Art of every type and nature can be found on the Internet, and some of it is clever, eye-catching, and a delight to behold.

But not all graphics enhance site values. Art, photos and designs that are too big, too active, and too numerous can make site visits a lengthy and unpleasant task. The problem is not that individual graphic elements are not pleasing by themselves, but rather that they do not mesh well with the Internet, a medium with unique communication demands.

Consider the home page with three animated graphics. They move, bob and weave and each by itself is clever. Alas, together they are distracting and make uploading an endless process.

What about sites where text link hues and background colors are roughly the same? Or sites where the home page includes a graphic of titanic proportions? Or sites that have 92 separate graphic elements on one page?

The purpose of online graphics is often misunderstood. The goal is not to win design awards -- though awards are nice. Instead, the idea is to enhance the visitor experience and maximize content value. In many cases, few graphics, limited animation (or no animation), small graphics (few bytes), and simple pages produce the highest levels of visitor satisfaction.

When looking at designs and individual graphics, always ask: Who is my visitor? Does every visitor have the fastest modem and the largest monitor? Does art which looks clever once become an irritation when viewed with each succeeding visit? Does the page work with all the leading browsers? Is my message and content overshadowed by design features?

In the usual case, sites are not created to entertain, amuse, or titillate. They are places which hold facts, data, information, perspective, and opinion. Folks visit and re-visit because they expect the site to be timely and informative. Given such visitor needs, huge graphics and cute animations are far less important than easy navigation and valued content.