Rules for Award Images

by Bernard Bénichou, Webmaster
Paris Excellence Awards^® (site closed)
1 March 2001

Quality award images are essential to creating a good impression for an award program. In most cases, the award image is the introduction to a program when applicants see it displayed in a winner's site. If they like the quality of an image, if they find it attractive, they want the opportunity to proudly display it in their own sites.

Many awards images are not top quality, either because they are inconsistent with the theme of the award program or because they are too large and overbearing. In other cases the proportions are not right, the images are overly compressed or pixelated, or the colors of the image are not in harmony.

Some basic rules are necessary to build a good award image. In this article, we will discuss these rules and provide some information to help you create a quality award image or improve the one you are already using.

Design

The design of the image must look similar to the elements used in the design of the website and the award program itself. Fundamental elements such as the colors, fonts, brightness, and contrast must not be in opposition to the overall theme of the site. In the case of multi-level awards (e.g. Gold, Silver, Bronze), the images must be identical, but with subtle variations to distinguish between them.

Of course, the name of the award must always be clear and legible. If possible, the award image should also have a designated area for the winner's name. Awards which bear their name or the name of their website are special to the winners.

Size and Weight

Size is an important factor in the design of an award image. Commonly, large images are not considered to be professional because they are overpowering and they increase the weight of the file. In addition, large images may cause difficulties for the winners in the layout of their Web pages. It is much easier to organize a page with smaller elements than with big ones. For these reasons, some award seekers will not apply to programs with large award images.

What is a large image? If the height or width of an image exceeds 200 pixels, then it is too large. There is a simple calculation to evaluate the size of the image: Calculate the area in square pixels (H.height in pixels x W.width in pixels = area). A maximum area of 25,000 square pixels is probably a good compromise. For example, images with H (178) x W (140) and H (160) x W (156) are within the acceptable range.

The main rule with respect to the weight of an award image is to provide an image file that will reduce the downloading time of the Web page of the winner. A 15 Kb file is considered to be a reasonable maximum weight.

File Type

Both jpeg and gif files are used for award images because they use a universal compression standard. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages. They both reduce the weight of an image and help to limit the downloading time of a Web page.

In most cases, the transparency option must be avoided because the image should be designed for any kind of background. Sometimes the contour of the image will be rendered pixelated when using this option.

Orientation and Proportion

Most images in the Awards Community are displayed vertically, but this is not an absolute requirement. The only advantage is that it makes the task much easier for the winners. It's much simpler to display images in a Web page if they have all the same orientation.

The proportion of an award image is another important design consideration. Proportion means the ratio between the width and height of the image. The best proportion is between 2/3 and 1/1. If an image has a vertical orientation, the width should not be less than 2/3 of the height.

Graphics Programs

A wide variety of graphics software is available to help you create decent award images. Most of them provide filters and special effects which allow you to obtain very good results in a relatively short period of time. Importing and overlaying photos or clipart may be possible, and they give a more realistic rendering. Many websites provide good tutorials on various image-editing programs. With patience and some practice, most webmasters can easily create their own distinct images.

Copyright

All award images must be self-made or be purchased through a reputable graphics artist. Copying images from other sites is illegal. No part of an image may be taken or borrowed unless specific written permission is granted by the rightful owner.

Conclusion

Always remember that an award image is the proud ambassador of its program. Many applicants visit an award program because they see the image in a winner's site. An award is a reward and the quality of its overall presentation must give applicants and winners the desire to display it in their own pages. The image must have something innovative and unique, and it must reflect top quality graphic skills. An attractive image will help to ensure the success of your award program!

Special thanks to Ida Mrijello, Grafx Emporium, who helped me with the English translation of this article.