Archive for January, 2008
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Web design is a great occupational field. It’s full of opportunity. At times it’s overwhelming due to the high demand for good, quality driven web designers. But I’m just wondering…doesn’t it ‘irk’ you sometimes when you have put together a great looking, customer oriented, feature packed website only to see the client fill their web pages with junk? They paid for a great website and killed it with poor content. What can you do about it? One suggestion is to add the ability to create web content for your customers too.
When you do a search on Google for ‘web content’, it generates close to 200,000,000 results. It’s obviously an important topic. Because of this, my recommendation is to seek out and team up with a good copywriter. Look for and secure the services of a qualified writer who can create relevant, readable, well formed text that will complement your web design services. Keep in mind that the text they create needs to assist in keeping customers on the website. I’ll discuss some of the critical components of content in another article soon. Add appropriate pricing and encourage clients to let you help them create verbiage and content that works well for their company. There are a myriad of companies out there that post their prices for creating content on their websites. Make sure your pricing is competitive and ensure the customer that putting together an entire package all at the same time is beneficial to them.
As an example of how well great design and great content work together, I wanted to use a friend’s site to point out the effectiveness of this approach. PrintBusinessCards.com is a site that has been around since 2000. This site re-launched in 2006 with a completely new design. At the same time, they immediately started publishing good, relevant pages full of good content related to their industry…business cards. Over an 8 month period their page rank has increased, their Alexa ranking has dramatically increased…breaking them into the top 100,000, and their pages come up higher in Google searches across the board. All of this is a result of huge organic growth and has ultimately boosted sales dramatically at the same time. This site is a prime example of filling a website with great, relevant content. At the same time, they also launched a blog where they have consistently published good business cards related articles, relevant tips, announcements about new pages, and press releases. The blog has become another good contributor for attracting customers to their site. The blog is well written and always points readers to various features of their main website. Again, this is a prime example of creating good content that benefits the customer. Blogs are a great way to build long term results for clients. It takes time though. The general consensus is at least a year of good, consistent articles on a blog before the main site starts seeing results. This is true for PrintBusinessCards.com too. Their blog now has a page rank of 3 and is climbing on its own through the rankings while at the same time funneling quite a few potential customers every day to the main site. Design, function, and content. These 3 critical components are all displayed on this site. Their presence on the web is increasing everyday. It’s a great example of how teaming up with a good copywriter can enhance the design and function of a website.
So, as web designers, my recommendation is to include the creation of good, relevant, quality content as part of your pricing and services. In doing this, you should attract more customers while creating more satisfied customers at the same time. Again, as I mentioned before, I plan on discussing some of the critical components that are comprised in quality content for any website. If you have other examples of websites where content, function, and design work together very well, please let me know. I’d like to check it out!
Posted in Content/Text | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
The source site for this is: http://www.760disc.com
When thinking about creating a logo, I try to look at several or actually as many logo examples as I can get my eyes on. This is one of the ones I found a few days?ago. It is nice, clean, it looks like it’s clear plastic, not quiet glass. I like the reflection effect and how they treated the letter V, it looks like it is a bit moved out to the front.
Posted in Logos | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
The source site for this is: http://www.760disc.com
I also noticed this set of buttons. I had to add them to my collection. Very nicely done. Sleak design.
Posted in Images/Photos, Navigation/Menu | No Comments »
Monday, January 28th, 2008
The source site for this is: http://www.werkbot.com
This website cought my eye with its peacefull header design. The calming winter scene with the Flash snowing overlay is noticeable, to say the least. After looking around a bit I found that you can change the scenery by clicking the small squares at the top-right of the page.
Spring scene, raining, beautiful field. I wish I wish I was there.
Summer, when is it going to be here? This year’s winter is just toooo long.
And of course we have the Fall. Not looking forward to it just yet.
Posted in Headers | No Comments »
Friday, January 25th, 2008
The source site for this is: http://plusthree.com
A tabbed style navigation design. Nice.
Posted in Navigation/Menu | No Comments »
Friday, January 25th, 2008
Website: Instant Article Wizard
Alright designers, check this out. I posted the ad on the right and thought this should get them to check it out but it looks like everyone’s ignoring it. And I don’t blame you, it is an ad after all, I do get commission for it but the reason I chose to promote this program is that it seriously, is an awesome tool. I want to tell you about it so more of you at least see what it does before you deside that it’s not for you. I know their website is not much to look at but it’s hiding within it self a priceless tool for every web designer or developer.
There are times when you have to write an article about something and you just don’t have the words, it’s just not flowing, nothing, like it dried up. Then this tool comes along and makes it all better. It is a program that will concoct an article for you. It will look and sound like an expert did the research and wrote it, has infinate subjects and topics and is easy to use.
Here is an example of what an article on Home Theater Systems will look like, and there are several more examples like this on their website:
Theater Systems Are No Longer the Sole Domain of the Audiopiles
To some, home theater is simply a big television, but a home theater is really a combination of video and audio components that achieves a theater-like experience. Many people view home theater systems as a luxury. However, home theater is not just for audiophiles anymore. There are many simple home theater systems that are easy to set up. Home Theater is quickly growing hobby and the results that you can achieve even with a modest budget are quite remarkable.
DVD players are a “must have” in any home theater system. You may prefer an all-in-one DVD home theater system. This way, you don’t have to unplug your main DVD player from your current home theater system. High definition DVD is growing in popularity, so find out whether it’s time to buy HD-DVD or whether you should wait for the next generation. All DVD players also play audio CDs, so you can have a single component do the work of two units.
Speakers are the heart and soul of any sound system. Any audiophile will admit that a good set of speakers is what makes or breaks a quality home theater setup. Good speakers don’t have to cost a bundle, though it is easy to spend a lot. Audio/Video Receiver Speakers give you the most flexibility and full range of sound for surround sound home theater and music, as well as stereo audio.
Speakers vary a great deal in performance, as well as price. Good speakers and the components for a home-theater system cost less than ever. Determine what you can spend for speakers and then search out the best possible home theater speaker collection that will fit your spending limits. Wireless surround speakers are now available as well and save the hassle of running all of the wires through your home theater room.
A simple home theater is easy to set up, making home theater systems not just for audiophiles anymore. The future of home theater is going to be simplicity. These systems are becoming increasingly popular and are a great alternative to a night at the cinema.
This is an amazing piece of software. I recommend it for everyone in the web design industry. It is a tool that will pay it self off many many times over and over.
See for your self: Instant Article Wizard
I hope you had a chance to check it out.
Posted in Content/Text | No Comments »
Friday, January 25th, 2008
Web hosting choice is your advertisement free guide to choosing the right web host for your personal or business site. Their focus is on a searchable directory that will let you find web hosting plans suitable for a small site or for a large e-commerce websites. They also have created a learning area where they explain the basics of web hosting.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Posted in Other | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
Here we go again, a list of navigation styles. Navigation is one of the most important elements on a website. If it’s not right all the effort that you put into the site may be worthless. So here’s five major styles that I came up with. I know there are many more out there but these are the most common ones that I see.
One
The source site for this is: http://www.trustile.com
An example of a simple graphic based hover style navigation. It is simple to impliment and is easy to use. Got to remember that most times simple is best - KISS (I won’t even go into it) 
.
Two
The source site for this is: http://www.amazon.com
We’ve looked at this one several days ago in the Recipe For Effective Navigation post and again this one made the list. It is complicated to build but once done, it’s worth the effort. It eliminates two clicks from the visitor’s search which raises the conversion rate.
Three
http://www.boite-a-musique.org
A text based navigation is the simplest one on the list but on the effectivness scale it may or mey not be better then the image based navigation. Again the KISS element, simplicity works well.
Four
The source site for this is: http://www.lexus.com
Now we’re getting into some serious, multi-function navigation. Here, we’re looking at a Lexus website’s navigation bar. Each “section” has multiple hot areas that trigger diferent drop down menus, I guess in most cases it’s not a menu that drops down but a sort of a mini web page. Personally I think I’d stear away from navigation like this.
Five
The source site for this is: http://www.32round.com
Ok, this one may not look cool or impressive (I am talking about the navigation) but once you click one of the buttons it’ll get your attention. Another way of getting your visitor’s attention I guess. I like the site, nice scrolling effect on it too.
I’d love to hear some of your opinions on these.
Posted in Navigation/Menu | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
The source site for this is: http://www.prospectdenim.com/
Here is an interresting flash based website. The graphic work looks nice and the functionality is great. The site is simple from the navigation stand point and it is easy to use. Like the music too, hehe.
Posted in Layout/Design | No Comments »
Monday, January 21st, 2008
I decided to take the top 10 sites from Time Magazine’s 50 Best Sites of 2007 and briefly review each of them here. I think we can all benefit from analyzing each of these sites. In doing so, perhaps we will glean some ideas that we can incorporate into web designs for our clients in the future.
 |
Mozy.com – Awesome concept. I’m going to check this one out further. This is a very user friendly, informative website offering a fantastic service for a low price. 2gigs of storage online for $4.95/month is a good deal! |
 |
StumbleUpon.com —This is a site I use myself currently. As a social media site, it allows you to tag and recommend sites to other people. It will also generate recommendations for you based upon your interests. It’s inherently user focused and a great way to promote sites or particular pages on a website. |
 |
Last.fm – Finally, your own customizable radio station on the web. Last.fm allows you to type in the name of your favorite artist and be listening to them in just a few seconds through your browser. As long as your browser stays open…the music keeps crankin’. To gain the full experience, you need to register with them which will allow you to further customize
the system for your listening pleasure. It’s a great site full of features for their listeners. Their site has a nice clean look to it. Their logo is a simple, yet effective design too. |
 |
Weebly.com – This is one we won’t necessarily refer our customers to visit. This is a free website building tool. It gives people the ability to create websites and build blog platforms in a WYSIWYG style. There are templates, formats, designs, and functions here that might be helpful and useful to check out. |
 |
Etsy.com – Here’s a niche marketing website that’s a good example of putting The Long Tail philosophy into action. Etsy is dedicated to selling products that are handmade. This is an extremely popular site for artisans and crafters looking for a way to ply their wares globally. Its design is simple, easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye. It’s definitely an appealing
website which justifies its position on this list. |
 |
Wotartist.com – Another niche site. Wotartist is dedicated to promoting abstract art from artists all over the world. It’s a beautifully designed site. All of the navigation for the site is reduced to one corner in order to free up space for displaying artwork on the main page. I like the design of this site a lot. This site is full of awesome artwork. This simple design let’s the artwork be the focus instead of the site. Awesome concept. |
 |
Fatsecret.com – This social networking site is dedicated to helping people drop unwanted weight. By capitalizing on a universal problem, this site has created a huge following by allowing people to discuss what works for them, swap recipes, and encourage each other to their goals. The site is completely geared towards interactivity and information. People can get really personal
by sharing their journal entries, charting their weight and goals publicly on their member page. It’s a site that encourages people to step out, be bold and share their desire to lose weight. There are some good ideas that can be derived from its design and its ability to let users create charts and graphs to track their success. |
 |
Netvibes.com – This is a cool site. Netvibes puts everything you want from the web onto one very customizable page. Customizable modules allow the user to check email, display RSS or Atom feeds, display news sites, weather, and just about anything else you can think of. Netvibes is a prime example of Web 2.0. Everything about the site is focused on the user. It’s completely customizable allowing everyone the ability to create their own, unique home page for the Internet. There are many great tidbits here for designers. Great site! |
 |
Chow.com – A tasty website all about good food. This site covers food, recipes, food culture, and basically everything you can think of that involves food. It allows users to receive their content in multiple ways (audio, video, photos, blogs, podcasts, boards, etc.). It’s a “themed social networking site” that gives users the opportunity to interact with others revolving around a common subject…food. |
 |
OhDon’tForget.com – For all you text messagers out there, this is an easy way to keep your friends and contacts up to date with what’s happening in your life. Probably the neatest feature on here is the ability to schedule a time and date to have specific messages sent out to specific people. The site has some pretty cool features. Its scope is pretty narrow by only focusing
on text messaging. But, the services it provides for users is excellent, which is why it’s a top ten finisher on this list! |
Each of these sites is unique and extremely focused on achieving a particular task or service. Every single one of them is full of user friendly features. The combination of focus, use-ability, and excellent design is what makes each of them successful in their particular niche. Each one of them has something to offer the web designer as well. Designers should take a look at each of these sites as prime examples of how to create websites that are beneficial to the end user.
Posted in Resources | No Comments »
