Design
Learn how effective your current website is via discovery
If you’ve ever gone to the grocery store without a list, you know the dangers of making decisions without a roadmap. Generally, you wind up buying yet another can of green beans to add to your dusty canned goods collection while forgetting to pick up the one thing that you really needed. You make an…
Read MoreWhat’s the ROI on your brand’s website design?
Occasionally clients will tell me that they don’t get any business from their website because their prospects don’t use Google to find them. This is especially true in more industrial enterprises. It may be the case that your target audience doesn’t use a search engine to find your services, but they’ll use your site to…
Read MoreHow a long-lasting relationship with your web designer helps your business
Should old acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne? As the old year drew to a close and a new year began, many of us were clinking together champagne flutes while singing along with the traditional New Year’s melody Auld Lang Syne. The song, written more…
Read MoreModern visual storytelling lessons from an ancient expert
A lot has changed since Aristotle proposed his six elements of drama. For one thing, people who were once thrilled at any opportunity to distract themselves from the drudgery of everyday life are now bombarded with distractions. So many, in fact, that modern storytellers have less than 9 seconds to captivate their audiences. Given that,…
Read MoreFabulous FREE downloads for better business organization
Design is all about order - glorious order! But there is some truth in the old saying about creative minds being messy minds. After all, whether you’re a designer or baker of whimsical cupcakes, if you’re a creative entrepreneur, your mind is (hopefully) filled to overflowing with a constant stream of brilliant ideas. So how…
Read MoreUnderstanding the genesis of design trends
Where do design trends come from? We designers certainly spark our fair share. And designers, in turn, are influenced by other artists, by entertainers, by fashion and music. We’re influenced by preferences and pop culture. But the influence goes deeper. When we as people respond to Beyonce’s new video or to Apple’s new iPhone, it’s…
Read MoreHow can I improve my brand strategy?
While your brand represents your business story, if done well it also becomes representative of your audience’s stories. For many Americans, McDonald’s is a fixture of childhood happiness that makes it difficult to disentangle from the brand (even when you know it’s not good for you). It’s too entrenched in memories of kiddie birthday parties…
Read MoreUse design thinking to improve your business
You are a designer. I can hear some protests now. You might argue that you’re not a designer. You’re a baker or a marketer or the owner of a small retail shop. After all, design is something professional designers do. Engineers. Inventors. Architects. Nevertheless, you are a designer.
Read More3 clever tools busy designers can’t live without
Achieving success as a designer in a crowded market is enough to make any graphic artist giddy. You’ve put in the time. You’ve earned a reputation for professionalism, skill, and ingenuity. You’ve got more projects lined up than you know what to do with. Which is the only real drawback to success. And it can…
Read MoreWebsite design: set the stage for your brand’s story
On Broadway and in Hollywood, the true nature of a story emerges on carefully constructed sets. Lighting and artfully engineered backdrops create atmosphere. The subtle scoring that underlies each scene establishes mood. Actors’ actions and reactions, tone and costume, reveal motivations and morals. By the end of a powerful show, the audience has aligned themselves…
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