As we move through 2012 it’s interesting to look at some of the current trends in web design. Some of these are good, others are annoyingly bad. But as we know, these are called trends because they don’t last forever.

1. The rise (and fall?) of the new pop up window

There was time, in the early days of web browsing, when pop-up windows would jump out at you as you paged through a web site. This was very annoying because it blocked your view of the web site you wanted and left your desktop littered with small browser windows. Then the browsers allowed us to check a settings box and block pop-up windows.

Unfortunately, there is a new type of pop-up graphic that is not blocked with this setting. I’m sure you’ve seen these slick boxes that pop-up, yet are not full browser windows. Sometimes they are referred to as modal boxes. They often are asking you to join an email list.

I find these annoying and even appalling. However, research shows they are extremely effective so I think we’re going to see these rise in popularity before they plummet. However, I’m predicting NOW that we will look at back at these with disdain. They will be viewed along with other web viewing hindrances such as flash intros or home screens that you must “enter.”

2. Simple, focused home page design

I think we’ll continue to see small businesses reduce the amount of content on their home pages and focus on their key messages. We started seeing this trend flourish with some many Saas (cloud based software) products over the past couple of years. They offered their online services in a clear and compelling way with a simple navigation to get more info.

Now businesses are realizing that this trend can be very effective for their web sites as well. It can be tempting to have all sorts of content, many times in the name of SEO, filling your home page. Try to get one clear message out there using straightforward language and simple, compelling graphics. The result will probably be a much more effective brand message and better results.

3. Longer, scrolling home pages

Am I contradicting myself? No.

Because of the limited viewing space of browser windows, the first view of a home page can be very simple. Yet, the viewer can scroll down to see more. It seems like after years of people thinking they hated scrolling. They realize it’s really not that difficult!

4. One page, jquery-based, scrolling web sites

This is a continuation of #3 above. If an organization does not need a web site with many pages, than a one-page scrolling site can be very effective. Using some jquery to make the anchor links scroll gracefully, a one page site becomes clean, compelling and able to make a strong statement without having to force the viewer to click around unnecessarily.

I’m seeing this technique with the most simple web site designs, as well as some that are very graphically rich.

5. Much more interesting typography

For most of the history of web site design, web designers were stuck with the handful of web safe fonts found on most computers. But recently, typography on the web has been revolutionized by the @font-face tag and a rapidly growing list of available web fonts. Read this post if you want to learn more about typography for the web.

Of all the web trends that we’re seeing, this is the one we’re most excited about. The ability to choose and work with a large number of fonts is key to the way designers think. It brings the finesse of print to the web. We’ve been starting to add at least one of these new web-safe fonts to every web site design we complete.

What web design trends are you seeing?

Recently I was asked to give an estimate for redesigning a web site, and the client asked an interesting question:

What is the lifecycle of a web site these days? How long should a web site last before it needs to be redesigned?

There is no one right answer about how long your web site will serve you. But for budgeting purposes it is helpful for small business owners to be realistic about the costs of redesigning a web site and how long until they will need to repeat the process.

How long will your web site last?

No, web sites don’t have expiration dates. But after a certain time, they seem to be irrelevant. They are no longer a useful tool for the business, and are no longer supporting the original goals of the web site. Without a redesign, a web site can actual begin to detract from the organization behind it.

There are several factors that may determine whether or not it’s time to redesign or redevelop your web site

1. Has your business grown or changed direction? When we talk about small business web site design, the driving force behind the web presence is the business itself. So, if your business has grown and is offering new products or services, or if you have streamlined operations and are not offering services you used to, your web site should reflect this change.
2. Is the content, and the structure for the content still relevant? If you realize that your offerings have changed, you may be able to make the updates within the current structure and design of your web site. For example, your navigation may say “widgets” and even if you’ve changed from orange to blue widgets, it can be integrated into the web site. However, if you’ve introduced “doo-hickeys” and that cannot be added to the main navigation bar, you may be making it difficult for people to find your newest services.
3. Is your message to prospects still relevant? There are many factors that determine what message resonates with your clients. It may mean working with someone with marketing experience to rework a message. Or, changing market conditions have forced you to adjust your positioning. You want to make sure that the web site design reinforces the same message as your text. If not, it’s time to update your web design.
4. Are you behind or ahead of the technology curve? Web standards change fast. While you can try and anticipate trends, it’s impossible to predict the future. What was a best practice (or at least reasonable practice) a few years ago may no longer be worthwhile. An example is adding a Content Management Software (CMS) to your site. Five or ten years ago, this type of tool was beyond the budget of many small business owners, and it made better financial sense to just send updates to their web developer when necessary. Nowadays, there are many economical CMS platforms and honestly, I can’t imagine recommending a web site without this capability built in.
5. Was the site well designed when it was new? Like all elements of design (including things such as industrial design, fashion, etc.) there are some designs that are classic and can stand the test of time much better than others. In general, if you haven’t invested in professional web site design, the unpolished look of your site will probably start to look worse and worse as time goes on.
6. What are the expectations of your clients and prospects? This is one of the biggest factors in web site design right now. Everyone is getting more and more sophisticated about web site design. While it may have been acceptable at one time, to “just have a web site,” now it needs to be more than just a poorly designed web presence. Your prospects may be looking for a professional brand identity to determine if they trust you. They may want you to offer e-commerce directly integrated into your site. They may be looking for you to be a thought leader as demonstrated by a well-written blog. If you are not stepping up and keeping your site looking fresh, relevant, well-designed and highly-functional, your competitors will fill that gap.

These are six factors that may help you determine how long your web site design will last and whether it is time to start thinking about a redesign.

Do I need to redesign my web site?

What is the bottom line? I’m seeing a lot of requests for proposals from organizations who are redesigning their web site after about three or four years.

A site that is well designed and using some of the best practices for development will last on the longer end of that spectrum. A site that skimps on either design or technology will likely expire more quickly.

On a personal note, we are in the preliminary phase of redesigning our own web site. We did our last redesign in 2008.

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a time when we all tend to look inside and figure out what we can do better. As a business owner, it’s time to look at your brand identity and see what you can do better.

Remember, a stronger and more unified brand identity will lead to better recognition among your prospects, growing trust and a better ability to attract better, higher paying clients.

Web Site

1. Go through your web site, page by page, and identify content that is out of date. Anything that can be easily updated do so immediately.
2. Any content that is no longer relevant should be eliminated.
3. If you’ve abandoned your blog, take it out of the navigation.
4. Write a list of all content that needs more lengthy updating, or needs to be developed. Delegate the task to someone and give it a deadline. Don’t know who’s going to write it? Give us a call and we’ll refer you to a great writer or editor.
5. If you’ve been writing a blog that is not housed within your web site or domain name (for example if you’re using a .wordpress URL or blogspot) integrate it into your site. Not sure how to do that? Give us a call.
6. If you have a blog or other area that needs new content frequently, ask everyone around you for ideas. Generate a long list of topics based on feedback from your employees, your readers, your clients, your vendors, your partners, etc. Figure out what people want to read about. It will make your content more relevant and help you find topics to write about.
7. Update your client list to ensure that it is current.
8. Update your employee list to add new hires and eliminate people who no longer work there. In these recessionary times, some organizations have kept staff on their web site to make it look like they are bigger than they are. It’s time to just come clean with who is currently working for you.

Business Cards

1. Take a look at all the business cards floating around your office. Do all the employees have up-to-date logos, taglines, colors, paper, contact information and titles on their cards? Figure out what is correct and current.
2. Make sure that the correct files are identified on your server, with your designer or with your printer. Whoever orders the cards needs to know what the correct standards are.
3. Are there employees who have received promotions who need new cards? Order them now.
4. It is often cheaper to print more than one business card at the same time. Figure out who is low on cards and order them now too.
5. Consider using thicker, higher quality paper on your business cards. It makes an important first impression about the quality of your brand.

Other Communications

1. Do you have an electronic version of your letterhead and standards for how letters, memos or proposals should look? If not, create some template files for everyone to use, watch this video to learn how.
2. Check out email signatures. These don’t have to be 100% consistent from one employee to the next, but ensure that everyone who includes a logo is using the right one and no one is using incorrect addresses, taglines, etc.
3. Make sure you and your employees are using an email address from your company whenever you contact clients and prospects. Don’t use gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc. Think it doesn’t matter? Read this white paper report and realize what a bad impression you are creating if you use a non-branded email address.

Logo Standards

1. Make sure you have an organized logo library available to all your employees. When a small business owner goes from being a solopreneur to having employees often these details don’t get shared very well. Review the files everyone is using, discard any that are incorrect, and post good clean files on a server, dropbox, other other accessible place. Not sure what type of files to use and share? Read about the difference between pixel and vector-based graphicsto make sure you got the right files from your logo designer.
2. If you realize that you need variations on the logo, hire a professional do it. For example, there may be times you want to separate the logo’s symbol from the logotype. Or you may need a horizontal or vertical version of the logo. Rather than having employees create these on the fly, have your graphic designer add to your logo library in an organized way to keep your brand consistent. Read this post (scroll to the bottom), to help you figure out if you should you have more than one version of your logo.

Social Media

1. Claim your Twitter handle. You don’t have to use it, but you can put your basic contact info there and more information about the best way to get in touch.
2. Properly brand your Twitter landing page with a logo that is sized appropriately.
3. If you have a Facebook page, at minimum place a logo that is sized appropriately on the page.
4. If you are going to use Social Media, have a plan for who is doing the updates, what are appropriate topics, and how available you’ll be. If you need some more guidance about personal vs corporate branding, read this blog post.
5. Double check that any links to social media, from your web site or email signature are accurate.
6. If you are unable or not interested in using social media, remove the links/icons from your web site.

Everywhere

1. Take a look at all of these places mentioned, as well in any printed materials, presentations such as on Slideshare or created in Powerpoint, and see if things are consistent. If you want some ideas of what to look for, read about 8 Essential Elements to a Comprehensive Brand Identity. Each touchpoint with customers or prospective clients should have a consistent, and recognizable brand identity.

What else did I forget that you are taking time to examine this New Year’s season?

This week we learned of the death of Steve Jobs, the leader of Apple computers.

Many times when someone I know only through the news dies, I honestly don’t have much of a reaction. But in the case of Steve Jobs, I feel more of a real loss because I can truly say his ideas and inventions strongly affected my life.

My first computer was an Apple

I remember I was in the eighth grade when my Dad decided to buy an Apple IIc for the first family computer. Growing up in the town of Lexington, MA there were quite a lot of geeky families with parents who were engineers or scientists, parents who were professors at MIT and other top universities, and many of the high school population heading that way, too. Therefore, there were debates—even in junior high—about Apple products vs IBMs. My Dad felt that while Apple was the underdog, it was the better designed technology.

I eventually took that old Apple with me to Carleton College and used it my first year. I printed my papers out on my dot matrix printer, and saved my files on 5″ floppy disks.

Apple has always had a strong educational connection, so I purchased a Mac classic through the school in 1990. I had my first mouse!

This little computer got me through my BA degree and I used it at home occasionally after that when I got my first job in publishing. However, at work, I used a PC with PageMaker.

In 1994, I returned to school at The Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt) to study graphic design. Once we got into the core of our studies, I purchased a new Mac and the latest design software so that I didn’t have to spend all my hours in the computer lab. I purchased an Apple 7200. It was sluggish when I ran PhotoShop, and I definitely couldn’t run two applications simultaneously. But, it allowed me to work through the night on many occasions to learn how to become a designer.

After graduating in 1997, I moved to Chicago where I worked in a number of design studios. At work, I used to work on the first G3s. However, one employer I had was doing some computer upgrades and offered me an old 7500, so I was able to upgrade my home computer slightly.

Then, in the boom years, before the internet bubble burst, I was given a tangerine orange Apple laptop by my employer, Laughing Dog Creative.

Apple design begins to stand out

I still have this computer (in a closet) and I think I’ll always cherish it. This was a real turning point for Apple. It was when being seen with an Apple product began to take on status. I remember travelling with it, and when I took it out to go through security everyone sort of “oohed and aahed”.

From that point on, I’ve owned a large succession of more Apple computers. As a graphic designer, Apple has always been the platform that worked best for the professional Adobe design software I use and for rendering fonts. Starting as a one person shop in 2001 and now growing Visible Logic into a multi-person studio, we’ve purchased numerous iMacs and laptops. I figure I’m on my third Apple laptop and fourth desktop model that I have personally used for design work. This doesn’t even get into my iPod, iPhone, etc. or the computers for my employees.

More than just a tool: a role model of great design

Obviously, Apple computers have been a direct participant in my economic success. I could still be doing design on a drafting table with press type and an exacto blade, (and yes I did have some early jobs/internships where I did this!) but I’m really glad I’m not. I sit at an Apple computer for many, many hours every day.

But another important factor is how Apple has influenced great design and branding. Apple has always made design a central part of their product development. This means industrial design in terms of the physical look and interactive nature of their products. It means graphic design in terms of their logo and streamlined package designs. It means usability design in terms of their operating systems and their web site. And it means branding in terms of the cohesive message they present to their customers, many of whom are very strong brand evangelists.

It is extremely helpful to me, as designer working in web site design and branding, to have a role model out there for my clients to refer to. They can see the direct economic success of an investment in design and branding.

It is hard to guess how Apple will move forward without Steve Jobs. I wonder what other areas of technology he could have revolutionized if had had more time.

For the past few months we’ve been working with Chicago Review Press on their book, Answer Them Nothing: Bringing Down the Polygamous Empire of Warren Jeffs. It recently hit the book store shelves, right before Jeffs was convicted of child rape.

Chicago Review Press has been a client for years, in fact they were one of my very first clients when I started Visible Logic. We’re thrilled to have designed book covers and book interiors for them for nearly ten years.

The cover images for this book came from both Getty Images (stock image) and editorial sources. The design is fairly straightforward, but the blurred court officer in the background works to show that Jeffs is under trial or part of a hearing in this image.

In addition to the book cover we designed the interior of the book, which is mostly running text with a photo insert.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the process of designing a book cover.

The book cover design process

One question I always get is, “Do you read the books before designing the cover?” The truth is, that never happens. There is just not enough time (I’m a slow reader). I am often given the manuscript to read and I try to skim it. In addition, I’m usually given a brief overview such as a summary or sample chapter. In some cases, the text of the book is actually being written at the same time as we are developing the cover. In addition, most publishing companies have experienced marketing teams that have thoughts on what type of angle they want for the book.

For this book, we also designed and typeset the interior of the book. While I’m doing that, I often read some or all of the text. And I gotta say this, this book sucked me in, as there are many first person narratives from the women involved with Warren Jeffs and his religious community.

For the book cover design, the publisher knew that they wanted to feature Jeffs’ face, as it has been seen in the news frequently. Also, they wanted to cast him in some sort of menacing light, making him look a bit evil or at least wrong-doing.

We initially had a hard time locating photos that we were able to use, so that made the process a bit more tricky. Here are some of the earlier rounds of designs that Visible Logic presented.

Round 1, front cover design

Please click on any of the images for a larger view.

Round 1, concept 1

This first design follows fairly traditional conventions for a biography, in that the featured person’s face is large on the cover, portrait style. The original photo was of Jeffs with his lawyers’ hands on his shoulders. To de-emphasize that secondary person, and make the book look darker and his face shadowy, I blacked out the background with soft edges.

Round 1, Concept 2

The second design used a much more forceful looking photo of Jeffs. I tinted it red to make him look develish, and to suggest blood on his hands. I made the main title very small, while emphasizing his name in the sub-title. This publisher tends to prefer a more traditional treatment of the title and subtitle (ie larger title), so that didn’t go over too well.

Round 1, concept 3

The third design presented was an even more evil portrayal of Jeffs. We found an image that showed him with a very menacing look on his face, and I again turned it into a red and black duotone. I then slashed the photo apart, splicing the text within the image, to suggest the bringing down of the cult.

Round 1 feedback

Apparently I went a little too far with portraying Warren Jeffs as evil. While the publisher liked the tension in options 2 and 3, it was a little too over the top.

We took those concepts and scaled them back to make them less frightening. Below are a few of the versions shown. In reality, we go through many more iterations at this point, but this gives an overview of the process.

Round 2 book cover designs

Round 2, version 1

For this version, I went to a black and white version of the photo, and chose a portrait that was strong and serious, but not quite as menacing. The type still used the red and the photo was still chopped. Overall, the effect was still strong, but not as evil looking.

Round 2, version 2

This design continued to move to a more straightforward approach. The photo returned to a more traditional, full color look. The angled shapes and different sized typography were simplified.

Round 2, version 3

We continued to hear pressure from the marketing department to scale it back. So the design evolved to a more traditional biography type of look. The red swath and extreme close-up photography still kept a feeling of alarm.

New photos arrive, round 3

At the eleventh hour, the author and publisher were finally able to secure some additional photos. First came the main photo. There were several in this series, from a recent hearing, but this one worked the best.

Round 3, version 1

At this point, you can see clear ties with the final cover. However, additional photos then arrived and those were put into place in alongside to the main image. These new photos showed his compound as well as a woman in traditional dress taking an oath in court.

Round 3, round 2

With the new photos to work with, we adopted a more earthy color palette. It’s more suggestive of the dessert area that the compound is located in and less about the devilish look. In addition to the having the small images at the bottom (which is what was chosen as the final design), we tried them at the top. It made the main image of Jeffs too low on the cover, like he was falling off the page.

Round 3, version 3

We also tried this version, which brought back some of the angular box shapes from previous versions.

The final book cover design

At the top, you can see the final book cover design. In addition to the photo and layout changes, the publisher changed the wording of the title from Cult to Empire.

Most publishers try to complete the front cover well in advance of going to press. This allows them to market the book on their web site, to book sellers, etc. Once the interior book design is complete, we finish the back cover and spine. In this case, the book is a hard cover book so there are flaps as well.

Which book design did you like best? Do you think the publisher went with the right one?

A couple of months ago I was at a networking event and I introduced myself, as I usually do, as owning a graphic design and branding firm. My new acquaintance said they didn’t completely understand branding. They specifically mentioned that someone had told them that the airlines were an example of an industry that was not using branding effectively, and she asked me to explain.

I thought it was an interesting example and a good one because I agree that none of the major US airlines is doing a good job using branding effectively. JetBlue and SouthWest are doing better than the others, but even they are lacking.

My firsthand experience with the lack of airline branding

This weekend I traveled to Chicago to meet with clients, potential clients and business partners as well as to visit with family and friends.

I recount my story to help make the point about what goes into branding, in addition to a strong graphic identity. And how the major US airlines are missing big opportunities to implement a distinctive and effective brand strategy.

Choosing my flights: No brand differentiation

I live in Portland, Maine and neither JetBlue nor SouthWest has a strong presence here. Therefore, I usually fly one of the other major airlines and I generally use a site like Orbitz or Priceline to find fares and purchase my ticket.

When I choose my flight, I start with the date I want to fly, then I sort by price and time of day. There is no thought of what airline I’ll be choosing. I scan through the list and see what flight has the most convenient time and a reasonable price.

What this shows is that I have no  brand preference. I don’t feel there are any real differences or reasons why I would choose one airline another. If you want to achieve brand loyalty, you need to give someone a reason to seek out your product or service. More flights and cheaper airfares certainly help, but if there was an airline that people sought out, they’d be willing to pay more for that brand.

As it turns out, with the services like Orbitz and Priceline you can even mix and match airlines. For example, on my return flight from Chicago I went United from ORD to LaGuardia and then US Airways from LGA to Portland. That’s pretty much the epitome of no brand differentiation. They are completely interchangeable.

The baggage game: No brand value

We all love to hate the airlines when it comes to baggage.

Flying out of Portland, Maine means I nearly always have to change planes. My normal suitcase for short visit is a roll aboard that fits the specs for a carry-on, but I often check because I don’t want to have to traipse through the airport with it.

As we all know, most airlines have started to charge you extra to check a bag. On the one hand it makes sense: they make more money, and they are essentially charging more for the weight of your bag. But the reality is that it’s just a mess: both for the logistics of boarding the plane and for the airlines’ brand appeal.

A lot of us figure “why should I pay $25 extra and risk losing my bag? I’ll just take it on board.” which means the boarding process is slowed down, and people are fighting over the overhead bins.

On my flight out, I had a tight connection and took my bag with me. However, on the way home I decided I’d pay the fee and lose the hassle of having to carry my bag through my connection. My flight to New York was nearly full and many people had the maximum sized carry on bags with them. So the flight attendants had to become bullies about the overhead compartments. The announcements started:

Save the overhead bins for the large bags. Any bag that can fit under your seat must be placed there.

They even started walking through the aisles and asking people why they had no bags at their feet. Meanwhile, they were also making announcement telling people to hurry up because people were waiting in the hot walkway.

I was thinking to myself:

I just paid extra to check my bag. I feel like I deserve my seat front area for my legs, if I want it. If everyone had bothered to check those roll aboards everyone would all have all the space they want.

I started wondering if the airlines should change their policy so that you had to pay $25 if you wanted the overhead space. For free you get the space in front of your seat or checked cargo area for you bags. That would still provide revenue for the airlines, but it would speed up the seating process as many more bags would be checked and make the boarding process much more pleasant. A more pleasant experience leads to brand loyalty.

And about that new logo

By the time they’ve got the doors closed, everyone is slightly annoyed and feeling no brand love.

Then, the screens come down and the safety video starts. But, because United recently merged with Continental, the video presentation starts with a message from the President talking about the merger.

Nearly the first thing out of his mouth is that thousands of planes have been repainted with the new logo.

I’m not going to talk about the weak, new logo, you can read about that many places. But I do want to highlight the fact that even I, the owner of a graphic design and branding company, do not want to hear about painting new logos on planes. I immediately started calculating how many baggage fees could be eliminated with the costs of painting the planes.

When a graphic designer, who designs logos and brand identities for a living, doesn’t care about your new brand identity it’s bad news. And these are the two reasons I don’t care: first the new logo is a muddied mixed up mess of the two previous logos; and secondly the other parts of the brand identity are so weak that I know it cannot be saved by a logo.

Beyond the logo, other branding visuals

I’m not going to do a critique of the logo, but I am going to mention the larger visual position of the brand. As we taxied around the runways I was reminded of how every airline has the same color palette: red, blue, white and maybe gray. Every plane is painted with a horizontal strip along it’s belly and the logo near the cockpit (is this some sort of FAA regulation??). And that ubiquitous branding is apparent throughout the airport: blue signs everywhere, no matter what the airline.

A typical airplane design with horizontal stripes and red, white and blue colors.

In summary

1. After flying as an adult for the past 20 years, no individual airline has been able to distinguish themselves for me in a way that makes me seek them out when booking an flight.
2. Once I’m at the airport there are no visual cues that separate one airline from the next as it’s all blue, blue and more blue.
3. Nothing about the flight and the service (and especially dealing with the baggage issues) inspires loyalty.

Airlines have a chance to create a unique brand position for themselves. All the major US airlines are making the same branding mistakes: no differentiation in either the tangible (ie brand identity elements) or intangible (ie customer service, pricing, policies, etc.) brand position. There is room for someone to make a bold move, if they dare.

I am curious, do any of you have brand loyalty to a US-based airline?

WordPress is a widely used blogging and content management system (CMS) that many people rave about because it is free and easy to use. However, there are a lot misconceptions out there about using the tool.

The idea for content management systems came as a way for non-techie people to be able to update their own web sites. In the past, if your web designer or developer created your site as pure HTML (or .asp or .php, etc.) you would not be able to make updates without also understanding the coding behind the pages. We’ve all heard horror stories of small business owners who need a simple update to their web site, but it takes their web developer two weeks and $100 to make the change.

Using a tool like WordPress empowers the business owner to make updates on their own. If they spot a typo or want to update information on the site they can do it themselves quickly and for free.

However, many small business owners seem to be taking this too far and try to set up their entire site themselves using WordPress. This can lead to all types of headaches, depending on the design and coding skills of the person involved.

Once you have a better understanding of these 5 myths about setting up, designing and using a WordPress site, you can more effectively use the tool on your own web site.

Myth 1: For best results, sign up for a free blog at WordPress.com

When I first learned about WordPress, one of the most confusing things was the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org If you go to WordPress.com you will have the option of setting up a free blog for yourself, using the domain name www.whateveryouchoose.wordpress.com This is not the ideal way for a small business to set up their blog or to use WordPress as a content management tool. It’s best to install the WordPress software directly onto your own domain name. To get that software, you can download it at WordPress.org, or many web hosts have self-installations available.

In the end, I think of WordPress.com as a tool someone might use for a personal blog, whereas WordPress.org is where a professional would go to implement WordPress on a corporate site.

Myth 2: WordPress is just a blogging software

WordPress started as a blogging tool, but can be an effective way to manage any type of content. We have built sites that use the WordPress software to run their whole web site, and not even include a blog.

Myth 3: WordPress is so easy to set up and use

This is where I see a lot of pain and confusion. WordPress is definitely easy to use. Our clients love the administrative dashboard where they can easily add, edit, and delete content such as text, graphics, documents and videos. They can add links and add in or take away pages. The interface is friendly and fairly intuitive. With minimal training, they are able to make web updates that used to require HTML knowledge and specialty software.

But, we’ve done the painful part for them… we’ve designed the user side of the site (ie the design) and we’ve set up the WordPress functionality. Our clients are just using the finished product.

There are people selling (and giving away) themes that do much of the design work for you. And there is loads of information from WordPress and from other developers about how to set up a WordPress site. But, if you don’t know anything about coding, I don’t think you’re going to find it easy to create a custom site for yourself.

Myth 4: WordPress is too basic for anything complicated

In the scheme of things, the amount of HTML, CSS and PHP you need to learn to make WordPress work, is fairly minimal. Therefore, I get the sense that some web developers feel it’s not a “real” development tool. However, as we continue to work with it, we realize it can really do a lot. The more you know about PHP and how it works with the WordPress system, you start to build in a lot of functionality that still works off the same admin dashboard that our clients love. Here a list of some pretty robust web sites and large scale brand using WordPress to power their sites.

Myth 5: You can recognize a WordPress site a mile away

As web designers, this one always surprises me. We are building more and more sites in WordPress and we continue to follow our motto: Don’t Let the CMS Drive the Design! We work out an ideal design solution outside of the bounds of WordPress and then work the HTML, CSS and WordPress configuration into it. Having said that, regardless of the CMS you are using, whenever you create things like dynamic navigational menus, you need to understand enough about the development side to create things that are possible.

What I think people are reacting to are so many of the free themes that do tend to follow certain design trends. And, there are some themes that have been used multiple times (without much customization) that certainly are recognizable. But there really are no limitations within WordPress that should stifle anyone’s design ambitions.

Here are a few examples from our own portfolio of WordPress sites.

Customized WordPress Design For NarrativePros

NarrativePros: This site is gritty, texturally-rich and lavishly designed. This is not out-of-the-box design or a free theme. Check out the live site: www.narrativepros.com

Customized WordPress Design for Global Citizenship Experience Private School

Global Citizenship Experience: Following the branding established by their logo, color palette and other visual elements, we created this web site design that is custom WordPress design. Check out the live site: www.gcechicago.com

Custom WordPress Design for ClaimVantage

ClaimVantage: ClaimVantage is involved with insurance claims processing and I included this example as a contrast to Narrative Pros. This design is light, clean and corporate. See the site live at: www.claimvantage.com

Just the facts

I think the main confusion with WordPress is that people think it’s sooo easy that anyone can set up a well-designed site by themselves. If you don’t have knowledge of design, CSS and PHP, you’ll likely end up with a pre-designed theme that will lack your brand’s custom identity and then you will frustrate yourself as you try to customize it.

If you work with the right design and development team, you’ll find that WordPress will be easy for you to use (as an administrator)… once it’s been set up by a pro.

Recently completed book cover design for a self-published book to be distributed on short run print, ePub, and Kindle formats.

At Visible Logic we work with both traditional publishers and individuals who are self-publishing their books.

For years, if you wanted your book to find its way onto book store shelves and into readers’ hands you had to sign on with a publisher who edited your book, had it designed and typeset, paid for the printing and then used their distribution and marketing channels to help get the books out.

In recent years, many people who wanted to write, distribute and/or publish their own books have found that a traditional publisher was not necessary. These people are starting to go out and self-publish their own books.

We help these clients with book cover design, typesetting and page layout, creating web sites to help market the book and its authors, etc. It appears that the small guy is gaining traction and e-book publishing is pushing them forward.

The Wall Street Journal just wrote about the effects of low-priced ebooks is having on Amazon’s best seller list.

Unlike five years ago, when self-published writers rarely saw their works on the same shelf as the industry’s biggest names, the low cost of digital publishing, coupled with Twitter and other social-networking tools, has enabled previously unknown writers to make a splash.

On Amazon, publishers have different options for how they price their books. Self-publishers have recognized (much more quickly than other publishers) that low-cost e-books have great appeal for the mass market. And while the price (and return) is lower, the increased sales make up for it in the end.

Costs for publishing your own e-book

Since e-book costs are essentially fixed whether you sell one or a million, the lower pricing makes more sense than with printed books.

• Editing and proofreading. While you may be an accomplished writer, always have someone with fresh eyes at minimum proofread and maybe even edit your book. The difference between editing and proofreading is the extent to which you expect the reviewer to make changes. A proofreader will probably limit their revisions to things like grammar errors, spelling mistakes, etc. A editor may revise entire paragraphs, reorder sections of a book or more.
• Cover design. For an e-book you often only need a front cover, but that front cover will be used extensively to market the book. It will probably be shown on retailers sites (like Amazon.com) and if you’re the author you’ll want to show that cover everywhere from your Facebook page, to a web site, to posters and even email signatures.
• Typesetting / e-book setup. If you are only creating an e-book file such as e-pub or Kindle formats, you do not need the level of typesetting services as a printed book. This is because you just do not have control over things like line and page breaks. However, you will need to get your manuscript into the e-book formats you want to distribute. Read ePub Book Conversion: Costs, Quality, Design to learn more about ePub development costs.
• Marketing. Whether you plan to use social media, book signings, a web site, or more. Plan to spend a lot of time and some money promoting your book if you expect to find readers.

If you are looking for book design help, from book cover design, to interior page layout, to print management or e-book conversion, please contact us.

Our typical design client at Visible Logic is a small business. This could be a one-person operation (such as Cream & Sugar Bakery) or a regional bank (such as Androscoggin Bank). We don’t have any Fortune 500 clients, and we’re OK with that. We love working closely with the leadership team or owner of a small business and helping them to understand and harness the power of effective web design, branding and print marketing.

Small businesses are the majority of businesses in the U.S. and any service-based business has to learn how to work with small business owners.

Today I was thinking about the fact that there are so many business owners who have a budget-conscious, do-it-themselves mentality. This has led to the fact that we pretty much exclusively use royalty-free photos these days.

When I started in design, the idea of royalty-free photos didn’t exist. If you didn’t hire a photographer for a custom shoot, you used what was called stock photography. [Read this, if you're not sure about the difference between stock and royalty free photos.] But now, the pendulum has fully swung to the royalty-free photo side of things.

There are still times you need custom photography (you need to shoot your own location, your own product, your own people, or need something very unique). But the reality is that my clients are demanding royalty-free photos, for the following reasons:

Two reasons small business owners demand royalty-free photos

1. Known product. With a custom shoot you can minimize risk by working with talent you trust, art directing and showing similar photo styles, layouts, etc. but the truth is that you do not know 100% what you’ll get from any shoot. With a royalty-free photo, you can see the image in place, in the layout, before buying the photo.
2. Fixed costs. With royalty-free photos you buy the photo rights once and you can use it for anything. With both stock and custom work, usage rights are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

It’s hard to argue with the two benefit listed above. However, there is a vast range of photographic talent and quality to be purchased using the royalty-free model.

Today, there are thousands of new businesses who want marketing materials, web sites and blogs, but don’t have an understanding or the money for anything but royalty-free photography. In the old days, the only people buying photos were businesses with a marketing department and budget. They were staffed by professionals who understood the risks of a custom shoot, but understood the benefits, too. Or, they were prepared for the costs of purchasing stock photo rights. These days every business needs a web site to compete and adding photos to a web site is a desirable thing to add meaning, graphic interest, etc.

Royalty-free, OK. But, let’s find some quality images

What bothers me is that there is such little value placed on purchasing the photography. Not only have business owners accepted that they’ll only purchase royalty-free photos, they only seem to accept the most cheaply purchased photos.

The stock agencies have tried to respond by moving more stock photos into the royalty-free category. This allows flexibility with usage. But business owners need to accept that photos are one of those things that you get what you pay for. It’s a good idea to look beyond the cheapest-of-the-cheap if you want to create a professional and unique brand image for your company.

If you are a business owner, what do you expect to pay for photography?

For years, any experienced web designer or developer relied on only a handful of web-safe fonts. These few typefaces were the only ones that were installed with every computer and therefore nearly universally available on any computer, any system, any browser. This meant that the majority of web site designs used: Arial, Verdana, Geneva, Georgia, etc.

If your design demanded something more elaborate, you had to create the typographic effect as a graphic, not as real text. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, read: Is the Text on Your Web Site Really Text? When type is a graphic, and not real text, it is not readable by search engines and therefore not ideal for SEO.

As a web designer, you learned to work with the limitations this caused and tried to use real text whenever possible and style your HTML text using CSS tricks like background images, etc. While it worked, it meant that web design never had the same rich design qualities as print design because typographic design was never used as fully as it is in print design.

New options for web fonts

In the past few months that has been changing. Within the past year or so there are not one, but two competing ways to include many, many more fonts into your web design. This is really exciting and welcome news to web site designers like myself.

As a web design studio, we’ve been following these trends and studying both Typekit and the @font-face way of customizing the typography on the web. Both technologies are quickly adding fonts to their libraries and it’s impressive to watch.

However, for us, we plan to go primarily with the @font-face solution and this is why:

1. We buy most of our fonts from MyFonts.com and as of this writing they now offer more than 30,000 fonts as web fonts. It’s been absolutely amazing to watch them convert their font library to the @font-face acceptable software. We already use MyFonts for our print fonts so it makes sense to go there first for our web fonts.
2. The one-time-fee pricing model just makes more sense for us. The Typekit model is a per-year subscription based model. So in addition to a web hosting fee a web site would need to pay a fee for the use of their fonts.

Let me talk about each of these in a little more depth.

The ability to choosing one font for both print and web

As a graphic design and branding firm, we often work on branding projects that include the development of a logo and a web site. In fact, we find these two elements are the most critical pieces for an organization’s brand identity. That means that we look at building a branding system that works in both print and web.

When choosing a typeface that will be the corporate font for an organization, there are several considerations. First of all, there is the look of the logo itself and the wordmark that is all or part of the logo. That typography is usually a derivative of a standard typeface. Then, when we develop business cards and letterhead materials we introduce additional type elements.

Depending on the client, it may be critical that they have access to these same typefaces, other times it doesn’t matter as much. If for example, we have a design that someone wants to be able to update in-house but they only use a PC, we need to find a font that is available on both Mac and PC. This is an example of how the technology of production affects our type choice. Typekit currently has about 500 fonts whereas MyFonts has 30,000.

The ability to also find a font that has font-face capability is just one more way to narrow our choices. But like I said, there are now thousands and thousands of choices so it’s great to feel that it will not be a severely limiting factor.

One-time pricing model

The other reason we prefer font-face to typekit is that it is a pay once pricing model. This just plain works better for us when we’re estimating and for our clients.

When we accept a branding project we don’t know if we’ll have to buy any fonts, and if we do, how many we’ll have to buy, or how much they’ll cost. I never want to tell a client that there will be an extra fee to create a design with a certain font. So the font costs become an expense that we pay for.

Note: If we recommend a font for a client for their own use, (ie they will use the typeface when typing their own letters on their letterhead), they will need purchase their own license and that is not included in our design fees.

MyFonts has package deals that make purchasing print and web-based editions of fonts together an economical deal. So, if I know we’ll be creating both printed stationery and a web site we’ll purchase the font for all usages together and the cost is minimal, and again it’s an expense that we do not expect our clients to reimburse us for.

The other reason we don’t like recurring fees for web fonts is that it’s another fee to sell to the client. When we estimate on a web design project, there is usually a discussion of web hosting. Either the client has a web host they want to continue working with (and we double check that the servers will work for our needs), or we have hosting partners who we recommend and use. These estimates provide the client with an idea of their recurring costs for the web site. If I were to add-on the cost of a web font, it’s going to be an additional fee (and a recurring one) that they weren’t expecting. I also have no control if this fee is going rise. Finally, to bill for it annually is just more trouble than it’s worth. Obviously, I have the option of purchasing the Typekit license myself and we may opt to go that route, depending on what fonts are available.

First of all, I’m really excited to even have two options to consider for web fonts! We may find applications for Typekit because the two competing groups do have different typefaces and foundries that they represent. But as of right now, we are using the @font-face solution in our web designs.