Avoid using too many graphics and images in your layout while creating a website because it might end up with a Graphical Overload.

It is considered bad due to the following reasons:

Takes a Long time to Download
The most important reason for reduction of graphics is because they take a very long time to download. Even after the introduction of broadband, people are so impatient that they do not wait for more than 5 seconds before clicking the Back button.

Apart from reducing the number of picture, another thing that can be done is to reduce the file size by resizing your images using a graphics editor. Reducing the height and width of the picture using CSS or HTML alone will not serve any purpose. The images can also be compressed by 25-30 percent using graphics editor without any degradation to its quality.

The site becomes Too Busy
If there are too many pictures on a page, it becomes very busy while loading. Try to keep it as simple as possible. This can be compared to a newspaper. You can see that most often there is only one picture on the front page. In fact, the viewable area on the web page in even smaller. Therefore, it is better to place one picture and explain the rest using text.

Distraction from the Content
Always remember that people do not visit a site to view images but to get information. Putting up too many images distracts the visitor from the content. Sometimes, the text is hidden due to the pictures. This leads to graphical overload. The only way to solve this problem is to put up only those graphics that serve a purpose, not just because it looks good.

Photo Galleries: An Exception
The only exception to this are the photo galleries. In case, the purpose of your site is photography, then don't hesitate in putting up a lot of pictures. However, it is better to put up small thumbnails on the page and the visitors can click on them in case they want a larger version. This is helpful as more pictures can be put up on one page. The visitors will have to go through lesser pages to see all the pictures. You can also add 'next' and 'previous' buttons so that the visitors do not have to move back to the thumbnails each time they want to see a picture.