Graphic Greats: Production Graphics with Wendy Peck at webreference.com | 41

Graphic Greats: Lynda on Technology

“We still use Web safe colors because they're easy to use and they will look best on all systems. I do think the Web safe color palette is a dying part of Web history however.”

Wendy: Are Web safe color, small file size and cross browser compatibility becoming less important as time and technology marches forward, or are those types of issues always going to be with us as developers?

Lynda: Small file size and cross browser compatibility are going to be key for a long time. Even with so-called "high bandwidth," like T1 and DSL, Web sites are slower than they ideally should be. Keeping file sizes small is easy if you understand the basics of compression and work with the great new tools out there, like Adobe's ImageReady, or Macromedia's Fireworks. Small file sizes still make a huge difference, even at today's high-bandwidth's speeds.

Cross browser and platform compatibility is still the most troubling problem for most developers. I would say that over time this has only gotten worse, not better. Web safe color is becoming less and less of an issue as older computers are being replaced by newer systems that support thousands or millions of colors. We still use Web safe colors because they're easy to use and they will look best on all systems. I do think the Web safe color palette is a dying part of Web history however.

“When all the tools and technologies settle down, we'll still be left with the same age-old questions of what to say and and how to say it. Communication is what the Web is about, not technologies.”

Wendy: From what you have seen, what is coming for Web design? Do you see any one trend becoming screaming hot in the next 12 to 24 months?

Lynda: Lots of things are coming, but mostly maturity is coming. We're such a young industry, and so much of what's been done so far has been kludged together with inadequate tools and underdeveloped technologies. The tools are getting fantastic, the development environments are more stable, and the developers are getting more and more savvy. When all the tools and technologies settle down, we'll still be left with the same age-old questions of what to say and and how to say it. Communication is what the Web is about, not technologies.

What's screaming hot right now in the way of technologies is Flash. Our Flash classes are by far our most popular (we offer intro and advanced courses). Flash is popular because it offers so much more design flexibility and control than HTML. It has its challenges though in areas of accessibility and interaction with other Web technologies, and the learning curve to it is quite high. I'm excited about Flash, SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), XML, devices other than Web browsers delivering Web content, and faster and more capable computers to deliver the goods.

I love the Web tools we teach, they excite and inspire me more with each new version. I still think the high bandwidth everyone is waiting for is years and years away. It the future, we'll laugh about what we considered high bandwidth today.

More from Lynda

Graphic Greats Index

Lynda Weinman Start
Lynda on Lynda
Lynda on Design
Lynda on Technology
Lynda on Web Work
Ojai Training Center