January 22, 2010 – 6:35 pm
…It doesn’t sound great but it’s true. Designing a website is not like designing a printed item, with a printed item there is a beginning and end. The end is where it gets signed off and printed, it would be impossible making alterations after the print process.
Work in Progress
A website is something that is organic, something that develops over time. As soon as the website goes live there is a sense of ‘what if we try this’ or ‘when will we update that’. If you are a really organised client you might already have milestones for making those changes. It could be extra pages for a campaign or icons for a new service you are offering. For those who do not foresee changes being made in future then don’t be fooled because you will be amazed how outdated some of your pages can appear over time and prospective clients can instantly tell when your website is looking out of date or jaded.
Some tips on how to make your website look current
- Change some images
- Update your client list
- Make sure you’re posting blog posts regularly so clients can see you are active (we can all be guilty of not updating the blog!)
- Make sure you change your promotion icons as soon as the promotion is over. You would be amazed about the amount of companies who still have xmas graphics in February!
- Think of your website as a shop front. People can easily be put off when you haven’t made an effort to keep your company looking like it is going places
Updating content is key
Not only does updating content look like you are an active and progressive company, it also prompts the search engines to keep indexing your website. This is a good thing as the more your website is indexed the more you are likely to appear higher in the search engines.
Keeping your website updated and refreshed can put you ahead of your competitors. Continually making changes to the content and design of your website shows you are a growing company who is keeping ahead of the game. A website with dated graphics and a sluggish backend is a stagnating and jaded company.
I know which company I would rather deal with.
By admin
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Posted in News, web design
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Tagged company branding, design and content, web design, web design graphics, web updates, website brand, website campaign, website company, website design, website graphics
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There are still plenty of businesses out there who have yet to have a web presence and for some the thought of finding a web designer or web design company fills them with dread. Why? Well for those who don’t know about the process of creating a website can easily get bogged down with way too much technical jargon and information overload which can easily make a company stall a project.
The crucial factor is that having a web presence can increase company’s profits. Fact. Say, for example if you had the option of choosing an interior design company to overhaul your Victorian property, would you choose one with or without a website? Ok if you have a lot of time on your hands maybe you could get someone to pay you a visit with a portfolio. The simple fact is that it’s easy to check out a company’s products and background on the web and this can be done at lightening speed. A simple search on google will do and you can provide half an hours research with good results.
For those companies who have yet to delve into the world wide web or for existing companies that need a re-fresh here are a few simple tips to help you make that move:
Start-up company?
- Ask yourself a few questions about your company, who is your website aimed at? Is it a niche market or do you offer more of a general service? Do you already have a logo and have you thought about how you want your brand to visually communicate?
- Having a good brainstorm can free up a lot of ideas and it will also help the designer achieve your vision while giving your more direction.
- Find company websites that share your sector. Check out how other people have communicated their product and brand.
- The technical side. Get a web designer or web design company to explain in simple terms, this will ease communication and will prevent alienation of you (the client).
Marketing your Business
- Think of new ways you can entice new customers by updating your image and brand values.
- Search the internet for articles on how to market your business. There are 100s of free articles out there which will help you gain more information to help you move your company forward.
- Think about clever ways of gaining people’s email addresses. Maybe you could capture people’s email addresses by offering something free on your website? This gives you a chance to send your prospective clients newsletters increasing the chance of potential new business.
By admin
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Posted in web design
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Tagged branding, logos, start up companies, start ups, web branding, web design, web marketing, web presence, website design, website marketing, websites
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January 9, 2009 – 8:31 pm
I think we’re all trying to keep our sanity in the credit crunch, or more depressingly known as the recession. Everywhere is all doom and gloom at the moment and it’s reflected in everything you read, see and hear. It’s probably the one common thing that everyone can relate to…in a morbid kinda way.
For companies 2009 is a year for taking stock and getting rid of some of the stuff that is no longer needed. Everyone seems to be in the midst of tightening their purse strings and this can be a good thing for you and for clients. If existing clients have tightened their budgets then see this as a challenge. For graphic designers it’s time to be a bit more creative in coming up with flexible and practical solutions. How can we do this for less while still keeping the creativity? Affordable does not equal shoddy. There are means and ways of working around budgets. Some of the best projects come from working to tight budgets. Money can detract from the creative process.
Five things to help keep within a client’s budget
- Think 2 colour rather than 4 colour. Think of creative ways of colour usage
- A powerful idea and a clear message can outshine the item is is printed on
- Ditch the extravagant dye cutting and embossing. Stripping the design down can lead to more experimentation
- Drop the size down from A4 to A5 and see what happens
- Search for different paper and understand how different stocks can effect the overall message
October 26, 2008 – 10:13 pm
Website design is not a straight forward activity. Technically you need to get your website to look right across all browsers. This means testing it in Internet Explorer 5, 6 and 7, Safari and Firefox to name but a few. Not all browsers interpret your website in the same way which can cause many a frustration! Eeek, it doesn’t look right in my browser! We’ve fixed a few irritating bugs which have made our website look a bit strange in Internet Explorer 6 (for those who still use it which is apparently around 10% of you). Hoping all looks good, let us know if it’s not the case.
September 30, 2008 – 6:40 pm
Think of the possibilities of getting your brand out there, there are so many ways and means to do this:
- Design and print a placard with your logo and details to be hung in your business premises
- Online Advertising - Flash banners, directories
- Print Advertising - Brochures, leaflets, flyers
- Your website - your shop window to what you offer
- Stationary - letterhead, business cards and compliment slips
- Promotional items. Get your logo on a range of promo items for potential clients
- Your invoice
And it doesn’t stop with design and print. Your brand values can be communicated through picking up the phone or the way you phrase an e-mail. As long as your values are consistently communicated then you have more of a chance of building rapport with people which in turn leads to trust.
Do not send out mixed signals - your design output needs to adhere to your corporate identity (What does your logo / branding say about you?). It needs to have a uniform approach which consistently delivers the same message. Sending out a mixed signal will confuse your target audience and will likely turn customers elsewhere.
September 26, 2008 – 12:22 pm
Your brand is important as it signifies what you are about, it’s about what you stand for and what your values are. How can this all be encapsulated in a logo? Branding is more than just a visual symbol. It is all about delivering a message to your target audience through your website, marketing literature, e-mail and even how your pick up the phone.
If you are a new company then ask yourself:
- How do you want others to see you?
- What are your differentiators?
- What is your company’s core message?
- How do you want to place yourself in the market place?
- Who is your target audience?
- What are your company values?
Don’t I just need a logo?
In the design industry we call it a corporate identity. This is more than a logo, this is a carefully structured representation of your company that compliments specific typefaces, layouts, design scheme and colour that conveys the essence of your company - this is your brand. Your brand needs to be consistent throughout all your company literature from your letterhead through to your website. Your identity should appeal to your target audience, this is through language, look and feel, colours and a range of other factors. Full consistency throughout creates a structure and allows easier recognition which will connect your target audience and build trust.
Five Steps to obtain and maintain a brand
- You first need to have a logo and a corporate identity
- Make sure you have brand guidelines, this will set your brand in stone and will allow designers, marketing bods and decision makers to keep your branding consistent.
- If you are growing then think of having a brand guardian. A brand guardian will look after your brand and will prevent any miscommunications from slipping through the net.
- Make sure your content is always written in the right tone of voice for your target audience.
- Instill your company values into your staff as this will strengthen your image.
September 19, 2008 – 2:01 pm
We have had experience with start up companies who treat their logo as second importance to their website. We often have to bring them round to the fact that if they are just starting out then their logo and brand needs to reflect what they are about and whether it reaches out to their target audience. Get these issues right and they will thank you for it. It is often the case that some start up companies don’t quite know what direction they are going in so you need to ask the right questions. You’ll often find that the logo has already been designed by someone else for little or no money. If you don’t ask the right questions it’s likely they’ll change their mind somewhere down the line and have to re-invest in a logo and branding change. Ok every company develops and values can change but it’s good to challenge the client and get them thinking about what their company and values really mean.
Yes we can design a website but to truely bring strength to a brand we need to integrate the logo and create a look and feel which will be consistent across all online and offline media.
This moral of the story is that as a start up company they may well be on a budget but they need to understand where their company is going and what signals they want to give out. It will cost less money if it is put right initially than if they have to re-evaluate and re-brand at a later date.
September 12, 2008 – 9:11 am
Finally we have managed to get around to designing and creating our new website which will give you a taste of what we offer in terms of branding, web design and graphic design - you’ll find it easy to navigate, get all the information you need without trawling through rubbish and it’s all CSS/XHTML compliant. Have a look through some of our projects to get a feel for what we do.
Let us know what you think, opinions or suggestions greatly appreciated.
