It is the case more often than not, that a client comes to us and does not understand how important it is for their designs to target a specific group of people. We are asked to make changes to appeal to the client, with no consideration of how those changes will affect the design’s ability to carry out its mission, which most of the time is: To effectively bring in new business.

Of course, there are some who understand their target audience inside and out and ask for changes based on the knowledge of their target audience’s preferences and needs. The target audience of this article is obviously not those people. Read the rest of this entry »

We are pleased to announce that the website we built for musician Mina Chang (minachang.com) has been nominated for Site of the Year at CSS Creme. The site was built entirely in WordPress and was a last-second project, so that makes us extra happy that it’s getting the great responses from the design community.

Oh, and, of course, be sure to support us and cast your vote!

I’ll be writing entries for IQMZ.com now, also, as they are a sister company of ours. Our good friend Owen JJ. Stone aka @OhDoctah runs Inquiring Mindz – a company focusing on community, branding, and social media. I kicked it off with a post entitled “7 Ways to Ensure Satisfaction With Your Website.”

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Investing in design is always pretty expensive, and it’s never a good idea to cut corners in pricing. You do get what you pay for, and the lower the price, the lesser the quality is going to be. If you go with a low quote, you’ll also find that you will not receive as good of results, and you may need to be skeptical of some of the business practices behind the designer you’ve chosen.

So what can you do? Here are some suggestions to help your money go a little further and really get results.

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Of course, there are inspirational design galleries online. But I’ve found that when I am designing for one medium, it is more useful to look at inspiration in other mediums. For example, if one is designing a website, it would be more beneficial to go outside for a walk, or go to an art museum, than to look at a website design gallery.
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We’ve talked about things that you should avoid on your website, and the importance of finding a designer that knows what they are doing. But how do you know? What are the warning signs that so-called “web designer” could be a fake? I’ve compiled a list of flags to warn you to stay away from that web designer you may be considering, or, worse yet, already using. (Thanks to @AnnEvanston for the idea!) Read the rest of this entry »

Owen JJ. Stone, AKA Ohdoctah, wanted to take his company Inquiring Mindz to the next level, so he came to us for a complete logo and branding solution. We are currently working on his website redesign to complement the logo that we created.

The IQMZ.com identity needed to be something intriguing, something different, something that would really set his company apart from other Social Media enthusiasts. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the second in my Artistic Music Video Series. The first focused on videos using primarily Stop Motion Animation. This article will focus more on videos which are artistically and creatively directed. I tried to choose videos that took a unique approach to the video and the presentation of material and, of course, that are an inspiration to watch. Read the rest of this entry »

Before we begin any project, we require that our clients fill out our design interview. This provides us with important answers to questions that are imperative to the success of their design. Taking the time to fill this out as detailed as possible will ensure better results. Chances are, if you’re not ready to fill out a questionnaire like this yet, then you probably aren’t ready for a designer – or you should find a business consultant to help you create a business plan that makes sense. Read the rest of this entry »

The following is a short list I’ve compiled of mistakes that some make when designing and building a website. In most cases, these things shouldn’t be done, however, there are always exceptions. The key is to seek guidance from an expert. A web professional who remains updated on standards and best practices should be able to give good insight as to what would benefit or hinder your web endeavors. Read the rest of this entry »