Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.5. Composition grid in Macromedia Dreamweaver (Macromedia
Dreamweaver provides a scalable grid to help you with visual layout of
Web pages. The content layer is positioned according to the grid.)
Space
Every digital design medium has parameters or boundaries. The boundaries are
located within the space. Units measure boundaries. The common units of
measurement in computer graphics are pixels.
Paper and print mediums are measured in inches or metric units. Paper is
considered a two-dimensional space: width and height. Letter size paper has
a space of 8.5” by 11” inches. The screen is measured in pixels, short for picture
elements. In general terms, a pixel represents one small bit of information which
is combined with other small bits on a computer screen. These bits fool the eye
to create an image. A Web page can typically occupy a space of 640 pixels
wide by 480 pixels high. The screen is two-dimensional space. Space has some
important characteristics, which are highlighted as follows.
Format
Two-dimensional space traditionally has vertical and horizontal formats. Por-
trait, which is tall, is the vertical format and landscape is the horizontal or wide
format. Formats for two-dimensional space can also be varied in shape or size.
