Comments on: My Sites - Celtic Art & Retro-Futuristic Design http://www.webomator.com/2007/07/04/my-web-sites-celtic-art-retro-futuristic-design/ Swell News, Hype & Hyperbole from the Secret Laboratory at Webomator.com Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:26:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Bradley W. Schenck http://www.webomator.com/2007/07/04/my-web-sites-celtic-art-retro-futuristic-design/#comment-85 Bradley W. Schenck Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:49:05 +0000 http://www.webomator.com/wordpress/2007/07/04/my-web-sites-celtic-art-retro-futuristic-design/#comment-85 It's not unusual to see relative dimensions (like percentages) for tables and other layout elements, but it would be unusual to see that for images except in Flash, which you're usually better off avoiding. These days my layouts almost always use fixed widths that will work on a full screen browser window at 800 x 600 or 1024 by 768 pixels. That's to ensure that the pages will work at whatever I've decided is he lowest common denominator in screen size. At a higher resolution, you just see more blank space at right and left. Because you usually hope that a visitor isn't using a resolution that's out of sync with their monitor's size (like a 15 inch monitor at 1600 by 1200, for example) then the elements on the screen should be roughly the same size on anyone's display. It's not necessary or desirable to have the graphics themselves change in size. You do need to be careful to preview your pages at smaller browser sizes to see if you've been seduced by the size of your own monitor, though - that can easily happen if you're using a large monitor. I use a 24" monitor at 1920 by 1200, and I have to make sure that a user at 800 by 600 or 1024 by 768 still gets an attractive view of the pages. About the only time you see something like what you're describing ("graphics expand to fill the browser window ") is in page backgrounds and table backgrounds, where the image repeats to fill the available space. Those tend to be very small images, like the backgrounds of the sidebars on this page. They repeat vertically to fill the length of the page, which is quite flexible. It’s not unusual to see relative dimensions (like percentages) for tables and other layout elements, but it would be unusual to see that for images except in Flash, which you’re usually better off avoiding.

These days my layouts almost always use fixed widths that will work on a full screen browser window at 800 x 600 or 1024 by 768 pixels. That’s to ensure that the pages will work at whatever I’ve decided is he lowest common denominator in screen size. At a higher resolution, you just see more blank space at right and left.

Because you usually hope that a visitor isn’t using a resolution that’s out of sync with their monitor’s size (like a 15 inch monitor at 1600 by 1200, for example) then the elements on the screen should be roughly the same size on anyone’s display. It’s not necessary or desirable to have the graphics themselves change in size.

You do need to be careful to preview your pages at smaller browser sizes to see if you’ve been seduced by the size of your own monitor, though - that can easily happen if you’re using a large monitor. I use a 24″ monitor at 1920 by 1200, and I have to make sure that a user at 800 by 600 or 1024 by 768 still gets an attractive view of the pages.

About the only time you see something like what you’re describing (”graphics expand to fill the browser window “) is in page backgrounds and table backgrounds, where the image repeats to fill the available space. Those tend to be very small images, like the backgrounds of the sidebars on this page. They repeat vertically to fill the length of the page, which is quite flexible.

]]> By: Douglas McFarland http://www.webomator.com/2007/07/04/my-web-sites-celtic-art-retro-futuristic-design/#comment-84 Douglas McFarland Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:57:41 +0000 http://www.webomator.com/wordpress/2007/07/04/my-web-sites-celtic-art-retro-futuristic-design/#comment-84 Dear Bradley, I am in awe of your art and your websites. I am an amateur trying to learn to build websites with Dreamweaver CS3 and CSS. From what I can see of your pages in code view all of your graphics are of fixed dimensions. I'm sure there are other elements that use percentages to fill some spaces. But the graphics also fill the spaces so nicely on my big monitor that I'm wondering if you use some means to help your graphics expand to fill the browser window without losing resolution. Otherwise, I would expect smaller monitors to have a problem accommodating your pages. Can ya give a guy a hand? Thanx, Doug Dear Bradley,
I am in awe of your art and your websites. I am an amateur trying to learn to build websites with Dreamweaver CS3 and CSS. From what I can see of your pages in code view all of your graphics are of fixed dimensions. I’m sure there are other elements that use percentages to fill some spaces. But the graphics also fill the spaces so nicely on my big monitor that I’m wondering if you use some means to help your graphics expand to fill the browser window without losing resolution.
Otherwise, I would expect smaller monitors to have a problem accommodating your pages. Can ya give a guy a hand?
Thanx, Doug

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