A few new sites…

I’ve been working on a few sites over the past couple of months. 2 are complete and 2 more are about to launch. On the AgencyWeb side of things we launched the new Universal Healthcare Consulting website. I am proud of it and pleased with how it turned out. It is built entirely on wordpress so the client can update content themselves if they want. I also built the new AgencyWeb (my other company) site. It’s still being worked on as we are adding content as we create it but the framework is done.

I am also 99% finished with the new site for Jack Lannom - Lannom Worldwide, and Green Garbage which is an environmental clothing and jewelery company. That is is really cool in my opinion. So hopefully I get the last bit of content from those guys and it launches soon. I’ve also designed a few new logos and have been tweaking up the Digital Skratch site so go check that out.

New Layout

We have a new layout up at Digital Skratch. It uses the same color scheme and content and similar design elements as the previous layout. Though this one is more web 2.0 looking and not really “framed in” I’m pleased with how it came out and looks cleaner and more user friendly. We also went with a similar design to our sister company Thats My Ad. To have some type of co-branding between the two.

Simple Is Good

I recently answered a post on Linkedin on simplicity in design and if simple has gotten “too simple“. I think simplicity is good. Why would you want to complicate matters and cause confusion when it could be simple.

In the world of design I think the web 2.0 phenomenon has brought simple design to the forefront where we see it every day. Simplicity is great for usability, as the design gets out of the way of the content so the user can focus on the job at hand.

With that said there is a fine line with good simple design and design that doesn’t put much on the page. One must find a balance between simplicity, getting the message across and not looking too barren. I have seen many 2.0 style sites with hardly anything on the page and they look so amateur. Then I have seen other sites with relatively the same amount of “stuff” on the page and they look amazing. It takes a professional designer who can add those subtle things to achieve clean web design.

I think simplicity goes beyond design and should be a way to live life -Less is more.

That’s My Ad

We did a complete re-design for That’s My Ad a web marketing company that specializes in Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimization and Web Analytics. The site features a rich Web 2.0 look to it, with a super clean and simple interface.

Updates & More

We have been working hard on our web site doing lots of minor updates here and there and revamping the look and content over the past few months. We will no longer be posting project updates on the homepage but rather use this blog for that. We also hope to be updating the blog on a more regular basis.

With that said we are wrapping up a website for a law firm, starting a web site for a home protection / hurricane company, and continuing work for JK Harris in the form of newspaper ads. We are also putting the finishing touches on new web sites for Media Placement Group and That’s My Ad.

Web Design for the iPhone and Wii

The days of just getting online only through a computer are gone. There are more and more ways people can access the internet through other devices such as phones, pda’s, and gaming systems.

I recently purchased a Nintendo Wii and Apple iPhone (I love both) and have browsed the net with both devices. I wanted to check out some design and usability differences to see if there were any major problems while accessing the internet on them.

Good clean design, css and proper usability comes into play even more on devices such as these as they may not have all the plug ins such as flash or the screen resolution may be limited.

I started with my site for example - www.digitalskratch.com

I recently added the ability to increase and decrease font size right from my website. This will provide better usability and allow users greater control over their viewing experience. On the iPhone for instance it maybe harder to read some of the smaller type, but with these controls it’s not a problem at all. It is easy to increase the font size to make it easier to read.

The next hurdle I had to overcome was the one of flash not working on both platforms. On my website I have 3 flash boxes. So I added a backup graphic that displays incase flash does not play. Again this will provide the user with almost the same experience as on a computer.

With proper programming and design your website should look nearly the same on multiple platforms, operating systems and browsers. More people will start to access the internet through devices such as these and designers / programmers need to be aware of them to provide users with a seamless experience.

How Times Have Changed

I came across this website the other day and found it amusing. It uses something called the “Way Back Machine” to take a look at some major corporate websites back in 1996. It’s amazing to see how far design and usability has come in 11 years. Design conventions were not widely used in the early days of the web and usability was a topic given little thought.

Though design styles may change usability will always be the most important feature of the website. Usability should be the biggest factor when planning and designing your website. You may have the best products or services, you may rank #1 on lots of search terms but if people can’t easily use your site and find the information they are looking for in a short time it does you no good.

Take a look at those websites and learn from the past - to not make some of the same mistakes they did with bad design and usability.

How to create content for a web site

Here is a great article from one of our affiliates - Get It In Writing.

Frankly no one knows exactly how many total web sites exist, because they’re springing up at warp speed. And rightfully so. Many of them are quite good and – needless to say – we’ve all become dependent on the Internet. But how many of us really know how to create content for a web site?

So here’s a crash course on how to create content for your web site. Lots of people who launch their own web sites start by engaging a web developer and a graphic artist to professionally design a web site that promotes their business.

• Content is crucial.
  Powerful – and targeted – copy is what sells your product or service, not pictures or flashy introductions.

• Most people simply scan web sites.
  Your web site content should include clever headlines with stimulating text to grab readers’ interest…focused, concise copy web site content will keep them there.
• Make your text easy to scan.
  Highlight keywords within your web site content, using typeface and color variations. Use meaningful, easy-to-scan subheads and bulleted lists. And stick to one idea per paragraph.

• Talk up benefits – not product.
  Your web site content should describe benefits your potential customer can see, hear or feel if they use your product. Your content must show that you understand their issues and how your product addresses those issues.

• Use testimonials and informational links.
  Winning web site content should use accounts from happy customers to convince readers that you will deliver a top-notch product. Also supply content readers with links to articles and product reviews, so they have even more compelling reasons to buy from you.

• Search engine optimization is a must.
  Powerful web content includes keywords people use to search for your site. To get a high ranking, create your web content so it’s loaded with keyword phrases and still remains engaging to read.

• Don’t let your content get stale.
  As with most marketing materials, it’s easy for your web site content to run its course. Web site content is a work in progress… it must be refined and added to on a regular basis to keep it fresh.

Let our copywriting tell your audience who you are in the best possible way. See why our words mean business. Visit us online at: www.GetItInWriting.biz or call toll-free at 877-989-8555.

Do It Yourself - Pro’s & Con’s

In the latest issue of Print Magazine there is an article on DIY - Do It Yourself. There is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to that. It’s great that people are branching out learning and trying new things, when it comes to design and writing many people try to “do it yourself”. It’s not hard to put up a website these days and write a few paragraphs about your business or product, but if design and writing is not your specialty then it is best to leave it to professionals. If you have zero to little budget sometimes DIY is the way to go.

Specialization is a part of our daily lives. Doctors are a perfect example of this; even though they are all in the medical field they are highly specialized to something specific and are experts in their field. You may have a first aid kit in the kitchen but that doesn’t qualify you as a doctor.

You get what you pay for. Having your secretary or the kid down the street design and code your website for your business that you have worked so hard to build is often not the best thing to do. If your website is going to be part of your business it needs to be treated seriously like any other part of your business such as overhead, insurance, marketing and administration.

“To fear that shoddy DIY work will replace good professional design is to suggest that the two are indistinguishable to the untrained eye. But the whole idea of good design or good writing, is that the untrained audience, will in fact, respond to some work better than others. In a competitive marketplace, clients value that edge.”

Print – March / April 2007

There is more to a website then what you see on the screen. The way the site is built, designed, coded, usability factors, hosting, seo, marketing all tie into the website. Someone who just knows the basics of Photoshop and an HTML editor will not know of all of the additional elements that goes into making a successful site. They may be able to make a decent looking site which may be fine, but if you want your website to be an important part of your business then you need to go with professional designers, programmers and writers.