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A Transparent View
Myth 2: There is a misguided belief that the use of GIF transparency should be discouraged because curves appear jagged. The fact is, with the proper manipulation of your award design, transparent backgrounds are not only possible, they can be visually impressive.
Without getting into a tutorial on how to do this, the key is creating a very minute opaque background following any curves on your award objects. As long as the background has a unique color value, regardless of how subtle it may be, many graphics or GIF creating applications can pick out that value and make it transparent. This method gives your award image versatility in that it can rest against any site background color.
To Theme or Not to Theme
Myth 3: Some perceive or even advise that matching themes is the right way to design an award. Matching verses unique themes is not a case of right or wrong. It is merely a case of personal preference. With the exception of one award category, I too use a matching theme for my award designs. However, I actually find it refreshing when I see a well crafted award image that employs a theme totally different from their site theme.
It is practically second nature for most of us to coordinate our visuals in regards to site and award objects. Some site topics beg for this. For example, if I had a site about Battle Bots, it would be hard for me to resist creating some visual mechanized wonder as the center object for my award. On the other side of the coin, it is also possible to have unique site and award themes that clash with each other.
Using the same example, while I could create an award unrelated to the site's topic on Battle Bots, it could be argued that it may not be considered smart design if my award theme was a bouquet of flowers.
Maximus Compressionus
Myth 4: The compression myth almost goes hand in hand with the size myth. If you have a gallery of photos or art, then ideal optimization is critical. But when it comes to small images such as awards, compression is not the all significant factor many believe it is.
Let's take a 150x150 pixel award image with a file weight of 20K as our example. One can compress this image down to a range of 5 to 8K and the award appears to load instantly. But just how sharp is it's appearance when standing side by side with the master image? Compress the image down to 10-13K and the sharpness or clarity greatly improves, but you have added to the load time.
Or have you? On a 56K modem, it takes 1.2 seconds for an 8K image to load. For a 13K image, it takes 1.8 seconds. Which factor do you think your viewers will notice the most, the visual clarity of your award image or that you saved them a half second of load time?
Made in the Shade
Myth 5: When I read some tutorials from graphics experts, their advice was to never use shadowed text because this technique is way over-used. I thought to myself, who is the formal authority in deciding what popular graphics techniques are deemed undesirable? There are many popular graphics techniques that are practiced, such as using a globe on an award graphic or using a trophy shape.
Shadowed text is just another one of the many popular techniques. Why is this particular technique being singled out by some as undesirable? Frames! Maybe frames around awards should be avoided. My point is, don't get hung up on whether to use a very popular technique when designing your award graphic. If the given technique compliments the design you are aiming for, then by all means use it!
The Fifth Element
There are four physical elements of an award image, and any other attributes would fall within them. The four elements are the Primary/Secondary Objects, Resting Visual, Lighting, and Pigment. Recognizing these elements, and understanding how to merge them harmoniously, is a solid foundation to creating a visually rich award image.
Primary/Secondary Objects include the centerpiece, accessory images, and text. Regardless of how visually impressive they may be, they are directly affected by the next element, the Resting Visual. This element includes any backgrounds, plaques, frames, transparency, etc. In turn, these combined visuals are strongly dependent on the Lighting element. The objects and background you use will be visually successful with the ideal light position. In turn, these three elements are intimately linked to the next element, Pigment.
Pigment would be any hue from the color wheel, including black and white. Using a limited or a broad range of colors will ultimately influence what lighting and visuals can be inserted. The Pigment element could be dictated by the Primary/Secondary Objects element.
Do you see the pattern? Each element must compliment the others. This is what I mean by merging them harmoniously. To give an example of what would not be harmonious, place dark text on a dark background. This would result in a lack of contrast. One could say contrast is another element, but it is actually an attribute that falls within the Lighting element. With this example, the Object and Resting Visual elements have hindered the Lighting element.
Okay, so what is the fifth element? This non-physical element is arguably the most important element: your imagination and creativity. This element should receive as much or more time than the other elements. Don't settle for the very first design you come up with. Even if you like your first design, experiment with a few other ideas. You may discover a design that could be incorporated in your first design, making a great visual presentation even greater.
Variety is the Size of Life
When designing your award, I encourage you to experiment with the variables discussed above. Allow that beautiful artistry to shine through with a tad more file weight than what you are accustomed to using.
Try different designs that either match your site theme or try a unique theme. Explore your graphics application to see if you can create quality images that have transparent backgrounds. Play with the variables of the award image elements until you find a successful combination. Allow your artistry to be seen by being a little more generous with the dimensions.
What can one do now to offer a desirable size of their award image? The solution for this is already commonly practiced. Offer 2-3 different sizes of your image. If possible, try to view these varying sizes on different resolutions. This will help you tweak your image dimensions to accommodate today's popular monitor resolutions.
Think Big
So, if you are about to design a new award graphic or re-design your existing one, think big. You can always reduce the size to your liking without any significant loss of clarity. But you can never increase the size of the original image and still maintain a decent quality. Today's bitmap graphics applications simply do not have the capability to increase size and keep clarity intact.
One exception is vector graphics, which are commonly used in Flash, Macromedia Freehand, and a few others. Another possible exception, to a limited degree, is 3D rendering applications. By "limited degree," I mean the original project is saved minus any imported bitmap images that were adjusted to fit the original size.
Vector graphics and 3D rendering applications are certainly viable alternatives, and they beg for further explanation. But that is really a whole other topic!
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