There is no harm in experimenting with transparencies. Like many other effects, you can always use this technique and evaluate your lay-out in multiple environments and find out how it looks. As a matter of fact, creating a web layout using transparency can be both tricky as well as elegant. Transparency in Website Design is an effect which is brought when a text, color block or image is “desaturated” or made thinner so as to dilute the color and show through anything that is behind it. The transparency effect can add glamour to the entire layout when executed adeptly, while creating a great place for the text or for bringing in focus to a specific part of an image.
Transparency in Website Design:
The web designers, while using transparency, should be very careful since its usage can become a tricky affair, as far as the readability of the text is concerned. If the transparent boxes or texts go wrong, it can be distracting and shall ruin the entire design. In the following paragraphs, we shall present some set of do-s and don’t-s of using transparency in website design.
Transparency Creates Contrast:
The most astounding benefit of using transparency in web design is creating contrast. The transparency effect enables the designers to create a focal point with a color clock, establish big text over an image or create varying color screens with dimension. The transparency effect can also be used to enable a text to pop off a background.
The web designers should consider the contrast of an image while working with transparencies. The transparent effect will work with text images as well as background image and will also make the text readable. So, prior to using the transparent effect, it is necessary for a designer to consider whether the effect will make the images or texts easy to understand.
Leave the Essential Parts of the Image as It Is:
Transparency effects should not cover those parts of an image or a page background that lies underneath and conveys some important message.
Use Transparency in Different Levels:
There isn’t any ideal level of transparency. In some projects, 80% transparency is perfect while for the other one, only 15% may do the job. So, for each project, the web designer basically needs to play with different levels of transparencies.
Using Transparency Effect Does Not Make a Text Readable:
Using transparency effects for your text does not make your text automatically readable. You need to take care of the contrast and consider whether the words are readable. The message that you wish to convey through the texts or images will not be conveyed if the design hinders the readability.
Use Transparent Effect in Small Spaces:
Transparencies work well in the smaller spaces of your web pages. You can consider using the transparent effect as the navigational tools or in the buttons as hover effects as well as in other clickable elements. You should never use multiple transparencies in the page, rather, must choose an element or a transparency style and stick to it all through.
Avoid Transparency over the Images having Sharp Contrast:
The web designers need to avoid the avoid transparencies over items having elements with sharp contrast as it might disrupt readability. Unless an image is saturated, using transparencies can have a negative effect.
Use Transparency in the Background:
You can use transparent effects on the background images as well. Otherwise, you can use transparencies in between the image layers to create a multi-dimensional design.
Multiple Transparent Effects isn’t good:
You need to limit the use of transparent effects. A transparent effect must create contrast, distinction and visual interest, but overuse of the effect can distract the users.
Conclusion:
Experimenting with the transparent effects can help you polish your design skills. However, transparency effect should not be the alternative for adding life to the mundane design of your website. Rather, it should be planned and a well-thought out process. The essence of the effect is something more than adding vibrant frames to the web pages and can look extremely sloppy if you are using this effect as a decorative for your site.