So now you understand your customer has a problem that needs to be solved. And they want to solve it using a little brain power as possible. You know WHO your audience is and WHY they are at your website. The next step is to write your outline script....
Your story is the unique thing that sets you, your business and your product or service apart from anyone else. This post will take you through the Storybrand framework, created by Donald Miller to help you to better articulate your brand message with clarity and simplicity. I’ve seen it improve conversion for websites, email open rates and most notably shift people's perceptions at how marketing works....
My client wanted to create a Chilli Oil that was at the more gourmet end of the spectrum. Read: higher price tag. It would be the kind of product that would appear in Asian grocery stores and then move into gourmet food stores. The kind that inner city cool-cats shop at....
I needed to update a clients Facebook Page cover photo and noticed that most sites that offer a template will make you read a novel of SEO backstory before they let you get access to the template and who has the time for that. So here are some templates in JPG, PSD and Powerpoint – quick and simple....
A clear and concise homepage structure will help convert your visitors into customers. So many websites are style over substance. Packed with design features, they do well for the designer who created them but neglect to inspire action in your customers. Now more than ever, the clarity of your home page is key to doing the heavy lifting for your business....
Design is a collaborative process. Any person involved with the process can have an impact on the final outcome. That is: the client, the engineer, the CEO and the end user. But not all design is good design...
This story on the importance of details in logo design and typography is pure joy. Follow legendary type designer Doyald Young take you through the nuance of typography and lettering using examples of his own work. I have three comments to make on this...
I've recently finished a major brand and website project for Sense of Security. The job involved a full stack brand refresh and website design and build. It was an exciting and eye-opening experience as I learnt so much about cyber security – the good and the scary....
Over the past few years I have seen a huge spike in the amount of website projects I’ve taken on. The question of “how much does it cost to build a website” is one of the most popular questions I get asked. And the answer you don’t want to read is…. It depends.But in the interest of quick wins, here’s the quick answer.Design and build it yourselfIf you want a normal website, you can build it yourself using some kind of online builder like Weebly, Wix or Squarespace.Using these services is as easy as building a Powerpoint presentation. But remember...
I've just finished David Epstein’s book “Range – How generalists triumph in a specialised world” and I’ve come to the conclusion that generalist designers have more fun. All designers should strive to be a bit more generalist at some point in their career. It’s the weird and wonderful lessons you learn doing a variety of things that allow you to have a wider perspective and generate novel ideas.Having lead design teams and trained many designers, I'm still shocked to discover that a great number don’t understand the processes behind the physical manifestation of their work – how it’s printed, displayed digitally...
I had the chance to fly over the bushfires last week and it really was an eye opener. And then today I read that 80% of the Blue Mountains in Sydney has been scorched. The Guardian have some decent before and after photos too.If you're a creative you could do something about it rather than popping on a face mask and complaining of a day or two of poor air quality on Instagram.The Design Business Council is asking for for submissions for their poster exhibition to make climate change data more understandable.Put your communication skills to the test. Enter today....
While working on a website recently, I had the opportunity to explore a quick brand redesign or refresh.Without much budget we opted for a refresh as the the icon had been in use for some time and had built up some conceptual equity.The main issues with the original were poor reproduction at smaller sizes, poor clarity, and it lacked a level of finish and craft that could elevate it to reflect the premium quality of the service.This redesign began as a free hand drawing with brush pen to achieve better strokes. I moved that to digital and then began crafting...
So I was quiet with work for a week and became a bit agitated...
Is Sydney on the brink of becoming a music free zone? With the Hyde park rally on the other day I took it upon myself to create some support materials over at my sister site. I thought I'd throw them up here too! Download and print your posters below! Learn more about the issue here and here. Download High Quality PDFs here (will redirect to other site) Buy the tshirt here for only $20 [gallery ids="3935,3932,3929,3933,3934,3928,3930"]...
In preparation for a clients new website I was conducting research around underlying frameworks. I was glad to come across the strategy by Tony Ulwick, (CEO of Strategyn) known as the Jobs-to-be-Done theory.After reading more about it I quickly realised that this theory is the precursor to some parts of UX theory. Its the original way of tackling User Journeys – a process I adopt which compliments my approach to web design using the Minto Pyramid Principal.I'll try to briefly explain how. Minto Pyramid Principal With regards to website design, I describe this method as a way of creating a logical content structure to...
Mini screens for surfing the web seem to be here to stay – at least for the next few years. During this time I'm campaigning for a hamburger revolution.In the last two months I have designed and built three new websites. All of which were hugely different in their design approach and business need.I don't adopt a mobile first approach to web design – and the reason for that is that I find it unexciting to do so. Very few mobile websites are exciting. They are functional but not exciting. And getting clients excited needs to be part of the...
I've worked in busy offices for 17 years. Clocking in often well before 9 and putting in 8 to 11 hours a day, 5 days a week. Occasionally I could get a full hour for lunch but more often that not I'd be eating aldesko. So my new adventure in life to being free from the office and pursuing a contractor lifestyle has been an interesting transition. I realise now that the structure and routine of having an office and working in larger teams helped create the motivating force to get me to knuckle down and get shit done. I'm reading lots of differing...
As any graphic designer would know, it's a hard job convincing a client about the benefits of good design. But good design is good business. And in all my experience I think It comes down to a lack of understanding about what is actually considered to be good design – and how to recognise it. Most people in the general population don’t have an eye for good design. They can’t look at a design and see the balance, the hierarchy, the positive and negative space. They can’t see how the interplay of these principals make for a more appealing and effective presentation...