Menu links are some of the most important features on a website in terms of SEO. The keywords in these links tell search engines about the main idea of the content on the connecting page and also give search engine spiders access to other areas of the site. That is – if the menus are search engine friendly.

Many of the more visually elaborate menus are SEO show stoppers. Some ways to ensure that your menus are search engine friendly are:

• Use text for menu links: Search engines read texts, so ideally menu links should be text as opposed to graphically designed buttons. Instead, use CSS to create design.
• Use some form of expandable menu system so that second tier links are accessible from the home page.
• Avoid Flash and JavaScript menus – search engines can’t (or in the case of JavaScript, won’t) read the text or spider them.
• If you’re set on cool drop-down effects, use DHTML – but very carefully. When using DHTML menus code cannot be placed in external JavaScript files. Also, DHTML menus have a tendency to get wacky depending on the browser. Here’s a great case study about a site that used DHTML menus and ranks #1 in the search engines.
• You’ve certainly heard this before, but include a site map. A good site map is still the best way to ensure that all pages get indexed.

David Williams is an Ethical Search Engine Optimization expert located in Raleigh, North Carolina. He works with people all over the United States marketing their websites. David has also been a public speaker since 2000.

With the advent in greater technology over the past decade, more and more people are seeing video games more than just a way to relax. Video game design and production is becoming an increasingly lucrative industry, one that invites the best and the brightest to showcase their full potential. However, entering and making a name for yourself in the gaming industry involves more than simply a passion for interactive digital entertainment; you’re going to need a drive like none other, an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, a strong work ethic, and above all else, a world-class education.

The world of video games is constantly changing, and schools are certainly compensating to keep up with the ever-increasing demand by the industry for top-quality designers and programmers. As such, colleges and universities specializing in game design offer more than just a general Bachelors Degree in Game Design. Instead, universities offer many programs under the vast umbrella of video game design. Artistic individuals interested in crafting characters and creating game worlds can get their degree in Game Design. Those who feel more comfortable working with code can sink their teeth into the real soul of the games by getting their degree in Game Programming. Wherever your true passion lies, there is a definite spot for it in the vast industry of game design.

Most accredited universities offer four year degrees and even Masters programs in Game Design, Game Programming, and other applicable disciplines. However, just having a Bachelors of Arts or Science won’t make you Lead Designer at your dream studio. Much like any industry, the video game market is looking for individuals who are not only highly dedicated to their craft, but have something worthwhile to bring to the table. This means you’re going to need internships and a high caliber portfolio to ensure that you get your foot in the door at your studio or designer of choice. Most accredited universities offer information about internships with leading design studios and developers in their career services office.

After getting an internship and graduating, you may feel that you need more education to further your advancement in the game design industry. If this is the case, then it would behoove you to get more education and attain a Masters in Game Design. Much like any other industry, having a Masters Degree will grant you a huge advantage over all of the other applicants vying for your position. Being in possession of a Masters Degree will make you more skilled in your chosen field, specifically tailoring you for higher-tier, more in-demand and specialized opportunities that the industry’s most renowned companies have to offer.

Better technology leads to better games. In order to make these games, development studios are constantly searching for more educated individuals to enter their teams. In order to enter your rightful place amongst these design studios, it is absolutely tantamount that you receive the very best education you can in game design. As such, you will be fully prepared to do your part in making the next big video game title.

Choosing the right college is a crucial decision as future career opportunities may depend on the quality and type of education received. Today’s job market is competitive in all professions, and reputable and successful companies and businesses are looking to hire top notch employees. Because the education received will only be a good as the college attended, it is essential to research which colleges will provide the best education possible. There are many Graphic Design Colleges across the country from which to choose, but there are several factors that will need to be considered before submitting an application. When evaluating and comparing colleges some things to look for include: the location of the school, class size, faculty, and the availability of career assistance programs. In addition, make sure the desired degree, whether associates, bachelors, or masters, is offered at the college and determine the length of time required to earn the degree as well as estimated tuition costs. By completing a comprehensive assessment of available schools, it can be determined as to which school will best meet the student’s needs and desired career goals.

Graphic Design Colleges can be found in almost every state, and some offer both traditional and online classes. One of the main considerations for a student is the location of the school. Since schools are scattered all over the United States, whether or not the location of the school meets the student’s personal preference will be a factor in the decision making process. Students will also want to evaluate housing costs and availability as well as the area’s job market. Class sizes will vary based on the student body population, and this should also be considered when choosing a school. Some students flourish in large classes and require little extra attention from professors and teachers. Other students find large classes overwhelming and prefer the extra, more personal attention smaller classes offer. Touring the campus and meeting the faculty offers the student an excellent opportunity to experience the school first hand. Students may discuss career goals with potential professors and ask the professors questions in order to determine if the program and curriculum will meet their needs. In addition, many colleges offer career assistance programs, and these programs can help a student prepare his or her resume and learn essential interview skills.

Because college is in an investment in the future, it is of vital importance that the student obtains as much information about prospective colleges as possible. Of course, one of the most important considerations as to which Graphic Design College to choose is going to be the programs offered. Researching available programs and determining the courses of study will help the student determine which school will be the best fit for them. Another important consideration will be tuition costs. The student will need to determine the cost of tuition, books, and any related fees. Financial aid may be available, and if so, the student will want to be sure that the application for financial aid is submitted. Following these steps will provide the student with the information necessary to determine at which college they will begin their future.

Those who work as freelancers in the graphic design world have the ability to work as many hours, or as few hours as they choose. Designers who are truly working to make a name for themselves work very long hours. When first starting out, it may be necessary to accept work at a reduced rate in order to gain exposure and build your reputation. This is a field where there is a tremendous amount of competition. Therefore, in order to get clients to recognize you and to pay attention to your artwork, you must make yourself stand out. Offering reduced rate services for a few months is a great way to do this.

Prior to accepting work, it is essential to have the computer programs and the tools needed to complete each accepted task. It is never a good idea to accept an assignment that you do not have the tools to complete. It is also important to make sure that all accepted work is comparable to your specific skill level. Clients want to see that you have the knowledge and skills to communicate their specific message through your graphics. Make sure that you can effectively carry out each task prior to accepting any work, regardless of how much it pays.

Prior to advertising your services as a freelance graphic artist, it is important to have a website, portfolio and a logo. This shows prospective clients that you are serious about your business and not just trying to earn a few bucks. Your portfolio should be available online for others to view, and should contain some of your best work. If you do not have a website, you should be working on one. This will also set you apart from other graphic artists in the industry, and will help you to stand out as a true professional.

It is also a good idea to reach out to others in the industry. There are many graphic design forums online. Networking is essential; it is the key to opening up opportunities for you in this field. Many freelance designers are looking for other designers to connect with for joint ventures and large projects. As a freelance graphic designer, networking is a great way to connect with other artists who are serious about making it big in this industry. You can not only work together with other designers, you can learn about how to effectively run your freelance graphic designer business from someone who is already doing it successfully.

The most important aspect of being a freelance writer is having the ability to be self disciplined and self motivated. You must be able to shut out all distractions when it is time to work. This can be very challenging for many folks, especially those who work online. There are so many enticing distractions on the web that the average person will easily succumb to. Freelancing as a graphic designer is a real job that should be taken seriously. This is a field where clients are counting on you to get the job done within a specific amount of time. Self discipline is essential and a strong work ethic is essential as well.

Indeed.com. Indeed pulls job listings from a variety of different sites, such as Monster, LinkedIn and Careerbuilder. Simply type in the job title you are looking for and the city and state to find job postings in your area. The site adds over 100,000 new jobs per day and saves you the time of hunting around dozens of different websites. Be sure to set up a daily job alert so that you can get new postings emailed to you.

SimplyHired.com. Simply Hired works exactly like Indeed.com. The site acts as an aggregator for the web’s top job posting sites. Because of the high number of job postings in many categories, it is helpful to use both Indeed and Simply Hired. By utilizing both sites, you can ensure that you see all relevant job postings.

Krop.com. Krop is one of the best-known websites for design-specific job listings. Many full-time jobs are posted on the site, including listings for companies such as Digitas and AOL. Many design agencies and studios list jobs exclusively on Krop.

Freshwebjob.com. This site provides a listing of full and part-time web design jobs. Most of the jobs focus on pure web design, although some require graphic design as well. The site includes an RSS feed so that you can find out about new jobs as soon as they are posted.

Designrelated.com. Design:related has a job board that includes some great listings for web designers and other graphic artists. Most of the postings on this site come from interactive media companies and small websites rather than from major companies, although companies such as Cisco and Penguin Group USA have used the board to find designers.

Coroflot.com. Coroflot is a job website targeted specifically at web designers. The site allows you to upload a portfolio and to view over 700 active job postings. Since over 80,000 designers have portfolios on the site, you will have to be creative to stand out from the crowd. The site features a RSS feed that alerts users of new job postings.

Freelanceswitch.com. Freelance Switch is a site for all types of freelancers. Web designers can find a variety of freelance opportunities on the site. The postings are generally from individuals or very small websites looking for some basic web design or graphics help.

Behance.net. Behance features job listings for creative artists and freelancers. Although you will have to weed through the postings to find the ones that are most relevant to you, there are some great jobs available here. Major companies such as MTV, Target and Mashable use Behance to post job listings, so it is worth a look.

Whether you are looking for a full-time job or freelance work, the suggestions above provide excellent resources to all job-seeking web design professionals.

What’s with all the letters? Computer thrive on acronyms, while the average computer user remains bamboozled and bewildered. Welcome to the basics.

Web Design

Web design is the aesthetic and structural task of constructing a web page.

HTML stands for “HyperText Markup Language.” It uses markup tags (code words) to describe the structure of a web page. A web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, etc.) will read the HTML and display the page accordingly. HTML is also used to instruct web crawlers to index web pages, allow or disallow cookies, focus on keywords, create a title for the page, and more.

CSS stands for “Cascading Style Sheets.” CSS adds style, such as color, font changes, and other special effects to web pages. CSS code can be intertwined with HTML directly, placed in an internal file, or stored in an external file.

XML stands for “eXtensible Markup Language.” It is designed to transport, structure and store data. XML allows a developer to create code that is both human readable and computer parsable.

Web Development

Web development languages add life to the static presentation of an HTML page by adding functionality and interactivity.

JavaScript, different from Sun Microsystem’s Java, an object-oriented language, is a lightweight programming language called a “scripting language.” JavaScript insert dynamic code, such as variable text and interactions, into a web page.

ASP is Microsoft’s Active Server Pages. It uses server-side scripting to send an ASP file through a browser to a server, where internal scripts are executed line by line and then the file is returned as pure HTML.

PHP stands for “Hypertext Preprocessor.” It’s a free general purpose scripting language, although it’s usually used, like ASP, for server-side scripting.

RSS stands for “Rich Site Summary.” It delivers regularly changing content (i.e. blogs) through an RSS feed into an RSS Reader for simple perusal.

Extensions

Extensions are instructions to computers how to open and parse a file.

Graphic extensions, such as .jpg/.jpeg (joint photographic experts group), .bmp (bitmap), and .gif (graphic interchange format) tell a computer to open the file as an image. The .jpg extension is best suited for more complex images using more than 256 colors.

Multimedia extensions, such as .wma (Windows media audio), .mpg (Moving Pictures Expert Group), and .avi (Audio Video Interleave), relate to video and media files.

Text-based extensions, such as .mp4 (WordPerfect version 4), .txt (Text), .doc (Window’s Document) and .pdf (Portable Document Format), tell a computer to open text based files using the appropriate software.

Applications

Software developers often release downloadable applications to allow web users to host their content.

Adobe Flash & Shockwave are ubiquitous web applications. Shockwave displays content developed by Adobe director, namely games and video. Flash is a vector-based graphics program popular with web designers for its ability to add visual interaction to a web page.

Apple Quick Time is a proprietary multimedia framework that resembles Flash and hosts media.

Other popular applications include Skype, iTunes and WinZip.

The internet can be a confusing universe to traverse. But now you’ve been taught its slang and secrets; throttle it up and roar into the glorious online world, HTML, PSP, Flash and all.

Think You Can Create Video Games?

It’s hardly a secret that the recent economic slump has hit quite a few professionals around the world pretty hard. Many who thought their jobs were secure are now thumbing their way through the classifieds. There are few industries that have been untouched by the devastation, but there is one sector that has not only remained relatively unscathed during the recent recession but actually grown in some cases. That’s the field of Interactive Media and Design. While print media continues to decline in importance and market share, the realm of Internet media and development is only now beginning to explore its potential for future growth.

Interactive Media and Design is a multidisciplinary line of work that revolves around Creating Rich Internet Applications and websites. Using tools like Flash, HTML, Javascript, ActionScript and many other cutting-edge and innovative technologies, graphic designers create eye-catching and useful media and applications both for E-commerce and for entertainment. Simply put, Graphic Designers and Web Developers take ideas and turn them into reality. This can include everything from crafting web pages both for the desktop and the mobile phone ecosystems, as well as applications for emerging platforms like tablet PCs and more.

As globalization makes our world smaller and more integrated with each passing year, companies and entrepreneurs need to work harder than ever to make themselves visible and recognizable. On a level playing field populated by millions of worthy competitors spread throughout the world, firms use rich media and applications to get the attention of prospective customers and clients, and to provide value for their users. One of the best things about Interactive Media and Design is that it requires such a versatile skill set that designers and developers can work for businesses in literally every field imaginable, from medicine to government to law and beyond.

While anyone can get involved in web development and Graphic Design on their own, it helps to learn the trade in a more structured environment. Obtaining a degree in Interactive Media and Design helps you get a foot in the door when trying to break into field. You don’t have to attend your local university and rack up thousands in debt to educate yourself and get the skills required to get a job in Interactive Media and Design. One of the best ways to get accredited is through online course work. This allows you to freelance and practice your new found skills on the side while earning a diploma and making money at the same time. There are tons of great options available as far as online universities are concerned, each with their own strengths and specialties.

A career in Interactive Media and Design entails working with a wide range of different professionals in diverse fields. Taking their vision and translating it into a visual medium is your job as a designer. The one constant that you can depend on in this type of work is perpetual change. It’s a fast-paced career choice that doesn’t give you much time to breath, but at the same time doesn’t give you much of an opportunity to get bored either. Out of all the different career choices one can make, a life spent in Interactive Media and Design is one of the most challenging, satisfying and lucrative that you can ask for.

Everywhere you look, the fruits of hardworking artistic labor scream by on the sides of vehicles, shout out from billboards and ads, and stare at you from their places on products, magazines and newspapers. Even our relaxing past times are dominated by the image composition, motion graphics and typography that make up the title sequences and credits from your favorite movies, or even just comprise the in-game instructions and cut-scenes that dot the video game titles you enjoy. Image composition, typography and motion graphics are invaluable fields of expertise for anyone who wants to work in film, fine art or any other visual media, not just for graphic designers.

If you want to see a great example of motion graphics design projects advancing careers, you can find some prime, often-studied examples in the films that have redefined intros since the 1960′s. Simple concepts and forms, like those the famed designer Saul Bass used in the title sequences for films like The Man With The Golden Arm (1958) and Psycho (1960), were very effective at conveying the tone of their respective stories. Technology has come a long way from the manual animation techniques that were all the rage then, and global film industry’s reliance on motion graphics to set the mood has only increased.

Typography is the science of character arrangement, shape, placement and sizing, so it includes a good deal of work, but those who make their study diligent are amply rewarded. Typography is an essential component of every paragraph, sign, word and letter you read, because the juxtaposition of letters dictates how you view them, and ultimately, how they affect the message you want to communicate. When fonts are too gaudy or flashy and detract from your reception of the main idea, the design suffers, and as anyone can create these less than perfect products, demand is high for those who have a solid background in the fundamentals.

There aren’t many layout careers that don’t include some graphics-based work as well, and image composition goes hand in hand with typography at any magazine, online publisher or modern print house. You can take a photo and change it in many different ways, and with so many new tools constantly being marketed as the next best thing in editing, staying on top of your game requires some background courses. The best professional image composition specialists know how to make sure the digital tool set they rely on stays organized and ready to accommodate all the new assignments their bosses can cook up, along with the usual insufficient deadlines.

It’s easy to get behind in the career hunting game unless your degree or training takes heed of the historical background and modern purposes behind the graphic design techniques you learn. You can rest assured that the employees who work at big name studios like those under Pixar and Paramount keep in touch with new innovations in typography, image composition and motion graphics, just to stay fresh themselves.

The education required for these two related yet different occupations varies. 3D Modeler programs offer mechanical design and industrial training so that the candidate is capable of understanding machinery, gearing, balance, materials science, and varying additional facets involved with physical engineering. These programs concentrate on the development of surfacing aesthetics and strong modeling, along with technical skills involved in 3D. In contrast, Computer Artist training programs require at least an Associate’s of Arts degree, although a bachelor’s degree of arts is preferred, along with minimally one to three years experience dealing with Macintosh computers in a field relevant to graphics. A well prepared candidate will have strong skills in creativity and versatility to perform tasks on a variety of software platforms. Experience and mastery of skills should be proven in PhotoShop, Illustrator, and in Flash, Design, DreamWeaver, and HTML programming. Adaptive solving of problems and thinking creatively are among the types of computer artist characteristics.

The job descriptions and requirements of both careers present differences between the 3D Modeler and Computer Artist, too. 3D modeling has much to do with creating wire frame, mathematical personifications of 3D objects by utilizing specifically created computer programs such as 3ds Max or Maya. Such 3D Modelers generally employ one of among three different techniques to do this, such as box modeling, useful for developing characters and living models; patch modeling, useful for developing buildings, furniture, and cars, i.e. physical objects which possess curved shapes; and poly-modeling, effective, advanced, and exact modeling techniques. In contrast, a computer artist literally creates animation and graphics out of their own creativity and observing the customer’s guidelines. Such employers will anticipate that their computer artists are capable of creating multimedia presentations, brochures, promotional pieces, web sites, computer artwork, and technical illustrations to be utilized in literature, technical manuals, newsletters, and any other forms of media.

Though both career paths have good job prospects for the future, there are differences here as well. 3D modeler jobs typically lie in the fields of film effects, props, and characters; CD-Rom design; broadcast design; location based entertainment; game design; television special effects, props, and characters; simulations; and Web site design. Entertainment is not the only field in which 3D modelers find work. Chemistry, architecture, geology, engineering, and medical fields all require professional and capable 3D object modelers to design research and development models. 3D modeling jobs should grow by twenty-six percent between now and 2016, a far greater percentage than the average for overall occupations. These workers earn a median average nationally of more than $50,000. Computer Artists find work in the booming field of Internet, as well as more traditional fields like the entertainment industry and graphic design. Computer artists type jobs are expected to grow at the overall job rate of around eight percent between now and 2016. The average salary nationally for computer artists is just under $50,000.