I came across this interesting article by Diana Huff on her MarCom Writer Blog…Big SEO Mistake #1: using a “Plug and Play” Website Template. She explains clearly why this seeminlgy simple solution for a small businesses’ Web site may turn into anything but. Just like I have to trust my auto mechanic because I have no idea what goes on under the hood of my car, a small business owner who doesn’t have the expertise or the time to learn about web design shouldn’t be trying to do it themselves. Hire a professional…the time you save and the superior result you’ll get vs. a “plug and play” site will be worth it!
Archive for the ‘design’ Category
Buyer Beware Turnkey Web Site “Solutions”
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009Ads Separated at Birth?
Monday, June 29th, 2009Has anyone else noticed this “new” idea used in two commercials airing recently? I’m talking about the new ads for Toyota’s Prius and the Palm Pré… judge for yourself:
I like the Prius ads…they’re upbeat and I think relate rather well to the concept of environmentally friendliness, kind-to-the-earth image Toyota is promoting for the car. I also like looking closely to see if I can tell the real people from what must certainly be computer-generated animation for the bulk of the folks, or if someone lifts their head early (yes, I did catch a glimpse of that happening).
The ad for the Pré is just, well, odd. I don’t get the connection between a Pré-toting woman sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere with hundreds of vaguely monkish-looking men in orange robes surrounding her and creating changing patterns with their movements. What does it all mean? Is owning a Pré a religious experience?
What do you think of these ads? Will we be seeing more like this? What other products or services would be good candidates for this kind of people-as-pixels approach?
Leave it to a Professional, or…Step Away from the Paint, Ma’am
Friday, March 13th, 2009I’m waiting for a upholsterer to come for an estimate to re-do my couch and remembering the last time he came to do a chair. I had a fairly clear idea of what I thought I wanted and would only look at the fabric swatches that seemed promising for what I was thinking of. And not having much luck finding what I wanted. Finally, the fellow picked up another book, flipped to a color range that was nowhere near what I had in mind, and said, “Why don’t you look at these instead?” At first I resisted, but to humor him I did and, to my amazement, found something that was just right! It wasn’t anything that I imagined would have worked.
A couple of years ago, my walls needed re-painting. Instead of going to Home Depot or the paint store to study tiny chips of paint, I called a professional decorator to help me, and she chose wonderful colors based on her expertise in decorating. You see, a few years before that, I decided a hallway in my house needed sprucing up and so I went to HD and, from the “oops” table of paint, chose a raspberry color that looked lovely in the store and on the chip, but NOT, unfortunately, on the walls. And the more I tried to fix the mistake, the worse it became until I had to wallpaper over the entire mess.What I had started to do to save money by buying cheap paint and doing it myself turned into anything but…and I have still not lived this incident down in my own family. Ouch!
The moral of the story? It rarely ever pays to DIY when it comes to things outside of your area of expertise. My experience in design in no way makes me an expert in home decorating. And anything I do attempt will take me twice as long as it would a professional to do. The illusion of saving money is eaten up by the cost of my time to do what I’m not good at and the results could be disappointing. And when you are so close to the situation, you can’t always see the forest for the trees. It can take someone looking in from the outside to point out the obvious and better choice.
What are you not an expert at? If it’s design, then let a professional designer come to your rescue! Marketing your business is best handled by someone who does it every day and can be an ally for growing your business. Don’t “paint your walls” with something that will have to be papered over to make it workable again. Save your time for what you do best—running your business.
Ignore Print at Your Peril
Friday, February 27th, 2009With all the talk about on-line digital marketing…email, social media, search-engine marketing, blogs, etc…you’d think that print collateral has gone the way of the buggy whip. And while all of the aforementioned marketing channels are certainly relevant—so is print!
A Parks Associates study recently found that 21% of Americans had never visited a web site, sent an e-mail or used a search engine. In European countries like France, Belgium and Austria, that percentage climbs to to more than 40%. Even more surprising, despite the high rates of connectivity in countries like Japan, the percentage of people who don’t use the Internet is close to 85% in Asia as a whole.
Some segments of the population can still be better reached by print than on-line marketing. For example, a survey showed that 85% of women aged 25-44 read direct mail pieces while only 53% read email marketing messages.
What this all means is, don’t neglect traditional marketing in the rush to embrace the new. Especially if you research your target audience carefully, print collateral still has an important place in your marketing communications mix.
“Must See” TV!
Friday, January 23rd, 2009Starting Sunday, Ovation TV (”Make Life Creative”) is having a week-long series about design and designers. Everything Is Art is a program about “some of the most interesting designers at work today…” Brillant Green, follows how the eco-friendly movement has inspired designers to become more creative. Finally, the Designer People series profiles eight successful designers who shape our world, from architecture, communication, industrial, interior, to fashion. Cool stuff! Check it out if you can.
One of these things is not like the other…
Friday, January 16th, 2009Is it just me, or are there others out there who have never used the words “garden” and “gun” in the same sentence, much less thought of them as a natural pairing for a dual-themed magazine?!
I am not making this up… Garden & Gun is an actual bi-monthly magazine…a slick and well- designed magazine about the “soul of the new South.” And while the name of the magazine certainly got my attention and brought up stereotypical musings on it’s contents, perusing their web site reveals some fine articles, great recipes and terrific photography. I’m impressed…just startled is all.
And wondering what other, um, unusual pairings might be for other magazines? Hmm?
The Icy Tale of the Wandering Designer
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
Last Thursday, northern central Massachusetts got slammed by an unexpectedly severe ice storm. Power went out in our neck of the woods around midnight Thursday. All night long all you heard was groaning, followed by cracking that sounded like gunfire, then “tree”mendous roars as the 60-foot tall pine trees and hardwoods in this area and their branches fell. By Friday morning, this is what it looked like outside our door. And it still wasn’t over…every 30 seconds or so you’d hear the ominous crack of a tree or branch as you ran for cover. In fact, I received a glancing blow on my shoulder while I was taking these pics when a large branch fell off a tree right overhead. (OK, I know I should have been more mindful of my surroundings…)
My biggest challenge (besides keeping our house warm and food from defrosting) was how to be able to continue to work. I was very busy and deadlines loomed!
First, the moral of this story is to back up…Back Up…BACK UP!! files to an external hard drive which, of couse, I’d been negligent in doing. So I take apart my desktop system, load it all (so I thought) into the back seat of my car and, as soon as our road was cleared of large debris and barely passable, head off in search of power and an opportunity to move files from my desktop to my external drive, then to my laptop. Down the road, around the downed trees and under hanging wires I drove until I see…lights!! In the church in the center of town! (A parable for the holiday season…? You be the judge!)
After getting permission to set up, I realize I need an extension cord to be able to reach an outlet; back into my car, up the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires, to get the cord. Reverse the course. Hook everything up the way I think I it was before I disassembled it, and- eureka!- we have lift off! I am thrilled and more than a little smug that I will be able to pull this off after all. When the login window appears, I go to enter my password, but…I forgot to bring my keyboard. Back into my car, up the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires, to get the keyboard. Stopped by electrician who has come to reattach stuff of an electrical nature to our house, then a neighbor who wants to vent about the weather. Reverse the course. Enter my password…finally! Go to choose all the files I need…no mouse. Now you may be able to do it with just a keyboard, but I am clueless. I sit on the floor and seriously consider buying land in Florida- now. Today. After a long while on the floor, I get back into my car, up the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires, to get the mouse. Reverse the course.
At long last, mission accomplished. I disassemble my computer, load it all back into my car and head off to that bastion of good coffee and free wireless, a Panera Bread a few towns away. And there is everyone else from, it seems, the entire area who is also without power and self-employed attempting to do the same thing I am. There isn’t a square inch of table space or an empty electrical socket or, it seemed, enough bandwidth to accommodate all of us. *Sigh.* Back into my car, up the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires, to call it a day. I work by candlelight on my laptop until the battery runs out. As soon as I can get on-line I am seriously looking up Florida real estate. Maybe that’s not far enough south. Maybe Costa Rica…
The next day I am still on my quest to get on-line. Back into my car, down the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires, I find friends who live an hour away who are happy to let me use their computer to get on-line. Oh yes, and power up my laptop. I am thrilled except I once I get there I can’t remember my password to access my email remotely. Many, many tries. Friends’ ten-year-old is offering suggestions. I finally gain access by typing in the names of every pet I’ve ever had, only to find…mostly spam and, ironically, an opportunity to buy land in Costa Rica. Nothing of substance. I curse all the trouble I’ve gone through to read spam. I save the Costa Rican land deal email.
Back into my car, down the street, up the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires back home. If the power does not come back on soon I think my head will explode. I work by candlelight on my laptop until the battery runs out.
Day three, back into my car, down the hill, around the fallen trees, under the wires where I pass a small cafe in my town that- miracles of miracles- has power! Lousy food, but power AND fast internet access. I am at peace with the world and Mother Nature (OK, not so much Mother Nature) once again as I spend my afternoon happily catching up on work and email and web browsing and……
We got our power back early Tuesday morning. Others around us have not been so lucky and may be without power until next week; some estimates say even until after Christmas. My husband hasn’t had work since the school he works in is still being used as a shelter. Tomorrow we are supposed to be getting a 6-12″ snowfall, followed by more snow on Sunday along with sleet and freezing rain.
I still have that Costa Rican land deal email at the ready.
How to Hire the Right Designer for You
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008Have you reached a point where you’re ready to do great things with your business and need the specialized skills of a design professional? How exciting! But what or who exactly should you be looking for? Hiring the best designer for your needs won’t be so intimidating if you just follow the steps below…
Do Your Homework
1. Determine how your design piece will fit in with your overall marketing and sales efforts. Even the best design projects go awry when the purpose of the piece isn’t well-defined or exists simply because “everyone else has one.” A competent designer should be able to assist you if you’re not sure what the best vehicle for your marketing message is, or be able to refer you to a marketing consultant who can help you.
2. Have a budget in mind. Knowing what you are willing to spend on a project will also help you find the right fit. If you don’t have an idea of what something will cost, a reputable designer will help you set a budget for your project based on their experience with similar projects. At JS Graphics, our work is tailored to fit the needs of our clients, so knowing what your budget is helps us determine what can be done for the amount you have available. Contrary to what some may believe, designers don’t ask about budgets so they can spend all the money you have!
3. Get recommendations. Asking associates for a referral for a designer is a good way to begin your search. Most people will be happy to share the name of a designer with whom they had a good experience or about whom they’ve heard good things! You can also find portfolio sites on-line (coroflot.com, carbonmade.com, and designrelated.com are just three) where you can search for designers world-wide.
How To Choose The Right Designer For You
4. Be attentive to the designer’s response and communication. The very first assessment you can make about a designer comes from their responsiveness to your initial query. How long does it take for them to get back to you? Are they timely in returning your calls or emails? This will give you a glimpse into how they run their business and their working style. A designer who does not return you calls promptly may not be sensitive to time requirements you have or may be “out of touch” at critical points during your project.
5. Look at their portfolio. Hiring a designer on cost alone is a great way to be disappointed! Even if you have a limited budget, it’s still important to work with someone whose work you’ve seen and liked. Don’t be overly concerned if they haven’t done the exact type of piece like you’re looking for-if you like what the designer has done for other clients, chances are you’ll like what they do for you, too. It’s all about the problem-solving! Most designers should have a web site that you can view to get a flavor of the type of work he or she does, who they do it for, etc. Not having a web site or portfolio should be a red flag that an individual is not a professional designer.
6. Get a detailed proposal from the designer you’d like to work with. It should address what the deliverables will be, the number of design comps you will see, and how many rounds of revisions are included. It should also detail how billing will be handled, and what instances would trigger additional costs for the project. Other items that you might want to see spelled out in the proposal are usage rights, deposits required, and how additional outside services such as printing or photography will be handled.
7. Decide on a schedule. This is essential if you have a tight time frame, but every project should have milestones, agreed upon by all parties involved, to keep it moving forward. Starting and stopping a project causes lost momentum, and excitement and interest in the outcome wanes. The schedule or time line should also be clear on who will be responsible for reviews and getting revisions to the designer in a timely manner in order to keep the project on track, and when you can expect response from the designer. This is especially important for long-term projects or critical deadlines.
Last But Not Least…Have Fun!
Most designers get into this business because they love what they do…creating terrific work that helps their clients achieve their goals and grow their businesses. When everyone is excited about the project and the relationship, the final results are always satisfying. And if you’re having fun with your designer, then you know you’ve made the right choice!
Rubber ducky, you’re the one…
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Is this not one of the coolest desk accessories?! I got this spiffy mouse at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. A tiny rubber duck bobs in a turquoise sea. It’s from Pat Says Now and it’s just one of their many awesome choices for your mousing pleasure. Using it every day reminds me that I have one of the best fun jobs there is! The fact that it drives the cat crazy trying to get to the duck is a bonus, too…
Calling All Movie Buffs!
Friday, November 14th, 2008If you’re a movie buff, you have to check out this site for the Internet Movie Poster Awards. Apparently they bestow awards for the best and worst movie poster designs, but the real draw is that there’s literally tens of thousands of movie posters (over 23,000 according to the site…I didn’t count to verify!) from the 80s all the way up to current releases. Spend hours searching by year, actors/actresses, directors, top ten box office movies…enjoy!
