What is good design worth?
In today’s business world, websites are no longer in the periphery. Businesses are using their websites as the cornerstone of their marketing efforts, even replacing brick and mortar stores.
So it begs the question…what is good design worth? What would you pay for a website that attracts new visitors, reflects your company’s unique values, and converts visitors into customers?
Here is what one customer had to say about what our design means to her small business.
The most impressive thing about working with eye9 is their ability to respond to my requests and develop a site based on my personal design tastes. Not only is the site aestheically pleasing, but it also suits the needs of my small business
Keri Welch, MementobyKeri.com
Your Colorado web design company - Recent work
eye9 Design is a leading Colorado web design company that provides…well, let’s let our clients do the talking.
When I began working with eye9 Design I had a pretty specific idea in mind. In the end, they far exceeded my expectations. People are amazed when they look at the site! Thank you for working so hard to perfect our website. You guys rock!
Jessica Yost, T. Garrett Construction
As one of the leading Colorado web design companies, our process-driven design achieves results every time. We start by listening to your needs, and have you fill out a web design questionnaire that gets at the purpose of the website, and who you are trying to reach. It also helps understand your website design preferences, so that we start off the project in the right direction.
Take Control of your Website Tools with Adobe Contribute
Imagine yourself at your local cell phone store, considering an upgrade to the latest mobile sensation. You cradle it in your hand, noticing its seductive styling. Within minutes however, you find yourself overwhelmed by complex menus and confusing buttons. “Isn’t it something,” says the salesman hovering over your shoulder. You mutter assent, determined to confirm that you are “hip” by being able to figure out the complicated device.
Cell phones are a tool designed to increase your productivity. However, this particular device is accomplishing much the opposite!
As a leading Denver website designer, we have clients who come to us every week having had experiences similar to the story above. Except in this case, the cause of frustration is their website. Instead of giving them an online marketing tool that allows them to be more productive, it is far too complicated and has become a hindrance. In the end, they find themselves paying their web designer to make simple changes they would much rather be making themselves.
We use a variety of Content Management Systems (CMS), including Joomla and DotNetNuke. For those of our clients who simply need an informational “brochure website,” we use Adobe Contribute. We have implemented this CMS dozens of times for clients in virtually every industry.
Contribute allows you to add new pages, change text, insert pictures, add audio/video, build PayPal buttons, and more. However, the biggest benefit for our clients is not the features…it is the ease of use. If you know how to use word processing software like Microsoft Word, you can use Contribute.
So take control of your website tools with Adobe Contribute!
Brian Rants
President
eye9 Design
eye9 Design is a Colorado web design company, providing graphic design, web development, and SEO optimization.
Four Design Myths
Tall tales. Urban myths. In this article we tackle four design myths we occasionally encounter.
- If you have space…use it
- >>> !!! *** Be catchy *** !!! <<<
- Web content and printed content are the same
- It pays to be different
Myth #1: If you have space…use it
You paid your designer to create an effective marketing piece for you and they returned a comp that is 1/2 a blank page! Why is your designer wasting costly marketing “real estate?”
This “blank” area is termed negative space, whereas an image or graphic would be considered positive space. To a designer, negative space is just another tool at his/her disposal. Often negative space can be used to emphasize composition, create visual paths, direct the focus of the viewer, and increase the dramatic effect of the overall piece.
Great design is often strikingly simple.
Myth #2: >>> !!! *** Be catchy *** !!! <<<
Some people hold the sentiment that crazy shapes, bright colors and seductive ’starbursts’ are always helpful in attracting attention. Florescent pink anyone? The fact is, just because something catches the eye does not necessarily mean the viewer will be interested enough to open, click, or otherwise respond.
A good example of effective advertising is Apple. Their marketing campaigns are quite minimalist in appearance: black and white, vast amounts of empty space, and a subtle use of color. Their collateral is elegant and reflects an attention to detail. Apple users will attest that even opening the product box is an experience in itself. People buy into the (expensive) Mac lifestyle because its aesthetics tell you this is a quality “must have” product, not because their designers resorted to cheap, flashy design tricks.
There are a variety of ways to attract the eye of the visitor, and your industry and target audience always guide these. What is effective for a used car sale advertisement may not work for a software company website.
Myth #3: Web content and printed content are the same
In most cases, your website content should be different than the content from your printed marketing collateral. All your copy should focus on your target audience and be guided by your overall marketing strategy. However, website content is unique in several ways:
- Keep it concise: website visitors have, shall we say, very short attention spans! If your visitor gets the impression that finding the content she desires will be like finding a needle in a haystack, you can be sure she will leave and likely not return.
- Click here for more info: while brevity is essential, you also want your site to be an effective online resource about your services/products. Towards that end, you can allow visitors who want to know more to dig deeper. If you have 5 reasons your product is superior to your competitor’s product, provide them in synopsis form on your products page. Each reason can conclude with “click here for more info” which guides the interested visitor to a more in-depth discussion of the topic.
- Internal Linking: one of the benefits of the web is internal, contextual linking. By using hyperlinks, you can direct users in one section of your website to another relevant section with a simple click. Make the attempt to have at least a half dozen links in the content of every page that allow the visitor to move with ease throughout your site.
Myth #4: It always pays to be different
In business, we are always looking to distinguish ourselves from our competition. Companies can do this by emphasizing a unique philosophy, an improved formula, and better customer service.
Distinctive is also good when it comes to web design. It is important that your website is distinctive, from the look and feel of the site to the marketing message it carries. We accomplish this by having you fill out a web design questionnaire that (among other things) asks how you distinguish yourselves from the competition. Our design can then highlight your unique approach and benefit to your clients.
However, occasionally clients want to take this to an extreme, and end up with marketing collateral that is completely dissimilar from others in their industry. The famous Sesame Street song said, “one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.” So while it is beneficial at times to buck the system, it is always a good idea to make sure your collateral is in line with the marketing best practices of your industry.
eye9 Design is a Colorado website design company, specializing in web and graphic design, web development, and seo optimization. Denver, CO.
Finally…flexibility in the ecommerce website and graphic design process
Flexibility. Adaptation. “Rolling with the punches.”
We begin every project with a website questionnaire. We supply you with a time line for completion, and guide you in what input we need from you. Years of project management have helped us create a smooth process for turning out incredible web work.
That same experience tells us that there will always be curve balls, and often from the client. That is ok with us! We are used to it, and plan for it. Hear what Peter Breese of Billygoose.com said about our work.
A truly positive experience; eye9 delivered a functional site with all the bells and whistles. Not only did eye9 tolerate my ever changing vision, but they made every effort to incorporate all of the elements I thew at them.
As the design and development process progresses, it often reveals our clients’ preferences. The layout, colors, fonts, or navigation you thought you like now seem…unappealing. We work with you to accommodate your changing needs…often without any additional charge. Where a change in scope is required, we clearly articulate your options so as to choose the most strategic and cost effective option.
Flexibility. What you would expect from an elite Denver graphic and web page design firm.
CMS - the freedom to manage your own website
Over the past several years, we have observed a strong trend towards using content management systems in website design and ecommerce development. Increasingly, clients ask for the ability to manage their own website.
First of all, what is a CMS?
CMS stands for Content Management System. As the name indicates, it is a back end tool (invisible to the website visitor) that allows you to update text, pictures, and links without any knowledge of HTML. Some CMS systems even allow you to add audio, video, and PayPal buttons.
Why use a CMS?
If you frequently update your site with news, product information, product pricing, pictures, or other information, a CMS makes sense. It also makes “cents!” Having a CMS allows you to update your content, and focus your budget towards filling holes in your web strategy. For example, have you considered how much potential business you are losing by not having a search engine optimized site? Or, for ecommerce websites, adding expanded product profiles and user interface improvements (like picture zoom in/out) can increase your sales.
Can a CMS work with any website?
There is a CMS for every major website language.
- HTML: we recommend Contribute, Adobe’s (formerly Macromedia) best selling editor. It is simple for us to integrate with any HTML website, and is unmatched in ease of use. Features include the ability to include PDF’s in your web pages, add audio/video files, include PayPal buttons, and more.
- Example of Contribute in use: Zahr & Associates
- PHP and PHP eCommerce: we recommend Mambo, an open source CMS. It is widely used and widely documented, which allows us to adapt it for just about any need. Mambo is our CMS of choice for eCommerce web site design.
- Example of Mambo in use: Billygoose.com
Implementing a CMS
Whether you already have a website, or are just about to get going, a CMS is an important tool to consider. It gives you freedom in managing your own website, and allows you to redirect budget dollars towards essential improvements of your website.
eCommerce Web Design: free PayPal Shopping Cart vs. integrated ecommerce solutions
While most of our clients choose an integrated ecommerce shopping cart, the free PayPal shopping cart provides a compelling option for those with limited needs…and a limited budget.
What are the advantages of each?
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Integrated ecommerce shopping cart: we develop a cart on your hosting account, so that the entire secure shopping and checkout process stays on your server. This allows us complete control over the shopping experience. It also enables us to use an integrated content management system (CMS) like Mambo, and gives you the SEO benefit of having all the product information on your domain.
If you are looking for a flexible, powerful, and scalable long term ecommerce solution, choose an integrated shopping cart.- Example: Sumbody.com
- External ecommerce PayPal shopping cart: we develop a shopping cart which allows your visitors the benefit of buying multiple quantities and items. Since it is hosted entirely on PayPal’s servers, this requires less setup and therefore is less expensive.
If you are new to ecommerce, or simply have limited ecommerce needs, the free PayPal shopping cart is an excellent alternative.- Example: TheHoopSource.com
- Here what Justen Byler of TheHoopSource.com says about his new site:
eye9 took a small business idea and created a website to suit even the biggest business. The overall look and the functionality, including PayPal incorporation into the site matched and then exceeded our expectations. We look forward to a long relationship with eye9.
Are you interested in taking advantage of the myriad of opportunities presented by internet commerce? Contact us today, and select “eCommerce” for your area of interest.
*A note of clarification: PayPal does offer payment processing services (Website Payments Pro) for integrated shopping carts as well. The free PayPal shopping cart demonstrated here (Website Payments Standard) is an external shopping cart, hosted on PayPal’s servers.
eye9 Design provides affordable ecommerce website design services and Denver web site development to our clients across the nation and around the world.
