- Look at your competition. Your site should look better, work smarter and be easier to find then your competitions.
- Make a list of possible domain names. (If you don’t have one already). The name should be as short as possible. Easy to remember. Easy to spell. If you have a domain name already that does not fit the above criteria, purchase a new one.
- Purchase a hosting account from the same place as your domain name was purchased
- Make a list of "pages" that will appear on your navigation bar (Home, About Us, Services, Testimonials, Contact us).
- Jot down a few bullet points of text that would appear on each page. There should be some copy on each page. Not only for search engines, but your clients as well. Nothing is worse than going to a website and seeing “this page is under construction”.
- Make a list of key words that you would expect someone to search to be able to find your site.
- Once you have a few bullet points listed and a list of keywords for each page, you or a copyrighter can expand them into paragraphs of text.
- The Home page must contain some pertinent text including key words (not just images, and definitely NOT all in Flash). The home page is critical for Google and other search engines to find you.
- If you have pictures you would like to use on the site, collect them together so that you can hand them over to the website designer. Pictures are important to create an aesthetically pleasing site. Whether you are a Financial Consultant or a graphic designer. Use images that convey your overall message. If you don't have pictures, fear not. Your design team will come up with some really cool ones.
- Collect all these pieces and walk, no run, to your web designer.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Ten things you should do to build an effective website. Fast.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Green Christmas and Eco-friendly Type
Well, I think we are all really questioning everything this year.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081222/ap_on_hi_te/tec_techbit_ink_saving_font
If not the economy, then the environment. And if not that then its politics.
And terrorism.
I was shocked to hear that one of my clients took her grandchild to see Santa at FAO Schwartz in NYC - only to find that "santa" was in a green suit and when the child sat on his lap - he asked "What have you done for the environment this year". Forget the 4 year old - I was horrified. I can deal with the e-cards - but this is going a bit too far don't you think?
Don't get me wrong - I believe in "green". I have had my cloth grocery bags for over 5 years - long before they became a fashion statement. My office building doesn't recycle so I lug the recycleables from the office home every 2 weeks so the truck can pick them up. We even use both sides of the many reams of paper we print on.
Then this morning I found this piece of news:
I think this is really going too far, don't you think? To reduce emissions is fine. The e-cards make complete sense to me. We are doing it ourselves this year here at Two by Two Design. But to mess with a type face is just plain shocking. Almost as bad as the Green Santa. Some things should just be left alone. Or should they? Hmmmm... I guess if it does save ink - its good. But what if it looks aweful?
Bad design - That is another form of pollution in my world. So, lets stick with some traditions this holiday, ok?
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Obama win - a Miracle in Marketing!
By now you must have seen or heard the news and have come to realize that our next President will be Barack Obama.
No matter what your political views may be - you have to agree - this was a huge marketing challenge for Obama.
Lets pretend for a moment that "Obama" was a business (ok - stretch your imagination for a few minutes people - ah! I heard something pop!)...
Whether you think of him as a product or a service, consider all the obstacles in the path to success:
1. Unusual name
2. Different "packaging"
3. New to the market (compared to his competition)
Yet, he was able to win the trust of the American people.
Effective marketing has so many elements and he really nailed every one of them:
1. A consistent message
2. Strong branding (logo, website, collateral materials)
3. Attractive - likeable personality
4. A formidable support team
5. Talked about the benefits - not features
All these elements play a role in marketing. So, whether you are running a business - or running for president... think about marketing more effectively!
No wonder he won :)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I received a call from a client today asking whether we could rearrange a logo so that it would fit into a small space.
My immediate thought was "No!". Nike would never do that, right? Infact, you don't suppose anyone would even dare to ask Mr. Nike's designer to do such a horrible thing. But, the client said - we have a small space on the facade of the building. The logo will work as it is - but will get very small. So lets rearrange it so that the icon goes behind the words.
Oh dear. Every thing I have ever seen or learnt in the last 12 - or 13 years - says "no". So I figured I would reach out to my friends and see what the masses think. Feel free to take the poll, send your comments or let me be tormented by this by myself. Either way - the client will do what he pleases, I am sure. :)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
1. The importance of Branding ---
Why do people spend $100’s of dollars on their suits but $0 on their logo? I am tired of business owners saying “oh! I had my sisters husbands aunts 12 year old niece do my logo. Isn’t it great!” A logo lasts a lifetime – (or atleast it should). It never goes out of fashion, it fits you no matter what size you are, and it is remembered. Just like Aunt Marges dress with the rip in th back. A bad logo, like a bad suit makes a bad impression. Remember: the 3 “C’’s Clarity, Consistency, Continuity. The logo must be clear – it should be scalable, work in various mediums (newspaper, B&W, web, etc). It must be consistent – use it on everything in the exact same proportions. And Continuity – don’t change your logo every few months! Yes, its OK to “update” every decade or so. Think like the big guys. Nike for example. A simple logo – and a great tagline. The less fuss, the easier to remember. You have to have a good bone structure to be a Supermodel. Just pretty clothes and makeup isn’t enough. In today’s world people think a colorful logo/business card is “beautiful”. Not so. Color Business cards are a dime a dozen. Literally! And remember, there is a lot of clutter in this world. Stand out.
2. The importance of advertising and marketing for small businesses. When you are thinking about advertising or doing a direct mail campaign, set aside a budget. An investment of a few hundred dollars can bring in $1000’s of dollars in orders! It’s a question of sink or swim. Very successful business making billions (Apple is a good example) started in a garage - used the apple icon for a logo even in its early days – and look at them today! They continue to use the same Apple logo (in a different color) and they continue to advertise. If they didn’t – you would forget them. Remember, Apple has only 5% of the market share! Yes, you can design your own ads and direct mail, but then don’t complain that you didn’t get a response. Remember, when you are doing any form of advertising or direct mail – there are 3 critical items that must work in order for the piece to generate response: The creative, the copy and the list. If either one of these 3 is missing or weak, you are asking for trouble! If the graphics are poor, the great copy will not read well. If the copy is poorly written (or if there is just too much) nobody will want to read it. And ofcourse – the list. If you are buying a mailing list for direct mail purposes – buy it from a reliable source. There are a lot of people out there selling lists that are no good. The list should be less than 6 months old. By setting up parameters (age, income bracket, etc.) you can reach your target audience much more effectively.
3. Build a website that works! These days everyone has a website. Even my 6 year old has a site where he regularly posts pictures of himself and his brother. Does he get a lot of traffic? Does anyone respond? Does it encourage anyone to pick up the phone and ask for more info? Only his grandparents. We encourage you to get a professional copywriter who knows how to write for the web --- and design your site so that it gets picked up by search engines. Use a form to gather the visitors data. Ask them to sign up for your newsletter. Give them something of value. Give them a reason to come back. I used to drive around the tristate area showing my portfolio to potential clients. For the past 4 years I have had my portfolio online. Now I can point people to the site – they not only see the work, but can read all about me, my people, our awards, etc... It looks so good! People get the impression that we are big firm – not so. We’re a little studio. Doing lots of “big” work.
4. Finding the right “partner”. What to look for when looking for a design firm – remember you are hiring the firm – so interview them. Ask to see their portfolio. Ask who their clients are. Speak to their past and/present clients. Have they been recognized for their work? Have they won any industry awards? Do they come up with ideas that “work”? Are the creative – not only in the design world, but do they think like a business owner? Designers come with many different talents. Some may be great with logos, but not as good with direct mail. Or, some may do a lot of websites but know very little about print design. If you are looking for someone to design direct mail, ask them what the response rate was on their last piece! Also, look for someone who understands the medium – if your project involves printing, the designer should know how they can design to make best use of the paper to save money on printing. Likewise, if you are designing a website, the designer should have a good understanding of the web.
Why do people spend $100’s of dollars on their suits but $0 on their logo? I am tired of business owners saying “oh! I had my sisters husbands aunts 12 year old niece do my logo. Isn’t it great!” A logo lasts a lifetime – (or atleast it should). It never goes out of fashion, it fits you no matter what size you are, and it is remembered. Just like Aunt Marges dress with the rip in th back. A bad logo, like a bad suit makes a bad impression. Remember: the 3 “C’’s Clarity, Consistency, Continuity. The logo must be clear – it should be scalable, work in various mediums (newspaper, B&W, web, etc). It must be consistent – use it on everything in the exact same proportions. And Continuity – don’t change your logo every few months! Yes, its OK to “update” every decade or so. Think like the big guys. Nike for example. A simple logo – and a great tagline. The less fuss, the easier to remember. You have to have a good bone structure to be a Supermodel. Just pretty clothes and makeup isn’t enough. In today’s world people think a colorful logo/business card is “beautiful”. Not so. Color Business cards are a dime a dozen. Literally! And remember, there is a lot of clutter in this world. Stand out.
2. The importance of advertising and marketing for small businesses. When you are thinking about advertising or doing a direct mail campaign, set aside a budget. An investment of a few hundred dollars can bring in $1000’s of dollars in orders! It’s a question of sink or swim. Very successful business making billions (Apple is a good example) started in a garage - used the apple icon for a logo even in its early days – and look at them today! They continue to use the same Apple logo (in a different color) and they continue to advertise. If they didn’t – you would forget them. Remember, Apple has only 5% of the market share! Yes, you can design your own ads and direct mail, but then don’t complain that you didn’t get a response. Remember, when you are doing any form of advertising or direct mail – there are 3 critical items that must work in order for the piece to generate response: The creative, the copy and the list. If either one of these 3 is missing or weak, you are asking for trouble! If the graphics are poor, the great copy will not read well. If the copy is poorly written (or if there is just too much) nobody will want to read it. And ofcourse – the list. If you are buying a mailing list for direct mail purposes – buy it from a reliable source. There are a lot of people out there selling lists that are no good. The list should be less than 6 months old. By setting up parameters (age, income bracket, etc.) you can reach your target audience much more effectively.
3. Build a website that works! These days everyone has a website. Even my 6 year old has a site where he regularly posts pictures of himself and his brother. Does he get a lot of traffic? Does anyone respond? Does it encourage anyone to pick up the phone and ask for more info? Only his grandparents. We encourage you to get a professional copywriter who knows how to write for the web --- and design your site so that it gets picked up by search engines. Use a form to gather the visitors data. Ask them to sign up for your newsletter. Give them something of value. Give them a reason to come back. I used to drive around the tristate area showing my portfolio to potential clients. For the past 4 years I have had my portfolio online. Now I can point people to the site – they not only see the work, but can read all about me, my people, our awards, etc... It looks so good! People get the impression that we are big firm – not so. We’re a little studio. Doing lots of “big” work.
4. Finding the right “partner”. What to look for when looking for a design firm – remember you are hiring the firm – so interview them. Ask to see their portfolio. Ask who their clients are. Speak to their past and/present clients. Have they been recognized for their work? Have they won any industry awards? Do they come up with ideas that “work”? Are the creative – not only in the design world, but do they think like a business owner? Designers come with many different talents. Some may be great with logos, but not as good with direct mail. Or, some may do a lot of websites but know very little about print design. If you are looking for someone to design direct mail, ask them what the response rate was on their last piece! Also, look for someone who understands the medium – if your project involves printing, the designer should know how they can design to make best use of the paper to save money on printing. Likewise, if you are designing a website, the designer should have a good understanding of the web.
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