I’ve been thinking about how when you hire a web designer, or graphic designer. You should feel safe with them.

Make sure they are asking you questions- don’t get discouraged if they’re asking a lot of questions- it’s a GOOD thing. This means they care about the end result, and want you as a client to be satisfied. If they aren’t asking questions- you should worry.

For us, it’s all about us helping you, to help us. We want to make something we are proud of- and we want you to be proud of it too.

I would love to do more creative and visually stimulating pieces- but if that’s not what the client wants/likes, we won’t do it. If you have someone throwing things down your throat that you don’t like and they’re trying to convince you to do- bad sign. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with- they can offer it once (maybe twice just for the second try)- but you aren’t feeling it- say no. Any more than that- you should probably question their motive. You are paying us as designers and we respect what you like/want.

Have a good human relationship with them. We are all human- and sometimes we forget about peoples feelings. It is useless to yell and scream and make a fuss about anything (and I’m talking about us as designers and you as clients both)- it only makes things uncomfortable and nothing really gets accomplished… someone will always end up feeling like an a**hole- and that’s never good right?

Hopefully you will feel like you’re in good hands with the designer you choose- we’re here for you!!

It’s no longer the 00’s- it’s the 10’s. We will look back on the last 10 years and start making judgments just like we did in the decades in the past. There’s something to be said about every decade in time- 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now it’s time to put the last 10 years in the past and start making new advancements for the next 10 years. It’s the future, and it’s here. So thinking about your branding and website impression might be something that you should consider to become an even better and impressionable business.

From now until February 1st, we are giving a 25% discount on all services. Website design, logo and branding etc… ALL of it- 25% off. This can help jump start the new year and new YOU for your business. We want your business to succeed, and we want to help you get started with your success!

Call us today! 925.858.4806

The only thing is, IE 6 does not display them the way the should be displayed. IE6 displays PNGs with a grey background, which is a huge headache for web designers/developers. There are ways to get around it, but the fixes that have been out some of them are depreciated, and are not longer supported (I guess trial and error will have to do).

So, if you are using IE6 or even IE7- it’s time to upgrade, or switch browsers all together, and start using FIREFOX. Firefox is a great great browser that not only displays PNGs, it’s just better all around. Here are some links for more info on firefox:

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/products/download.html

Just read a little bit about it, and you’ll understand why it’s a better browser than IE.

Step ONE: Consultation
We want to know about you and your business. We meet with you, discuss over the phone or over video chat to get a better idea of what your wants and needs are. We ask questions. This also gives you the opportunity to ask questions. Getting to know what look, color schemes, themes etc… is vital to creating something appealing and something you’ll be proud to show off.

Step TWO: Brainstorming/concepts/research
We bring all of our brains together to come up with ideas, concepts and designs to what direction we invision would be best for your business. We research about your business, find the competition and come up with ways to make your business stand out.

Step THREE: Present Concepts for first review

We present our concepts and ideas to the client for the first review. This is the time for the client to critique the concepts and give us feedback for what they do/don’t like. Once the first review is completed, we go back to step two, and build from the feedback that we have received from the client.

Step FOUR: 2nd Revisions

We present the newest concpets that we’ve made to the client, and determine what changes need to be completed. We once again go back to step two for tweaks to the concepts. This review is for minor changes to the concepts, nothing major.

Step FIVE: Final Review

This is the final step of the design process, and it usually is a breeze. By this time, the client already knows what they are getting, and what to expect. If there are any minor changes that need to be addressed, this is the time to do it.  We care about what the client wants, and we want to know that you are happy with the final product.

So that pretty much sums up the design process in 5 steps. We really want the client to be happy, and we also want them to know what the process is, so they aren’t surprised in the end. There is always communication between us and the client, and we never want you to be in the dark.

You want to keep your branding simple for a healthy flow through-out the veins of your marketing materials. Your logo, color schemes and material being created says it all. Professional looking material gives a healthy strong reflection, and confusing and sloppy materials give a weak and lazy reflection. Some dos and don’ts:

DO:
Keep it SIMPLE – the more simple, the more memorable
Make sure that your logo is appropriate to your business (fonts, elements etc…)
Make sure the design will look good in all black/white

DON’T:
Use too bright of colors
Use too many colors, they colors could get lost and confusing – try to stick around 1 or 2 (no more than 3 unless it makes sense to do so)
Have a sloppy/confusing design (too many elements makes things look amateur)
Buy a logo off of some website, this doesn’t make your logo unique
Use the popular fonts (papyrus is pretty… if you want to look amateur… there are so many better fonts out there- be a little creative)

Having a simple logo for your business is so important because it will get the attention fast, easy and it will stick in the consumers visual memory. Think of some famous logos (Nike, Coca Cola, Apple, McDonalds, Playboy), they are all simple, concise and very very memorable. Coca Cola hasn’t changed their logo in over 100 years. Having a cluttered, confusing mess of a logo will not improve your business, it might actually hurt your business. Your business is your life, and it’s important to keep it in good health. So give your business some TLC and take the time to get a good brand for your business.

For fast web browsing, your browser downloads the pages and stores them in a place on your local hard drive called your “cache”. This means that when you visit the same page a second time, it doesn’t download the most recent page. It displays the page that it has already downloaded (for faster viewing time).

This is great- sometimes. This can also result in not as current content on that webpage. So what we can do once in a while to help this issue, is clearing your cache. Think of it as giving your browser a break from a hard day of studying. It’s sort of a relief, and it will be a relief for you as well, since you will be able to view the newest content available.
Here’s how to Clear your Cache

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click Tools in the upper toolbar
3. Click Internet Options to open Internet Properties
4. Click the General tab
5. Click Delete Files under “Temporary Internet Files”
6. Check Delete all offline content
7. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box
8. Click Apply and then OK

or

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties
3. Click Delete Files
NOTE: Do not select Delete Cookies. Delete Cookies removes all the cookies stored on the computer
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box
5. Click OK
6. Close Window

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click Tools in the upper toolbar or click on the Tools icon
3. Click Internet Options to open Internet Properties
4. Click the General tab
5. Click Delete under “Browsing History”
6. Click Delete Files under “Temporary Internet Files”
7. Click Yes on the Delete Files dialog box
8. Click Close and then OK

or

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties
3. Click Delete under “Browsing History”
4. Click Delete Files under “Temporary Internet Files”
5. Click Yes on the Delete Files dialog box
6. Click Close and then OK
7. Close Window

Mozilla Firefox

1. Click Tools in the upper toolbar and select Options
2. Click the Privacy Icon
3. Click Clear across from the Cache option
4. Click Ok
5. Exit and re-launch the browser

Safari 1.0 for Macintosh OS X

1. Open Safari
2. Click on Safari in the upper toolbar and Select Empty Cache
3. Click Empty on the Are you sure message box
4. Exit and re-launch the browser

Firefox for Macintosh OS X

1. Open Firefox
2. Click on Firefox in the upper toolbar and Select Preferences
3. Click the Privacy Icon
4. Click Clear across from the Cache option
5. Click Ok
6. Exit and re-launch the browser

Mozilla 1.7 for Macintosh OS X

1. Open Mozilla
2. Click on Mozilla in the upper toolbar and Select Preferences
3. Click the Advance category
4. Expand Advance category and click on Cache
5. Click the Clear Cache option
6. Click Ok
7. Exit and re-launch the browser

There are a lot of websites online, and having one that looks good is a must. There are a lot of sites that are slopped together without the time and love put into the effort. Just imagine how many people will be viewing your website. You want them to look at it, and think- “great, I’ll hire them, go to their salon, or eat at their restaurant”, rather than “no thanks, I don’t take them seriously, they don’t seem very professional, I’ll keep looking”.

First impressions matter. We are visual as human beings. We want to see and feel that a business takes what they do seriously, and that they want your business. If a website is poorly put together, they will see that and think that you are not as professional. Even if it’s a simple website, it should be visually stimulating. Your website reflects how people view you as a business.

Getting it done without the stress

Stress is something that most everyone has. Why should you create more stress with trying to create your very own website. It’s a stressful situation trying to figure out how a website works, and what to put where if you don’t know HTML code. Also to have interactive content like flash is a whole other story. This is why we are here. We are here to take that stress off of your shoulders.

From the beginning concepts to the finished product, we make sure that your needs are being met, without the stress. We design the website concepts after discussing your ideas, wants and needs. Once we come up with a final concept, we move forward and create it, while you continue doing business and go from day to day. Our turnaround rate is around 1 month depending on the website. This allows us time to put love and care into the website, giving it that extra touch that will attract customers.

So why try doing this all yourself? You have enough to worry about. Let us do what we were made to do, create a great website for your business that looks and feels professional.

Having an online presence is the now

2009. Though some may think that their business is doing fine, and they don’t need a website, they should have one. Ask yourself, “could my business do better?”. Websites are a 24 hour business card that shows customers much more than a card. People all around the world are surfing the internet. Everything from restaurants to go to, for lawyers to hire, while on vacation, for a local contractor and more. The possibilities are endless.

Investing in a website makes sense. People all around are using the internet for everything. And some of these people are your future clients. There are few people who will flip through the yellow pages to find what they are looking for. Search engines are so fast and easy to use, that it makes sense to have your business online. Most people won’t bother online if your business doesn’t have a website. They want to “see” it and get a feeling for you. Customer service has always been the number one reason that people will go back to your business. Having a website gives you the tools to get in touch with your customers, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and to me, that’s great customer service.

If you show that you care, they will feel it. If you show that you are qualified, they will see it. So don’t wait, it’s your business- and it should be that important to you.

Check back to our blog for tips about how you can grow as a business through the internet and through marketing.

Carrie Johnson
CJ Web Designs Owner/Developer