What makes web sites so cool? The eye-popping graphics, of course. The thing that is most often taken for granted when viewing a web site is the graphic composition of it. Users are entertained by the graphic elements, but does anyone wonder how they got there?

In creating the graphics we used several different resources. For example many of the graphics in the layout of the pages themselves were downloaded from the Internet. Others either original photographs or those scanned from magazines or brochures. The banners and buttons were created by hand using Adobe Photoshop.

The first step in this process was to conduct an Internet search for as many pictures as we could find regarding snow. We downloaded them and then held meetings with the different content groups to see which ones they thought would coincide with what they planned on writing. In a project such as this one, it is important that the artwork tie in with the text. Some of the more "technical" charts and maps needed to be aesthetically pleasing while conveying the information quickly and clearly. Other elements were put in for their entertainment value or as visual aides. It was important that these look nice, but didn't have to explain any pertinent information. Some examples from our project are:

• At one point we considered an animated background, but decided that would make the text on the page difficult to read.
• We chose a simple background in a neutral color to complement the writing and artwork we would be incorporating into our pages.
• The charts or maps that were used had to be clear, concise and pleasing to the eye.
• We made sure the photographs pertained to the text on the page and had some sort of entertainment value.

Next, we asked any group members to bring in photos, magazine pictures or brochures that they thought would add their pages. These were scanned in to the computer and incorporated into the web pages.

Now that these details were out of the way, while the other groups were laying out their pages and finalized their research, the Graphics Group concentrated on designing the headers, title bars, navigation bars and buttons to move from one subtopic to another. Most of this type of work was done through Photoshop because it had the most beneficial special effects for the ideas that we had:

• Photoshop has been updated with many filters that can be used to make a flat image look 3-D. These tools were used in making the headers, buttons and navigation bars of this site.

After all of this all that was left to do is place everything in an attractive manner and make sure that it was aesthetically pleasing and that the combinations of pictures and writing made sense. At this point the graphics group stepped back and ga ve layout power to the groups who researched the specific topics included in our site.