The Internet is a visual medium, but this simple truth may be lost on us in this current era of Search Engine Optimization when text content is king. However when it comes to delivering a message intuitively and immediately, a picture, an image, or graphic design is worth a thousand words. Online casinos (much like land-based casinos have had for decades) spearheaded the amalgamation of sales, entertainment, and aesthetic experience, by employing smart graphic design. Internet gambling is the most prosperous industry on the web; therefore marketing agents of all fields must ask what do online casinos do right - What is the key to successful promotional design?

Much like the evolution of casino software, which I have covered in a previous article, the development of computer hardware and improvement of internet connections has set the tone when it comes to advances in web design. At the early stages of the industry websites were not much different from conventional printed pages. As time went by entered powerful graphic programs and animation players, but the designers – giddy with their new toy box – unfortunately tended to ignore technological limitations. Eager to amaze the user with what then probably seemed like endless possibilities left a legacy of elongated Flash presentations that either took too much time to load, required the user to install new players every couple of weeks, were too heavy for the user's PC, or d) all of the above. Till this very day I often click on Skip out of pure habit, and I'm sure many users share the same Pavlovian response.

Successful online casinos, constantly keeping practicality in mind avoided these traps. Convenience and intelligibility have always been and always will be the building blocks of smart user interfaces; this is a key factor in your visitor's subconscious choice or deliberate decision to return to your site or shun from it.

Nowadays files and images load within seconds and web designers can produce sites that are both user friendly and visually pleasing. Although the novelty has not fully expired, designers now curb their enthusiasm and present tamer designs rather than bombing the user with extravagant colors and nonstop visual affects. This approach pays – relatively demure design proves itself effective in terms of establishing reliability and a feel of genuine quality, or in a word - class.

A short survey of today's top online casinos demonstrates that industry leaders save the razzle-dazzle for the casino software and games, and maintain a rather cool front. Instead of overwhelming the first time visitor, casinos in the know create an inviting sophisticated ambiance. Examples for the polished look can be found in CasinoTropez.com, Bodog.com, and www.Money-Casino.com . The refined touch is achieved by employing the eternal elements of art and beauty, much like in classical painting: harmonious colors, proportional measures, and lucid idea flared by a tint of the unexpected; such as a shade that seems at odds with the primary color plate or careful placement of 3D components. This formula inspires a blended sense of security and excitement.

The idea behind this style is to create an eye candy, but avoid making your visitors nauseous… you can have them swooning over your games later, but first make an elegant entrance. Nonetheless designers do get their chance to run a little wild and turn on their creative juices with advertising material. Although the site should uphold a dignified appearance, banners and mailers can be more humorous and sassy. An example of playful mailers can be found at http://www.money-casino.com/Promotions/Email_Offers/index.html . With eye catching images, uncommon fonts, and visual or literal puns, mailers communicate pure fun and inject fresh energy to your relationship with the user.

Of course, not all online casinos are free from design foibles. Many websites simply get lost in the shuffle as they do not offer a unique visual experience and stick to tired color plates or outdated templates, while others just stick out like a sore thumb. Currently Search Engine Optimization methodologies demand that text be given precedence over graphic design, and more often than not the finished product proves that this technology impinges heavily on the creative vision. I would address website owners facing this dilemma by paraphrasing the words of maverick architect Buckminster Fuller: When you work on a problem don't think about beauty, but if your solution isn't beautiful, know it is wrong.

We are human. Our eyes guide us. Wherever we go we seek aesthetic pleasure and forever respond to beauty. Smart marketing strategies are based on endowing the users with an experience that surpasses the mere product, the chance to feast their eyes on a taste of the exquisite.