offers me one of those 3-feet high shiny trophies just for crossing the street, I could proudly display it in my living room. But what would it mean if my guests knew I've got it the way I did. Looking at someone's award pages, I always have to smile a little when I see those beautiful shiny giveaway awards that are only intended as link graphics. A clear indication of the importance of the award graphic.

Now back to that ugly big graphic from the beginning. If a high rated award program with serious criteria would offer that award, I wonder if anyone would display it. It's a combination of graphic AND criteria that makes awards special. One has to be accompanied by the other. So are award graphics important? Yes, but so are the reasons behind it!

Míc Miller, Webmaster
Beehive Awards

As one of the most publicized attributes of an award program, the award graphic is very important. Award graphics serve and represent their respective programs in a "branding" manner similar to logos and trademarks. When displayed on winners' sites, they can serve as advertisements for their award sponsors. This can be another important role.

From the award seeker's perspective, award graphics can be just as important, but for entirely different reasons. For example, when an award seeker is viewing someone's "trophy case" or an award index that displays groups of award graphics, there will probably be one or two that stand out as the "most visually appealing" award(s).

Which one that is, of course, depends on the viewer's aesthetic tastes. Regardless of what these tastes are, these grouped award graphics are, in a sense, competing with one another. How important this is depends on how much an award giver wants to attract award seekers through their award graphics — quantitatively, qualitatively, or a bit of both.

Many, if not most, beginning award seekers "judge" award programs solely by the appearance of their award graphic(s). This may be very superficial, but these award seekers don't know enough about the award spectrum to discern how respectable an award is unless they see a posted rating. Also, these beginners usually don't care or know enough to take the time to carefully read through an award program, let alone review sponsors' sites to see how competent they are.

All they want is as "pretty" an award graphic as they can "win" with the least possible effort. What they usually end up with is a certain award graphic that everyone else seems to have. However, even this "award" is important to them and they will proudly display it, even on their home page.

With the emergence of award-rating systems, award graphics from highly rated programs took on new meanings, dimensions, and levels of importance as the standard bearers for Web excellence, conscientious site evaluations, ethical judging practices, and other high-minded ideals. Regardless of what the award graphic looked liked, if it were from a highly rated program, it represented a very serious "seal of approval."

Experienced award seekers soon learned to covet these award graphics and were even willing to study these award programs, prepare their sites for reviews or upgrades, and carefully complete the application forms. Any award graphic that can get people to do all this has gained a great deal of importance!

Many elite award graphics — rated and non-rated — have motivated people to attain levels of expertise and excellence far beyond their previous capabilities and expectations. These award graphics have been assigned a level of importance second only to the sense of pride and accomplishment these people experience for having earned them. They know how hard these award graphics were to get and will display them not so much for others to see, but as symbolic reminders of the lofty goals they achieved — and could again.

Maggi Norris, Webmistress
Nem5 Awards Program

Definitely! The graphic an award program uses is its calling card. The more beautiful and/or the more interesting a graphic is, the more it intrigues those who may never have seen an award program, as well as those who actively seek awards. After the program has been running for a while, many of the new visitors to the program will be those who have seen the graphic on another site and have come to "check it out."

Sometimes a great award graphic is an elaborate work of art that could go into a museum and have crowds gasping with awe at its rich beauty. Other times, some of the best graphics are simple text used to enhance a few graceful marks of color. Another group of great graphics are what I term "the interesting awards." They are cute, funny or sometimes "off the wall different."

Interesting graphics sometimes make me go "awww" and start using baby talk. They often make me laugh. Some have even made me so curious I couldn't stand it because I wanted to know what it was. What interesting graphics do is catch my interest enough to lead me to the site that belongs to their creator. That makes them good, in my opinion.

No matter the theme of the award graphic, what makes it outstanding to me is that it be clear and clean. The text should be easy to read and the images easy to see. The colors should work well not only on the site that grants the awards, but the sites that earn the awards.

Whether radiantly awe inspiring, adorably cute, outrageously funny, incredibly "different," or breathtaking by sheer simplicity, I believe award graphics should be a miniature work of art. While award programs are the home of the award master, the award graphic is the single most visible part of any award program. It's what sits on beautiful sites across the net and gives many users their first glimpse of what to expect on the program's home site. And first impressions really are important.

Jan Sopshier, Webmistress
Circus World Awards

An award graphic is the visual representation of an award program. It's the official symbol which differentiates one program from another. The actual graphic is regarded as a status emblem, which signifies the end results of submitting to an award program.

Website designers who take pride in their work are naturally going to be very particular about what is displayed on their site. An award graphic is no exception. Some of the highest rated programs at Award Sites have beautiful sought after award graphics. Many of these graphics are themed according to the program which offers them.

Award givers should keep in mind when creating award graphics that there are still surfers who access the Internet using the "old-fashioned" dial-up modem. An award graphic with too much "weight" will slow down page loading time. Also, the pixel dimensions of the graphic is of great significance. The best award graphics online are usually under 200 X 200 pixels. Too large of an image can be very unsightly and look more like a banner than an actual award.