Website Design: Template or Custom (Part I)?
I recently sent out a proposal for branding the company of a small business owner. For illustrative purposes we will call the client Joan.
Joan was on a very tight budget as all start-ups are. I mentioned to Joan that instead of a custom website we could cut cost and time considerably if we customize a template for her. I told Joan a website is like building a house from the ground up or purchasing a ready-made new home. Here is what I shared with Joan to help her decide.
Template Web Design Pros
- Customizable
- Wide selection of premade and turnkey templates
- Quick turnaround time
- Very low cost
Template Web Design Cons
- Design not unique
- Customization may be limited
- Coding errors that prevent SEO (reducing chances that visitors can easily find you)
- Generic look of design (not branded)
With templates, the graphic design part of the work has already been done; you pay a licensing fee to use that template, as long as you comply with the terms of the license. Website templates are cheap, but like everything else you will get exactly what you pay for.
If you are a client looking to save money and time, we suggest going with a website template and finding a professional web designer that will customize a pre-made template design for you. Beware of web design scams from designers who sell premade templates as unique custom designs!
Next week I will share the pros and cons of custom website designs.
Client Perception is Everything: Avoid Bad Sales Collateral
Making a good impression is the top secret weapon of choice for salespeople. Sales collateral is a major part of a salesperson’s “good impression” toolkit. Sales collateral include business card, brochure, promotion gift, sell sheet, and anything designed for a salesperson to increase his/her client base.
Have you ever looked at a business card, flyer, website or postcard and immediately said I would never do business with this company or you simply dismissed the company and said next? That is your client perception working.
Some companies use collateral that hurt sales. According to Alexander Hiam, author of Marketing For Dummies, in choosing your sales collateral, avoid the following:
Plastic: cheap plastic folders, clear plastic page protectors, or big, ugly plastic sample cases all say tacky and cheap to prospects. Use high-quality papers and favor cloth or leather cases and bindings, if at all possible.
Amateur designs and layouts: Sure, anyone can design sales and marketing materials in this era of high-quality laser printers, but most people shouldn’t. Amateurs often create poor-looking, confusing layouts. Their work just doesn’t have that special look that characterizes fine design —and the better prospects notice.
Errors: An amazing number of factual and spelling errors exist in sales collateral. Salespeople perpetually have to make corrections or explain errors in front of prospects, which is like saying, “Please use our business. Of course, we can’t even type a spec sheet accurately, but we can muddle through your order somehow.” Right.
Omissions: Most salespeople go on calls without all the collateral materials and information they need to do a great job. They don’t have a good brochure. Their business cards don’t have the current address or the company’s fax number and website. The price list is out of date. Their order form is a cheap pad bought at the local stationery store.
As you send your salespeople out in the field, arm them with good collateral. Help them to be sucessful so that your company can inturn be succesful as well.
Choosing The Right Color For Your Brand
This article was inspired by President Obama’s first State of the Union address. I noticed he wore a red tie with white stripes and Vice President Biden wore a blue tie with red and white stripes. I laughed at myself as I knew the colors were chosen by someone who knew the meaning / symbolism of color. What did our leaders’ tie scream at me? Red, White and Blue—“America”!
Colors are non-verbal communication. They have symbolism and color meanings. Therefore, as you create your brand identity it is helpful to keep in mind how the eye and the mind perceive certain colors and the color meanings we associate with each color. Here is a list of common colors used in business identities and their meaning*:
RED
Warmth, Love, Anger, Danger, Boldness, Excitement, Speed, Strength, Determination, Desire, Courage
ORANGE
Cheerfulness, Low Cost, Affordability, Enthusiasm, Stimulation, Creativity
YELLOW
Attention-Grabbing, Comfort, Liveliness, Cowardliness, Hunger, Optimism, Overwhelm, Summer, Comfort, Liveliness, Intellect, Happiness, Energy
GREEN
Durability, Reliability, Environmental, Luxurious, Optimism, Well-Being, Nature, Calm, Relaxation, Spring, Safety, Honesty, Optimism, Harmony, Freshness
BLUE
Peace, Professionalism, Loyalty, Reliability, Honor, Melancholia, Boredom, Coldness, Winter, Depth, Stability, Professionalism, Honor, Trust
PURPLE
Power, Royalty, Nobility, Elegance, Sophistication, Artificial, Luxury, Mystery, Royalty, Elegance, Magic
GRAY
Conservatism, Traditionalism, Intelligence, Serious, Dull, Uninteresting
BROWN
Relaxing, Confident, Casual, Reassuring, Nature, Earthy, Solid, Reliable, Genuine, Autumn, Endurance
BLACK
Elegance, Sophistication, Formality, Power, Strength, Illegality, Depression, Morbidity, Night
WHITE
Cleanliness, Purity, Newness, Virginity, Peace, Innocence, Simplicity, Sterility, Snow
Before you launch your brand identity, consider your goals and what reaction you hope to receive from your target audience. Also keep in mind that culture dictates color meaning hence subtle variations in the international business world.
Look at your brand identity…Did you choose a color that represents you, your culture, and your beliefs?
* Color meaning taken from www.changingminds.org
6 Tips To Using Stock Photography
Are you a new business that is looking to create a website, brochure, or produce other forms of marketing materials? If you’re not, you should be and one important thing you will need is photos. Here are some tips.
- Endless Choices and Professional Quality
Amateur photos never look as nice as the professional ones. Consider red eyes on your models or problems with inconsistent focus. These are small errors that occur often, but with stock photos, you can have flawless images without the worry or the need to turn yourself into a photo editor. Stock photography offers anything you can imagine in a photograph with millions of choices. Many websites are available that offer stock photos. Photos.com, iStockphoto.com, Jupiter Images and Getty Images are just a few of the popular sites that are worth looking into. Logo Design Guru also offers free access to stock photos included in all of our web and brochure package options. It both makes the creative process easier and more convenient. - Image Overuse
Stock photo sites do have a ton of variety, but keep in mind; if they are available to you, then they are available to everyone else as well. When using stock photos, you often run the risk of using repeats. Standing out is important, therefore if you see the same photo all the time, the power and effectiveness of the image is lost. - Does Your Stock Photo Look Staged?
It’s true that people in general have very short attention spans and most of the time, plain text on a page is not going to keep someone’s interest. Photos nicely break up the space and draw more attention to the content, even if the image is something simple, such as a random, smiling person. These types of photos can work well, but beware of the obviously staged image. If an image is too generic, it is clear that it’s a stock photo. This staged look doesn’t appear natural and can give off a bad impression. - Avoiding Copyright Infringement
Often people think that if an image appears on the web, it’s free for the taking. This is unfortunately not true at all. Similar to pieces of music or artwork, photographs are often copyrighted and snatching them up from someone else’s site is breaking the law and can have unpleasant consequences. Images from free sites may also be copyrighted and you may be using them unknowingly. Some photo companies use search software to track their images and can tell if you are using them illegally. Stock photography eliminates this fear. Once you purchase an image, you are purchasing the rights to use it as well. It does cost money, but it is an investment that is well worth it and is law abiding. - Model Release Required
A great advantage of stock photo use is reducing the worry of model release. A model release is a signed form, which allows a photographer and the end user to have full permission to use a person’s likeness for marketing, advertising or artwork purposes. The law protects a person’s right to privacy, even when the person is in public eye. Most stock photo sites have taken care of this for you, so that once you purchase the photo, you have purchased that permission as well. - Costs for Stock Photo Options
The option of stock photography is a great way of saving on marketing costs. Although hiring a photographer will give you more control over what you want, photographers can be very costly. Stock photos can vary in prices depending on how they are sold. Some sites offer monthly or yearly subscriptions and others can charge by individual photos or photo quality or size. Depending on how often your company requires photo use, you can play around with the options and settle on something that works best for you.
Contributor: Joe Witte
Constructive Criticism and your Graphic Designer
Criticism and critiquing are fine art forms, when properly executed. They can be some of the most beneficial elements used when your graphic designer is creating your logo. Criticism and critique used in the wrong way can also be your project’s greatest detriment.
The most important thing to remember is that criticism in itself is a relative term; something you find unappealing may be another person’s masterpiece. A key point one should always keep in mind when relaying your thoughts, whether good or bad, must always stay positive. Think to yourself, “If I had spent 2 days working on a design would I want someone to flat out say that it was horrible? Probably not.
However, you probably wondering, “How do I give constructive criticism without rewarding uninspired work or giving unstructured, critiques that my designer doesn’t take seriously? The answer is a perfectly administered critique structure.
A good critique structure is essential to getting product you have envisioned:
Always start out on a positive note:
This is key. Remember there is no such thing as “bad art” it’s all subjective and opinion based. Use phrases such as “That’s a good start”, “I see what you tried to do here”, “This is good work”.
Presenting negative points:
Chances are you aren’t the first person to give an artist a negative comment. This is the point of constructive critiquing; one’s art cannot improve without assessment. Negative is “negative” there is no way around it, however, do it in a positive way. Avoid words like “ugly,” “horrible,” “bad,” “worst”.
Be honest and direct:
If you don’t like something say so, but being polite and professional is never a bad thing.
Make it a team effort:
Use phrases like “We need to take a look…” “What we should do is…” Making your designer feel like he is working with you rather than trying to satisfy you will bring a better relationship and in turn a better product.
Give at least one positive point:
Even if you don’t like your designer’s attempt try to find a good aspect. Build the artist up. It never hurts to complement someone on their efforts. Bring out and reinforce the artist’s strong areas.
Always end your conversations with a positive note:
“This draft was good, Keep up the great work”, and “Thank you for your efforts” these will bring confidence to your designer, and with confidence comes better work.
Rapport:
A businesslike yet casual relationship will do wonders for a project. Keep the human element involved, and the results will follow.
Stick to these basic principles and you and your designer
will reap the benefits of awesome graphic design.
