Today's web design professionals face a world of ever-changing web standards, new software releases and innovative computer languages. So where should you start? And what are some basic things that even experienced designers should keep in mind? From image optimization to browser resolutions, designing for the web in the 21st century requires constant education and an eye for detail.

Whether you are creating a web site to share family photos or to promote your business, the look and usability of the site will give your visitors that very important first impression, and a reason to come back.

Images for the web: loading time is key

Optimizing images for a web site is no simple task. As a designer, you might find that reducing the file size sometimes comes at a price: poor image quality. However, getting familiar with options and file types can help you find the balance needed to produce high quality, fast-loading graphics.

The primary image formats that are appropriate for the web are .GIF and .JPEG (1). Most of your graphics should be saved as a .GIF. Because the .GIF format only allows for 256 colors, the size of these images is considerably smaller than a .JPEG. Common images used in web sites such as icons, lines and buttons are usually saved as a .GIF.

So when should you save files as a .JPEG? Photographs and backgrounds with special effects are two examples of images that should be saved in this format to preserve colors, texture and overall quality.

Tools such as Adobe ImageReady and Macromedia Fireworks are available to help designers optimize images. These applications even let you design your layout, cut up graphics and save the slices in the appropriate format.

Be sure to evaluate the need for images on your site. It is important to ask yourself: does this image complement the layout and the content, or does it tend to distract from what's important?

Flashy use of Flash

Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) has given designers and developers new options in creating dynamic web sites. With Flash, splash pages can include boastful presentations and every click can be made interactive, but some designers just don't know when to stop and that's where the problems begin.

Using Flash to create a navigation menu with a couple added effects may be acceptable. Creating the entire web site using this technology is unnecessary. While the newest computers with robust video cards have no trouble handling complex files and languages. Some web surfers stick to older computers with slower dial-up connections. Sites designed fully in Flash not only ignore this user population but often end up annoying those who do have the technology to view them.

Search engine optimization is yet another concern that arises with full Flash web sites. Search engine spiders cannot read text embedded in a Flash document the way they can an HTML page. Since placement in search engines is crucial to quality web traffic and, consequently, profits, it is critical that the amount of Flash a company uses does not hinder a search engine from spidering the site.

Consider the most important part of your web site to be the information it provides and how easy it is to find it. Instead of adding unnecessary animations and effects, use Flash to enhance navigation and add just a little something extra to the design.

Hey! Don't forget about me! - Browser compatibility

Designing for two browsers might be a hassle, but is necessary to avoid losing potential visitors. A few years ago, designers could get away with coding a web site to only be compatible with Internet Explorer, but today many web surfers choose alternatives such as Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Opera.

Though your site might look stellar and function flawlessly in Internet Explorer, Firefox users could be seeing a completely different picture. In some cases, you may get lucky with elements that slightly don't line up; other times a visitor might come upon a dysfunctional menu.

Testing a web site in all major browsers can help to nip compatibility issues in the bud. A layout that looks and functions correctly shows seriousness and professionalism of your company.

What's your resolution?

Like browsers, your web visitors have options when choosing their monitor resolution. In the online world, all screens should be created equal! Though a majority of web surfers choose a screen size of 1024x768, nearly a fifth still prefer 800x600 pixels (3).

Should you choose to design a site for a 1024x768 pixel resolution, the 800x600 pixel folks will be likely to leave your site after just a brief visit. Sideways scrolling is an ugly thing, which is just what smaller resolution monitors are faced with when a designer does not take them into consideration.

So how do you ensure that all monitor resolutions are able to view your site comfortably? In general, you should always design for an 800x600 pixel resolution; the width of your site should be a maximum of 760 pixels. This ensures that your site can be viewed without sideways scrolling.

Web design for the 21st Century

Designers, developers and writers will have to adjust to the changing technologies of the web. Staying up to date with the latest standards and technological advances is key to creating visually-appealing, functional web sites.

Though statistics on browser and resolution preferences are available on the Internet, it is best to research your visitors' preferences to find system and design requirements suitable for the specific audience.

It is impossible to identify all the dos and don'ts of design, but keeping up to date on W3 standards, industry dialogue and technological changes will surely keep you educated in order to create standards-compliant, user-friendly web sites.