Over the years, the number of graphics I used in this page has ebbed and flowed. I used to be failry graphics-intensive, with button menus and animated GIFs, but over the years, I've cut back to simple text and only a few embellishments. It seems that the general trend on the Internet is that it's either in Flash or some other dynamic layout or if it's just HTML, it's as simple as it can be. It makes sense to me why it's that way- now over a decade into the Internet Age and nobody is impressed by fancy bright flashing dynamic pages anymore, unless they are in Flash (and even then, not all of them). People seem to want the basics- easy navigation, basic color schemes, not a ton of clutter.

Anyway, here's a rundown of soem of the graphics I use in the making of DEFORGE.

These graphics are my basic navigation arrows. The "X" is used as a convenient way to close extra windows. In my last layout, they were much larger, but I'm finding that people seem to prefer smaller navigation buttons, so I shrank them.

These graphics are used on the photo detail windows in the Photography and Unmarked Box sections. I originally made them to be the main DEFORGE logo as it appears at the top of a typical page, but I didn't like how they had rough edges. Just using plain text produces a better looking logo, but I didn't want to use that on the smaller photo windows, so I shrank these two for use, there.

This is the Pondering Gargoyle graphic that I use as part of the DEFORGE logo at the top of the page. The "DEFORGE" part itself is just large text rendered in Impact font with a javascripted shadow. Adding the gargoyle makes it more unique, and gives me a mascot. The FAQ has an entry on the origins of the Pondering Gargoyle if you'd like to learn more about it.