Apple’s Keynote once again contained goodies. Although no major hardware annannouncements (at least not as major as a next generation iPad), Apple certainly didn’t disappoint. Here is a run down of the new features that you will want to check out.
The iMac gets the App store– now, why it needs an App store I am not sure, but it supports Apple’s move toward cloud computing and will make lots of developers a lot of money. I am certainly not complaining as innovation and new things to play with are always welcome in my book.
iLife gets a refresh with a new iLife and iMovie
Macs get Facetime. This is what I am most excited about. As the sole Blackberry user in a family full of iPhone 4s, I was missing out on Facetime with the family… now I can join in.
The new Macbook Airs just left me confused. They are even more iPad-like yet cost as much as the full featured Macbook Pro. I supposed they are shooting to impress a small dedicated subset of Apple aficionados.
Apple’s Keynote
October 25th, 2010When it comes to your business…is designing for yourself a good idea?
October 23rd, 2010So how do you recognize whether or not you should be designing for yourself? If you wouldn’t buy it, you probably shouldn’t be designing it based on your design ideas. For example, if you are a woman that designs men’s clothes, you probably won’t want to design a site that speaks to a woman, I mean you wouldn’t design a sundress for a man.
So what can be done to make sure your designs are based on your target market and not your personal aesthetics? Well, the best way is to ask opinions. Gather a focus group of your target market. Learn how they perceive the site and see if it would convert them into sales.
Any great web designer can assist you when designing for your target market..If you have any questions for us, or want to learn more about designing for your target market, contact us!
The Benefits of a Professional E-mail Address
October 13th, 2010Well, first, what is considered a “Professional” Email Address?
A professional e-mail address is one that represents the owner’s business and professional interests. For instance, johnsmith@tmailer.com is not a professional email address. John has no professional link with T-Mailer and probably got the email address for free with no requirement to prove that he is actually John Smith. He is not advertising his company, but is providing exposure for T-mailer. In a non-professional setting, this benefits both parties because John gets a free address and the company gets more exposure.
In a professional setting John’s interests need to benefit from the email address. Why advertise for Yahoo or Google when you could be advertising for your own company or a company you are affiliated with. For example, JohnSmith@sales.q-marketing.net would be considered a professional email address, presumably, because John is a part of the sales team at a company called “Q Marketing” and has a professional relationship with the owner of the domain name.
The Benefits of Having a Professional Email Address
At the very least, a professional email address shows potential clients that you are serious about your business interests. There is probably not a quicker way to be eliminated from a job candidature than by having a reply-to email address like “babigurl33@gmail.com” Okay, perhaps that is an extreme example but even if the first part of the email address isn’t as ridiculous as “babigurl,” most customers will take a step back if the company has not taken the time/money to get a specified address.
Part of securing a professional email address is choosing an appropriate domain name. In a competitive market, the email address could affect the way consumers view the legitimacy of a company and therefore the rate of response.
If you need help setting up and choosing an appropriate domain name, drop us a line!
What is User Experience and is it important?
October 11th, 2010Have you ever been to an amusement park expecting to have the time of your life only to spend hours trying to navigate the park and waiting in long lines? If this has happened to you, you could argue that it wasn’t a good experience. The same goes for websites.
A website that is hard to navigate and makes you wait forever to do even the simplest tasks (ie. makes you sit through an animation before you can proceed) is not a great user experience. Often, sites are designed to suit the company’s need without thought to the customer’s need, but this doesn’t make sense. When designing a site, it is typically about what the client likes and not what will appeal to the customer.
So what can be done? Well, there are a few things that can be done to test the experience of users.
A/B testing– A/B testing studies the effectiveness of the experience by using two different versions of a site and exposing different users to each to test which gets a greater response.
User Surveys– When designing a site, you should not depend on your intuition. Tests should be done with potential users to ensure that you are making the best design choices.
Design how users will move through the site before it is build it.
Above are good steps for making a site as functional and effective as possible. If you have any questions about building an effective site please send us a message on Facebook or Twitter.
What is a Content Management System?
October 10th, 2010What is a content management system? A content management system or CMS can be attached to your website to allow users to collaborate more efficiently. It is a way to manage you content such as calendars, documents, and other data. Low5Studios is an advocate of making things easy to manage for our clients so we created an intuitive system so updating your content is easy.
The ultimate goal is to manage the workflow. An increase in productivity means an increase in your cash flow making a content management system worthwhile. We will soon have full details about our CMS but to find out more information immediately, contact us today.
How to write for the web
October 6th, 2010More than just being a writer, they should have a marketing background. A fiction writer is different from a copy writer. Flowery words don’t sell products. Think of it like J. Peterman’s catalogue from Seinfield. Would you purchase the Himalayan walking shoe?
Copy should be succinct. People don’t want to read a lot, especially on the Internet. In fact, you probably have stopped reading this. Skimming is king. Vary text sizes, use bold fonts for headlines, and keep things simple.
At low5studios, we have a professional copywriter on staff. If you would like to learn more or have copy written for your next site, feel free to contact us.
What is a header?
September 26th, 2010Headers are to now what splash pages were to 5 years ago. They are the new way to provide a creative introduction to visitors to your webpage (without the annoying clicking and waiting). As such, an effective header is essential to a good webpage. It is the first thing that a visitor will see so it really determines the experience the visitor will have. On the web where there may be thousands of websites with the same information, the one that has a good, unique design will be the one to garner the most attention. Think of what message you are trying to communicate to your visitors and how the embodiment of this message can entice them to click further.
Tips for designing an effective header:
1. The number one thing to keep in mind when designing a header is also the most obvious thing. Make the header stand out. The header’s job is to draw attention to the website and to provide a sneak peak as to what the website is about.
2. Find a theme and stick to it. Maintain continuity and make sure the header reinforces the overall look and theme that you are going for.
3. Use attractive colors and fonts. This is another obvious one but it is worth mentioning. Use warm colors that invite visitors’ attention in and not away.
4. Don’t be afraid to use flash and animation. Many people would say that flash graphics were so 2003 but if done correctly flash headers can really draw attention to your webpage. Moderation is key: make sure you don’t over do it, and stick to simple animations (please, no dancing people and/or bright epileptic fit-inducing colors) and it will really pay off.
Happy designing! and if you need help designing, contact us!
Designing a logo
September 22nd, 2010What is the importance of a logo? A logo is the starting point for your identity. It often is the first thing that a potential client sees. It helps clients recognize you, and should point them toward what your business does. Here are some tips on designing a good logo.
Just like a website, a professional business should have a professional logo. Just because your nephew can draw does not mean he should be designing your logo. Just because you took a class on Microsoft Publisher in 1997 does not mean you should take on the task either.
A logo shouldn’t just be pretty…. it should communicate what you do. Something that is designed beautifully but doesn’t communicate who you are or what you do, isn’t really designed beautifully. Famous artists usually only make real money after they die… and you that fate to befall your business.
Never use stock images. Using an image that isn’t your property can get you in trouble. If the owner sees that you have used the image without permission you may face a lawsuit or at the very least have to redesign your identity which could include ordering new business cards.
Don’t follow trends. You want your logo to be timeless like the Coca Cola logo. You don’t want to be able to recognize the decade the logo was designed in.
It is always best to let a professional designer do the work for you as this is one of the most important parts of your business. For any questions or to discuss more about logo design, please feel free to contact us.