The development team recognizes the importance of graphics and color when designing the CML Web pages. An application with no graphics, regardless of how flawlessly it executes, will probably not please its audience. As each Web page is designed more graphics are created and added to the Images directory. After installation of the CML application, the graphics will reside in one subdirectory on the Web server. Creating a separate graphics directory makes it a great deal easier to keep track of all the application graphics.
Reasons for using graphics on the CML Web pages:
The following table shows many of the graphics used in the CML application.
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The Fitch & Mather logo appears on all Web pages and creates visual cohesion among the pages. |
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The graphic that identifies the site as the Corporate Media Library is separate from the Fitch & Mather logo, because the F & M logo will be used in future applications. |
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Indicates the CML home page. |
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Indicates CML borrower functionality. |
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Indicates CML administrator functionality. |
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The large ampersand makes a nice watermark behind the text. (Graphic is shown at 50% of actual size.) |
Use of color is an effective way to visually separate the functionality of borrowers and administrators, the two discrete groups of CML users. Blue and orange identify menu items for borrowers and administrators respectively. Keep in mind that the orange-colored administration menu options will never display to employees without administrative privileges.
In addition to graphics that the F & M artist designs for the application, the developers plan to use option buttons, check boxes, and command buttons on CML Web pages. Option buttons and check boxes are effective ways to group choices and they make selection and reselection easy. Command buttons execute scripts to display new Web pages.