Let's cross platforms

Abstract

Different platforms and browsers render text and images differently. Therefore, web designers should know how to deal with these types of media. Many web designers use the Macintosh, and the majority of the users are on the PC. This thesis project examines the visual elements of web design consisting of fonts, colors, and graphics and how they change between the PC and Mac. The two major browsers used by people to surf the web are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator and they also cause problems with consistency. Resolution differences cause font problems. Knowing the default system resolution to specify with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) can be a solution. Gamma and system palette differences between platforms cause color problems. Changing gamma settings is helpful to simulate other platforms for image correction. Using Web safe color, a standard for the web, is a solution for system palette differences. GIF and JPEG file formats are the most commonly used web graphic formats. If browsers support PNG format in the near future, designers can take advantage of it. Testing often in target platforms and browsers and allowing enough time for any necessary change is the best solution. Test for as many variable as possible.