Introduction to optimising

Back when Internet speeds were slow, you either didn’t use images on your website or you optimised them to the point of a badly taken identity document photograph. With the Internet speeds increasing astronomically since then, the art of image optimisation has become a less known and even lesser practiced skill. So here’s the low-down on what image optimising really is, why you should do it, and how you should go about optimising your images.

There are two major camps for digital graphics: vector (What is a vector? ) and bitmap (What is a bitmap?). However, simply put, vectors are more commonly reserved for digital illustrations (see the image below for a visual referance), and are their own subject. Bitmaps are bit based (as in bits and bytes) where each pixel present in the digital image has a colour value that it remembers. So the more pixels your image has, the more values the image has to remember, and the bigger your file size will be. So there are two options to optimising your digital images: reduce the pixels used, and reduce the information/colour value each pixel holds.

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I have been a keen follower of Dr. Mario Garcia’s thoughts on design since my postgraduate days at Rhodes University where I was first being introduced to his ground-breaking WED concept.

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Recently we at bigFIG have begun exploring responsive design techniques as a solution to the constant evolution of viewing mediums for our websites and apps. When we started building interactive magazines four years ago this concept really didn’t exist, and as the tablet space and HTML5 have matured, we’ve watched closely as this philosophy and technique has started to gain a lot of momentum.

WHAT IS RESPONSIVE DESIGN?
So, what is responsive design? It most commonly refers to an approach coined by Ethan Marcotte that is used in web design as a technique to make a website adapt its layout to whatever device it is being viewed on. So if you are viewing a website on a desktop or mobile device, the content will reformat itself to be most optimally viewed on that device. Take a look at this website www.dolectures.com. If you play with the width of your browser (assuming you’re reading this on a computer) you’ll notice how the site reformats itself, changing style and dispensing with certain elements to allow for optimal reading at cretins sizes. Also notice how it doesn’t slavishly repeat one layout and it is in fact hard to know what the principle layout is. Whether you read this on a mobile phone, a tablet or desktop computer, your reading experience will be optimized for that medium.

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