Screen Space -
Your Scarcest Asset
Part 3 of 3
by Brandon Jubar
Creating Graphics
In the event that your Parish does not have a graphical image, you may want to
invest some time and energy (and a little money) in developing one. Although developing
web graphics is not the focus of this article, let me briefly describe some options
available to you:
Professional Graphic Design
This is the most expensive option available, but if you choose a good designer
you will be guaranteed a very slick, professional image. The key is to make sure that the
Parish owns all rights to the designer's work product. Any work you have done by a
designer should be a "work for hire" and the designer should disclaim any rights
to the intellectual property created (copyrights, patent rights, moral or otherwise). You
do not want to pay out hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for graphic design work only to
discover that your use of the images is restricted or that you must pay royalties or
license fees to the designer. It would be wise to consult an attorney before signing a
contract with a designer or design firm.
Graphic Design Software
There are a multitude of design programs on the market. Such software runs the
gamut from high-end programs like Adobe Photoshop and CorelDraw10, to shareware and
freeware available for download from sites such as ZDNet. There are a few factors to keep
in mind when looking at this option:
- Does the program do what you need it to do? There is no sense investing any money
in a product if it does not fit your needs (other than budgetary).
- What are the features and how likely are you to use them in the future? Just
because you don't need fancy design features right now, don't assume that you won't use
them in the future. Also, consider if there are other ways to use the software within the
Parish.
- How easy is it to learn and use the program? It doesn't make sense to save money
by investing in design software if you cannot afford to spend the time necessary to learn
how to use it effectively.
- Will the product be supported in the future? How secure is the company which
makes the software? What level of support is offered for users? If you only need something
to get you through the short term, a low-end share-ware program may work fine. Don't
expect to see upgrades and receive stellar product support unless you go with an
established company.
High-End for Half-Price
Many people suffer from sticker-shock when the see the price tags on some of the
high-end programs. One way to minimize the cost of such software is to buy an older
version at a deep discount, and then purchase an upgrade to the latest and greatest.
Example: As of this writing, CorelDraw 10 (full version) retails for around
$500. Corel Draw 8.0, which has been on the market for two years, can be found for around
$80. The CorelDraw 10 upgrade retails for between $150 and $200. Thus, by purchasing
version 8.0 ($80) and then getting the upgrade ($150), you can get CorelDraw 10 for less
than half price ($230)!
Clip Art Galleries
The final (and least expensive) option for creating your Parish's graphic image
is through the use of clip art. There are numerous free clip art galleries available on
the Web, but you need to be aware of the terms and conditions of use. Before using clip
art for your Parish Web site, make sure that the graphics you choose are not for use on
personal Web sites only.
Many of the sites offering "free" clip art actually limit the
"free use" to individuals rather than businesses or organization. Even then, the
license fees they charge are usually nominal.
The major drawback in using clip art is that you can pretty much guarantee that
there are a number of other sites on the Web using the exact same graphic. And, of course,
the fact that you don't actually own your graphical image can be bothersome down the road.
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