What Does a Web Designer Do?

If the situation presents itself where you want to either establish a website, or reboot one, you’ll require the services of a web designer. Unfortunately there is a vague idea of what they do specifically. The reason why so many people prefer to design their sites by themselves, or hire sub-par individuals to do it for them, is because there isn’t enough clarity. Here is what you can expect a web designer to take care of if you hire one.

 

Relevant Research And Planning

The first part of a designer’s job is to research your specific niche and plan a design based on this information. Even though you have ideas of what the site should look like afterward, you are only looking at it from a general perspective. A designer digs a little deeper and never forgets the tiny details.

 

Functionality And Navigation

Before the new design is set in motion, the designer should work out all the kinks first. In other words, he or she will pay a lot of attention to the functionality of the site, along with the navigational aspects.

Not all the traffic you are getting land on the homepage. In fact, if your SEO tactics are strong then internal pages are also pulling in traffic. But how user friendly is an internal page?

Other factors are taken into consideration as well, such as the responsiveness of the design itself. Should it be focused towards desktop users or mobile users? Preferably it should function smoothly for all platforms.

 

The Actual Design

There are many small details when it comes to website design. For example, certain colors will motivate users to come back, while some colors simply irritate users.

The most important thing you can expect from a designer is a site that will look great, is easy to navigate and works well with search engines. The more unique the site the better, which is why you want to approach a professional. They handle complicated coding that won’t just make your site unique, but also more visible to search engines.

 

What About Maintenance?

This section is going to depend on your contract with the designer. For the most part there should be a training program that helps the owner of the site to take over once the job is finished. But it’s also possible to keep the designer on a contract basis in terms of maintaining the site.

How To Choose The Right Graphic Design Style

In the ever changing world of graphic design, trends really do come and go, ranging from the cartoony human illustrations and fabulously colorful illustrations of the 1950s, all the way up to the sleek, digital designs intended to convey a serious element of futurism. Sometimes the lines between modern vs. vintage graphic design styles can get quite blurry; a steampunk looking style of graphic design is thoroughly modern, but relies on imagery from over a century ago. The exact place to draw the line between vintage and modern is getting even blurrier as “modern retro” designs incorporate the style of digital imagery from the 1970s to the 1990s, when digital imaging technology was in its infancy and was still relatively crude.

The advantages of vintage designs in graphic design style are quite simple but also rather potent. Depending on your exact target audience, an image invoking the computer generated images of the 1980s may be a great idea or an absolutely terrible idea. Vintage imagery tends to make it easier to entertain an audience, as long as they get the reference.

Further, these styles tend to require fewer elaborate graphical fine tuning unless one wishes to combine crude vintage graphical styles with state of the art modern technology, say a crude block of pixels with a dizzying array of details inside each individual pixel. Most of these designs play quite well with audiences between 18 and 40 as they are the target demographics most likely to remember these designs when they were new, or have learned to appreciate such vintage technology from their older peers.

Modern design styles’ advantages are somewhat simpler. They have a wider appeal and more audiences will easily understand the design. Vintage designs tend to be understood more by specific age groups that remember when those design elements were new. In cases of vintage designs for imagery that is so far out of date nobody alive remembers them, these design styles are even more obscured and appeal only to a small base of enthusiasts.

If your design absolutely needs to appeal to a wide range of people for whatever reason, a modern design style is almost assuredly the way to go. Additionally, if your design needs to handle a number of fine details, modern is the way to go. Vintage design styles tend to be crude and uncomplicated, meaning that they perform rather poorly if one wishes to create a detailed design.

100 Years of Graphic Design – What’s Changed?

Graphic design has evolved in leaps and bounds from the early days of the 20th v=century to today when advances in technology have made graphic design more approachable, as well as making the process both easier and more intuitive.

In the early days of the 20th century some of the most recognizable trends in graphic design used minimalism and geometric shapes in order to convey a message. This was especially prominent in poster design. Piet Mondrian, the Dutch painter used red, yellow and blue, combined with black and white to provide inspiration for many other graphic artists during this period.

 

 

In 1907, AEG called on the services of Peter Behrens, an architect and designer from Germany as an artistic consultant to AEG, Behrens built the entire corporate I.D. of the company from the ground up. His minimalist approach resulted in the AEG logo that is still in use today, as well as many logotypes that have stood the test of time.

The use of white space and a minimalist approach was to be a feature of graphic design for decades and its influence can still be felt today.

Graphic design began to change to reflect political and social events as World War ii got underway. The propaganda posters are exceptional examples of graphic design that appealed to the emotions using bold colors and human figures to personify an emotional appeal. At the same time advertising began to use these approaches as the first real boom in above the line advertising got underway. This was the time when the first graphics, icons and payoff lines began to make their power felt on the advertising scene.

 

The 1950’s were the age of sex in advertising. Not coincidentally magazines like Playboy also became big business. This was also the age of advertising featuring ‘happy, beautiful people’ engaged in everyday activities. A trend that is still around.

The 60’s really kicked off modern graphic design. Along with some really clever uses of words and images the rise of the psychedelic image was just around the corner. Advertising and graphic design was now taking inspiration from a myriad of social issues.

In the 1970’s it was music and technology that were driving graphic design – and typography was really coming into its own.

The 80’s were a mixed bag as far as graphic design was concerned. Geometric shapes, blazing color and the future were all up for grabs as subjects for the cool graphic designer.

In the 90’s humor seemed to be the way to go. Typography that looked hand drawn and colors that fought for attention on the page were some of the standouts from a decade that would shape graphic design into the 21st century.

DIY Versus A Professional Designer

 

Not everyone who wants to start a website requires the services of a third party. But asking the question of when to DIY and when to hire a professional graphic designer remains important, because the success of the site hangs in the balance. For newbie webmasters looking for some guidance, keep reading.

 

When To DIY

On a daily basis people are starting up sites, but not all of them are focused towards generating an income. Housewives who simply want to share interesting secrets and guys who want to brag about their mancaves obviously don’t need the services of a professional. The concept of their site is rather straightforward, along with the purpose. Many of the free themes are capable of handling the job.

In other words, individuals who aren’t looking for a groundbreaking site can do it by themselves. They can install an existing theme and start posting without any hassles.

 

When To Hire A Professional Designer 

On the other end of the spectrum there are people who want to create an online business, or presence, that will stand out. This is where those free themes aren’t going to work, because there are thousands of websites using the same approach.

With a professional comes a custom design. This means the navigation and all the other qualities of the site is geared towards enhancing user experience. Everything is tweaked and every little detail is taken into account, ensuring that whoever visits the site remembers it after they leave.

So, the big difference here is creating distinction. Whether you have a small business or a brand that needs to reach millions of views, it can only be done if the site adheres to unique elements. Always keep in mind that competition online is fierce. Everyone is fighting for their share of traffic, but it can only be done through a custom design.

Take for example the loading time of the site, the user friendly experience, implementing an ecommerce platform, and more importantly, reaching the first page of the search engines. These are all factors that can’t really be achieved if you do it yourself. You won’t see successful brands and companies take on these responsibilities if they can hand it off to people with experience.

 

Some Final Thoughts

When it comes down to it, you need to know where your site is going. Do you want it to hang around and gain a small following, or do you want it to surge past the competition and mean something? Because this is the difference between hiring a professional and DIY.

Why Colors In Brands Matter

The classic definition of a brand is a ‘name, sign, design or symbol’ usually used to denote the identity of a company – in short – its brand. This is just the bare bones – a whole lot of thought goes into brands – not least the colors that are used. Human psychology means that we identify certain emotions and characteristics with color – and those who design brands are well aware of the fact.

We’re a visually orientated species and research has shown that over 90% of consumers use visual cues when making their buying decision – and this identification extends to a company’s brand.

Successful brands very rarely change the colors that they use – they have a whole lot invested in the design – not least of which is the brand loyalty and recognition among consumers.

So why do brands choose certain colors – and what do those colors say about the brand?

 

#1  Red.

The use of red in brands is tremendously popular due to cultural factors. Red is seen to denote luck and companies such as Japan Airlines use a whole lot of red in their logo.

 

#2 Brown.

Companies like UPS use a lot of brown in their logo. Why? It’s an earth tone which symbolizes stability and a ‘down to earth’ approach to doing business. This is a color which has solidity and trustworthiness – and a no frills approach built right in.

 

#3 Orange.

A bright and cheery color, Orange gives an impression of speed and vitality, that’s why FedEx Express uses a lot of orange in its airborne parcel services logo.

 

#4 Blue.

When you next by detergent take a look at the overwhelming number of detergent brands that use blue in their logos and packaging. The color of the sky blue symbolizes purity and cleanliness. There are also a lot of oranges. That’s because it also symbolizes movement and dynamic action – something you want from your detergent.

 

#5 Metallic Colors.

Cigarette logos and packaging are tremendously interesting. Ever since the word ‘light’ was banned as having connotations of health cigarette companies have turned to metallic colors such as gold and silver to distinguish their ‘lighter’ products. It was an inventive way to still communicate ‘lightness’ as well as position the products as premium brands – something which those companies are finding increasingly difficult in the face of ongoing health issues with the brands.

Why Minimalism In Graphic Design Is A 21st Century Favorite

Minimalism is a graphic design approach that has been around for generations and is today even more popular than ever. The hallmarks of minimalist graphic design are the use of space, exceptionally beautiful typography and simplicity.

One of the reasons that minimalism is so popular is because of the amount of visual imagery that consumers have to process each day. The sheer amount of information is simply overwhelming – and the clean messaging of minimalism in graphic design is just the formula that allows this messaging to break through the clutter.

The functionality of minimalism is what has made it a popular approach to graphic design for over 100 years – today it has been pared down to its absolute essentials. Professionals often use only a single color palette with one hue or shade and only one typeface. The challenge is that because there are so few elements each component has to be in complete harmony with the others – every element is absolutely essential.

The influences on modern minimalism in graphic design are myriad – but there are three that have been widely recognized as foreshadowing the approach that is taken today.

The first of these is the ‘De Stijl’ (‘The ‘Style’) movement which had its origins in Holland in the period 1917 to around 1930. This was characterized by abstract imagery and an emphasis on primary color with geometrical shapes and lines. This approach still has its adherents in the modern era.

The second is the architect Van Der Rohe who valued clean lines and open space in the period after WWI.

The third is Japanese where an almost ‘zen’ like approach to simplicity is one of the guiding principles of the graphic design from this country.

Today we can see elements of minimalism in graphic designs, as well as in web design where a small number of design features appeal to a love for simplicity. In print the modern approach is valued because it is timeless – without the complications of other designs the printed material will not date quickly, an important consideration in a time of shifting consumer behavior.

Even with modern printing methods minimalism is preferred due to the reduced possibility of inadequate reproduction and problems with registration in more complex designs.

Minimalism simply works – it stands out from the crowd and in our ever busier world of both print and electronic media this is a design trait that brands (and consumers) value.

Five Ideas for Designing a Business Card That Won’t Get Thrown Away

When you go to networking events, you will end up handing out a lot of business cards, but it’s likely that many of the people who you give them to will either stuff the card in their pockets, or just throw them in their briefcase and forget about them. These ideas will help you to build a business card that you can

 

1 – Use a Standard Size

As cute as those ‘half size’ and ‘over size’ business cards are, you will find that they are more likely to get lost or discarded because they are harder to file. Standard sized business cards fit in a holder, so people can look after them more easily.

 

2 – Make Them Easy to Write On

While it pays to make them thick and durable, you should choose a matte finish, so that people can write on your business card. This lets them make notes about why they talked to you and what they need to follow up with you about, so you won’t be forgotten.

 

3 – Match Your Business Personality

Make your business card match your business personality – serious if you work for an accounting firm, fun if you work for a PR Company, for example. The more memorable your business card is, the better.

 

4 – Add Value

If you have the ability to do so, make your business card act like a ‘voucher’ at the same time. Offer a discount with it, or a code for a free sample. This works particularly well for online retailers, and for people who work in the IT industry, since they can simply put discount codes or product keys on their cards.

 

5 – NFC and QR Codes

Alternatively, instead of discouraging people from throwing the card away, try using NFC or QR code technology, so that people can immediately transfer the information from the card to their phones. This means that you can be confident that people have your details – which is all the card was supposed to help with anyway.

 

A business card is a tool to help make you as memorable as possible, and encourage people to follow up on that initial meeting. You still need to work to make a good first impression, and you should do your own follow ups too, if you want to make the most out of networking.

What is it that Makes The World’s Most Iconic Logos Work So Well?

Iconic logos enjoy that definition for a reason – they are the logos that everyone recognizes, and that span continents and even break through language barriers. Iconic logos earn their status through clear, eye-catching design, consistency, and a clarity that their rivals lack.

When most people think of iconic brands, they think of Nike, Coca Cola or Pepsi – brands that got there partly through seniority (The Coca Cola lettering has evolved over time, but is generally similar to the original, decades-old design) and massive ad-spending. However, there are other designs that are also iconic, and that are universally recognized.

The logo for the Red Cross, for example, is known the world over – and it is simple; a red cross. Apple’s logo is an Apple. Both of these are simple, clear logos that embody what the brand owners want to represent.

At the other end of the spectrum, you have Google – a company who represents its brand image through the Google lettering, and the regularly updated ‘doodles’, which are educational, fun, and a little way of spicing up the plain and almost empty Google home page. That emptiness, again, is a part of the brand.

While some companies do use words for their logos, this is a gamble. Uniqlo, for example, uses the English spelling of their name on their English and American logos, but in Japan they use Japanese characters to phonetically spell something very similar to the English pronunciation of their name. This is a clever way of making their brand accessible to a massive audience. It does mean that the brand has more than one logo, but there can be a good pay-off for brands that want to reach massive audiences.

If you are thinking of getting a logo designed for your business, then you should take a moment to think about what you want to represent for your brand. Remember that changing a logo in the future is an expensive proposition, so it is better to come up with a timeless design. One that you can keep for many years. Clean, simple and un-dated, the best logos will last forever, and won’t include anything that will tie it to a specific year, cultural event, or technology – giving the brand time to grow and evolve as the economic landscape they operate in changes.

2016 Top Trends for Wedding Invitations

Weddings are very exciting events for everyone involved. If you are planning one for yourself and your beloved or are assisting a friend or family member with wedding details, you need to know what is trending in 2016 for everything, including the invitations.

Although recent years have seen many people copying the styles seen on the Internet or with the well-publicized royal wedding, many forecast a change in 2016 as more couples wish to show off their own styles and interests. This is important to keep in mind when you are deciding everything, from which invitations to use to the perfect honeymoon destination.

One trend that gives you a lot of room for personalization is metallic colors. You can incorporate them in multiple ways to ensure that you are able to accent your invitations perfectly. Whether you have a classic design in mind or something fun and funky, you can use metallics in the print or design itself as an eye-catcher.

Perhaps instead you want to create the feel of a certain special city for the event. Many couples have an interest in recreating the city that they met in or the campus where they went to college and fell in love. If creating a destination styled wedding, you should start with the invitations. A picture of the cityscape done in two tones or something similar may be just the thing you need!

If the wedding is going to have a romantic theme to it with soft lighting and a more formalized dinner, then your invitations need to have a similar feel to them. The use of neutral colors and subdued fonts is definitely in order here. You may consider rose gold print to highlight the information against a sepia toned background.

The most important thing to remember is that the invitations need to reflect the experience guests will have at the wedding and reception. For instance, if you are planning a beach wedding, then an invitation with embossed sea shells would be far more appropriate than a black and white formal one.

This is why it is important that you work out the theme early on. You and your guests will know what to expect and the invitation will become a treasured keepsake to remember the event with. You and your guests are sure to love whatever you choose if you remember that!