Publishers of technology books, eBooks, and videos for creative people

Home > Articles

This chapter is from the book

Optimizing the Logo

The goal of optimizing Web graphics is to avoid long download times by limiting the file size. The challenge is to limit the page size in such a way that image quality is not sacrificed along the way. In other words, to optimize a graphic, you need to balance the file size and image quality. However, the many factors involved often complicate the optimization process.

You’ll find the optimization process easier if you understand some basics about the different graphic file types, including their distinct advantages, disadvantages, and unique capabilities. In general, for screen-viewing purposes, you have a choice of three viable formats: GIF, JPEG, and PNG. The PNG (Portable Network Graphic) file format, although a flexible and compact format, is unfortunately only partially supported by most browsers. As a result, it’s best not to publish PNG files directly to the Web (though it’s an ideal format for sending graphics to other applications, such as Flash).

Because PNG files are not ideal for Web publishing, you have two choices for exporting most graphics for use on the Web: GIF and JPEG. Let’s look at each.

In general, images with limited colors, distinct edges, and large areas of solid colors work well as GIF (CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format) files. Logos (as shown in the following figure), charts, vector graphics, diagrams, and text are best compressed as GIFs.

In many respects, JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) is the opposite of GIF. JPEGs excel at representing millions of colors, as is often the case in digital photography (as shown in the following figure). As a result, you should choose JPEG as your compression format for digital photos, images with millions of colors, complex images that do not have wide areas of single colors, and images that have subtle transitions and gradations of color. JPEGs do not support animation or transparency. In general, you should avoid using JPEGs with text, graphics with sharp edges, or logos.

Now let’s return to our first task: optimizing the Jade Valley Web site logo. You’ll first need to decide which file format to choose (a decision that Fireworks can help you make). After you’ve made that decision, you’ll need to provide additional information specific to the chosen file format, while balancing image size and quality.

Let’s get started!

  1. Open Fireworks, and open interface_slices.png in the Lesson 3 Start folder.

    This is the file you completed in Lesson 2, Designing a Page Interface. Because you finalized the whole-page design at the end of the last lesson, you’ll use it to optimize all the graphic slices and export the design.

  2. With the file open, click the 4-Up View button.

    Fireworks provides two environments for graphic optimization: one is the Export Preview dialog and the other is a combination of the three Preview tabs (Preview, 2-Up, and 4-Up) and the Optimize panel. The most challenging task when optimizing graphics is walking the fine line between file size and image quality; therefore, the Preview-tab environment is especially helpful because you can experiment with different settings and compare their size and quality with ease.

    When you click the 4-Up View button, the original file appears in the top-left corner, and you can compare three optimized preview panes simultaneously. In addition to letting you compare image quality, all preview tabs provide useful information such as export type, export options, estimated file size, estimated download time on a 56K modem, and so on.

  3. Select the Hand tool in the Tools panel and drag the original file interface_slices.png to the top-left corner of the Document window so you can see the entire Jade Valley Web site logo and make sure it’s in focus.

    The whole-page design contains many slices. Each slice will be exported as a different graphic, which means that you can optimize each slice according to its own needs, without regard for the optimization settings associated with other slices.

    The Hand tool works well to help bring the slice into focus so that you can see the slice you’re trying to optimize. Notice that when you drag the original file, the images in the surrounding panes move as well.

  4. Switch to the Pointer tool in the Tools panel and select the logo slice. To show the Optimize panel, if necessary, choose Windows > Optimize (or press the F6 key on your keyboard).

    The other part of the combined optimization environment is the Optimize panel. This panel provides convenient access to all the settings you need in order to optimize the graphics. As the following figures show, the Optimize panel has different settings for GIF and JPEG, reflecting the nature of the file formats.

  5. Click the logo slice in the lower-left pane in the Document window to activate it. In the Optimize panel, select JPEG - Better Quality from the Saved settings drop-down list.

    As mentioned earlier, optimization is a two-stage process; in the first stage, you choose a file type, typically GIF or JPEG. In the second stage, you enter settings appropriate to the selected file type. In this step, you begin the process of identifying which file type is more appropriate for this file. You’ve selected JPEG as your exported file format for the lower-left pane, and in a moment, you will enter other possible file types in the other two panes, and then compare the three results.

    Notice that the JPEG - Better Quality setting results in an estimated 3.33K file size, and would take approximately 0 seconds (which really means “under 1 second”) to download the Jade Valley logo on a 56K modem.

    Optionally, take a moment to experiment with other setting options in the Optimize panel. For example, drag the Quality slider lower than 80 and see how it affects the estimated file size and the image quality. When you’re finished, make sure you set the slider back to 80.

  6. Click the logo slice in the upper-right pane of the Document window. In the Optimize panel, choose GIF Web 216 from the Saved settings drop-down list.

    This time, you’ve chosen GIF as the output file type. Unlike JPEG, GIF lacks a Quality slider. Instead, to control the file size and image quality of a GIF, you must work with its color palette. Every GIF has a color palette of 256 colors or fewer. Many images have more than 256 colors, so GIF has to represent all the colors as best as it can with the limited colors available to its palette. For example, if the original image has 2,500 colors, 90 percent of those colors will be dropped from the file, and the pixels that used those colors will use the nearest available color. So how does Fireworks determine which colors are in the color palette, and which ones are thrown out?

    With the exception of special palettes, such as grayscale palettes that use only black, white, and gray pixels, Fireworks does its best to represent all the original colors, taking into account two conflicting considerations:

    • Color fidelity: Fireworks tries to pick colors that best represent the colors in the original image.

    • Conformance to the Web Safe palette: In the early 1990s, 8-bit video cards displayed 256 colors. Windows and Macintosh systems use 40 colors for system menus, and the remaining 216 colors are available on all monitors with 8-bit color or higher. In the mid-1990s, designers tried to stick to these 216 colors, to ensure that everyone could see what they designed. For almost a decade, most computers have shipped with video cards capable of displaying 16.7 million colors or even more. Thus, the Web Safe palette is quickly becoming an obsolete concept.

    The color palette you chose in this step, GIF Web 216, forces Fireworks to use colors in that 216-color Web Safe palette. As a result, color shifting occurs, and the logo doesn’t look like it did before. We can get a much better representation of our file using GIF, but not with this palette.

    The GIF Web 216 setting produces a smaller file size (e.g., 2.60K), compared to the JPEG - Better Quality setting. As with the JPEG setting, the GIF Web 216 setting will take less than a second to download on a 56K modem. If file size is all you care about, then this setting is a better choice. But file size isn’t everything; the image looks awful.

    You should think twice before choosing Web 216 as the optimization setting. For example, in an effort to create branding, corporate logos generally contain official colors (e.g., the yellow in McDonalds’ arch or the bright red in the Coca Cola logo). If your company’s logo has an official color, and you choose Web 216 as the optimizing setting for the logo, you’re likely to end up with a different color!

  7. Click the logo slice in the lower-right pane of the Document window. In the Optimize panel, choose GIF Adaptive 256 from the Saved settings drop-down list.

    Whereas GIF Web 216 prioritized Web Safe color way above color fidelity (and the file shifted color accordingly), GIF Adaptive is the other extreme; all it cares about is color fidelity, and it doesn’t take the Web Safe palette into consideration. Of the three, this version of the logo probably looks the best, although it’s also the largest.

  8. Choose the GIF Adaptive 256 setting as the final optimization setting by making sure the logo slice in the lower-right pane is selected. Click the Original button in the Document window to return to the interface_slices.png file.

GIF Adaptive 256 should be the chosen optimization setting in the Optimize panel.

You chose GIF Adaptive 256 as the final optimization setting for the logo slice because it was best looking of the three choices. It has better color fidelity than the Web Safe version, and the edges of the text are clearer than those of the JPEG, which look slightly blurry. And although it’s also the largest file, it’s still only 4K, which takes less than a second to download, so the difference in download time is negligible.

Peachpit Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from Peachpit and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about Peachpit products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites; develop new products and services; conduct educational research; and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email ask@peachpit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by Adobe Press. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.peachpit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020