An article I wrote on color theory in web design was published at Six Revisions today. Check it out:
Unarguably one of the most important aspects of any design is its colors. Designers create the style of a site, as well as the movement it makes, the emotion it creates, and its purpose based largely upon the color choices they make. Colors are powerful tools and an important thing all designers should understand when creating websites.
Someone asked me today, “What would my company get out of a new website design? I have to pay for a site that doesn’t directly sell anything so essentially the site doesn’t make me any money.” It’s a common argument I’ve heard, phrased differently each time, and I thought it would be a great question to address on here. Why would any existing company need to update or redesign their site if it functions and they don’t hate it?
People are using the internet more and more these days to purchase, do research on services and products, and make buying decisions. Your website is often the first or only interaction you’ll have with a potential customer. Therefore your site needs to act as a digital salesperson giving them the same information and impression as they would get in person or over the phone. Does your website meet that criteria? The points below may not apply to everyone, but some of these apply to tons of sites out there! (more…)
Color has been proven to be important in the look of your site and the feeling you give your visitors. Green in color theory not only symbolizes nature and growth, it can also be used to symbolize harmony and has healing powers. Green makes people feel safe. Websites that use this color can capitalize on these characteristics, giving users a sense of peace and safety on their site. Environmentally-friendly companies use the color green for the obvious organic ties it brings, plus the calm, spiritual message it sends to users. The sites below have inspirational and exceptional site designs utilizing the color green. Take note of the different shades of green, and the other colors in the color palette, and how these affect your overall feeling of the site.
This nature-inspired site falls in step perfectly with the characteristics of green described above. The design looks fresh, clean and peaceful.
Many businesses don’t realize what marketing is and how a great marketing plan can elevate your business. Some think of marketing as just one more thing to put their time and energy into, but that’s incorrect. If you don’t create a plan and think about your marketing strategy, you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s a necessity for each and every business, no matter how small or new you are. It’s also important for older businesses to re-evaluate your plans and see what changes you might make to elevate your business for the future. We’ll go over some marketing basics in this article, to help you understand what you can do to integrate a marketing plan in your business today. (more…)
I’m a big fan of photography and I absolutely love black and white photos. Photography is another art form that I draw inspiration from, it’s very different from the type of design work that I do, but yet similar in some aspects. Good photos exhibit great lighting, composition, layout and style. These photos showcase these qualities and much more. (more…)
My most recent post, covering common HTML and CSS mistakes, has come out at the Web Designer Ledger today.
Beginners through advanced coders make mistakes in their HTML and CSS files, either through carelessness or lack of experience. Clean code is very important though and will help further your skills as a developer, as well as save you time in editing later on! It never hurts to review if you’re a skilled developer, many mistakes are caused by going too quickly and not practicing good coding skills from the beginning. Here’s a helpful list of common mistakes and missteps that I’ve encountered through my own work, as well as working with others.
Green Field Paper offers fun and unique paper products, including handmade paper, machine made hemp paper, and seed embedded paper. Using their products is a great way to be more environmentally-friendly as a designer, but also a neat way to spice up your projects! We did an interview with Rick Smith, President of Green Field Paper, to give you an idea of what this unique company is all about.
In today’s world we are bombarded with so many distractions that only perpetuate procrastination during working hours: cell phones, social media, friends and family, etc. But as working professionals we need to be aware of these distractions and fight them in order to get work done efficiently and productively. Check out my post on Smashing Share with helpful tips to help you fight those procrastination-prone tendencies.
A bit of a fun article, my latest article for Six Revisions talks about some common myths about web designers: working with clients, socializing with others, etc. Some great conversation is going on in the comments as well, join in on the fun!
This concludes our SEO series, but keep an eye out for more SEO articles in the future. It’s a hot topic right now and there’s always more to learn and reminders like these help us all keep our sites sharp and search engine friendly. As a review, we’ve covered the basics in Part 1, Google Analytics in Part 2, and some helpful tools to analyze your site in Part 3. These articles are a good place to start to learn about SEO and the basics for the web. But how does it directly relate to your site? Today, we’ll go over 5 quick and easy steps to get you started on the path to SEO bliss.