Posted on March 12th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
Usually when you think of the web it seems like a cold and dark place but if you think about it the web provides quite an intimate experience. Users are generally in their homes on their own computer, they could be wearing pajamas or be completely naked. They can browse your web page on their time, they can flick from your page to another and back. They can leave and search for another source of information.
As a user on the web you do not have anyone to be responsible to and are often not held accountable for the things you say. The internet is like a mask. No one knows who you are. No one can see you. You’re not out in the open or face-to-face. It is not as intimidating as “real life” you can simply close the browser turn the computer off and walk away. You can show people your best side and hide your faults if you want to.
From the designers stand point this intimacy creates one way conversations. You are limited by the medium (although this is slowly changing as social media progress to more real time interaction). Because of this when you present your material on the web you have to answer all of your users questions before hand. You have to predict what your users will need and what their questions will be. You also have to make an impression. It is the same as in real life only the user can close their browser window if they don’t like what they see or if they do not find what they were looking for.
There are ways for your users to provide feedback but it’s not as easy as on the telephone or in person. There are delays. By the time you answer their question they may have moved onto another site or made their purchase elsewear.
It is imperitive to keep your customer in mind when creating copy. If you receive multiple questions on the same topics than it is time to add the answers to these questions to your web page. How? try to work it organically into the copy. Tools like frequently asked questions are not as useful as you may think. When is the last time you checked out a frequently asked questions section on the web?
Review the copy you already have and try to reword it first. If you can not fit
It in organically than you may need to add aditional content.
Filed under: Copy, Philosophy, Web design | No Comments »
Posted on March 5th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
If you are looking to learn about social media from the viewpoint of books like think and grow rich and the power of positive thinking then check out trust agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. The book crosses genres by putting the ideas from positive thinking books through a social media filter. There is much more to the book than this but it is apparent what work has influenced the authors while reading.
The authors give great tips on how to interact with people through social media in a responisble way to help you improve your business. The main themes of the book are; when you help people you help yourself, be genuine and be responsible.
Overall this book is very refreshing. One that any small business entrepreneur may find interesting.
I would definitely recommend trust agents. If you are into social media marketing, which you have to be to have a successful web presence.
Filed under: Philosophy, Reviews, Social Media, Web design | No Comments »
Posted on March 5th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
Below are some examples of my poster designs for January, February and March 2010 for the Ship and Anchor pub.
Posters in Black and White are for their Saturday Jams and colour for other events.
I try to draw the content and design for the poster from the event details. I like to keep posters clean and sharp in appearance and find designs are most effective when they contain a lot of “white” space. Generally I enjoy sharp contrast and edges within my poster designs.
Filed under: General Design, Gig posters | No Comments »
Posted on February 27th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
Copy is the content of your web site. It seems obvious that to have a great web page you need content but this is sometimes overlooked.
Too often we are distracted by the development of the visual aesthetics and features of our web pages and we find our content is not given enough attention.
When someone visits your site they are looking for information. Our goal should be to provide them with the information they are looking for in the most cohesive yet concise way possible.
Your copy should serve your user more than yourself.
Think about the intentions of your user.
Why are they visiting your web page? Is it to get your store hours and address? To make a purchase?
Use their intention to guide the flow of your copy. On an ecommerce page for instance you may want to answer the following questions for new users.
- why buy our products?
- how does your checkout system work?
- where do I start?
- additional info like delivery and return policies.
You can also help your customers by providing micro copy as they reach each step.
If your site is a small business that has mostly walk in clients you may want to have your store location, hours and contact info on each page.
Keep the customers intentions in mind. If they can achieve their intentions in a short amount of time, you have effective copy.
What about the customers demographic are they mid twenty somethings that would accept slang on your page or does your content need to be professional and respectful?
If your business is technical in nature are your clients speaking the same language as you? Do you need to simplify concepts by speaking in laymens terms?
Web users are generally impatient and for good reason. If they can not find the information quickly on your page the back button is right there to find a different page that is more effective.
Keep your most important information concise and easy to find.
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Posted on February 27th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
Micro copy are small sentances or words that appear at crucial steps in a web process.
If you are filling out a form, the “required fields” statement would be micro copy.
“your credit card will not be charged” would be another example.
Micro copy is usually used to direct or reassure users while they are proceeding towards a goal on your
page. It can also be used for tips and tricks, quick facts or other related information.
Micro copy is an essential element of any web design as it builds trust with your users while helping them to achieve a goal, this in turn will benefit your business and ensure a better browsing experience for your users.
Try to achieve an obvious path for your users follow. Any time you feel there may be confusion add a touch of micro copy and the problem is solved.
Lastly, you can use micro copy to further develop your pages tone or companies brand. You may want to use humor or other literary techniques to help guide your user such as this example on a contact form. “oops! You forgot to enter your email.”
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Posted on February 24th, 2010 by Kristoffer Benoit
The client web designer relationship is a delicate one.
How does Giant Spheres work with their clients to achieve their project goals?
My approach starts by forming a cohesive web strategy with my client. I want to know what my clients business or service is all about, who their customers are, what their target market is, who their competitors are and what they are doing.
I like to gather any images, fonts, textures or examples from my client for inspiration. What inspires them, who influences them and what is their taste. Do they require to be able to manage and change aspects of their own site (content management system)? How would they like to present their company on the web? Do they require an innovative flash site? Will they be doing a lot of blogging?
After assessing all of this information and agreeing on a budget I will dig right in with a mock up of the page. I will get a basic visual idea and colour scheme and will run with it. The mock will rest online within a nook of the Giant Spheres web page. The client is able to see changes in real time as I build their complete site in a password protected space. From this point on the client can make suggestions usually by email, skype or online chat. Ideas are tossed back and forth in writing conveniently providing a record of all discussion in regard to the page.
When the customer is satisfied with the design, layout, functionality and copy the site will go live. From there we will focus on search engine optimization by analyzing how the site is performing and adjusting meta data, google adwords, ad sense and so much more. We will take a look at the avenues of social media that the customer should explore and exploit to meet their full online presence potential. The ball is really in the customers court with how far they want to take a site. There are so many more aspects to having a successful web presence than the web page itself and Giant Spheres can help to facilitate those aspects.
My clients expect to be kept well informed on the entire scope of the project. That is why I constantly keep in contact, mostly via email, to notify the client of any changes. Usually the email will include a link to a specific page with a few questions. If there is a deadline on the clients side focus will appropriately be shifted until that deadline is met.
My approach is very organic. We plant a thought and nurture it until it has a giant sphere of influence.
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Posted on February 23rd, 2010 by giantspheres
It is amazing how one can fulfill their creative needs by working with technology for another person or business.
Recently I have been customizing word press themes for a number of Calgary and businesses. I use their web page for inspiration or other blogs to get ideas about the layout and design. After I have a basic concept I tend to dig right in to the coding not spending too much time on the design up front.
This process is easily compared to music. There is a framework to exist within but I am free to experiment and to “listen” while I create.
After creating the structure of the blog I like to fill it out with more texture and colour. With the web you have more tools available on your pallet then other visual artists. Web designers can create an experience not just a visual design. We can call users to action such as subscribing to an rss feed, twitter account or making a purchase. We can create interactive elements on the page and by using copy, and can influence the way people react to information and act upon it.
In a way web design has become more fulfilling than music. You can not as easily directly influence people with music. I have spent so much time creating in this other way I wonder if my creative capacity for music has diminished on this account.
Web design allows one to go from the spark of an idea to a complete finished project. It is very satisfying to set a goal and achieve it with the many tools available in a relatively short timeframe.
Filed under: Web design | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 by giantspheres
Case Study
The Company
Progressive edge provides re-tipping of dental instruments as well as new dental instrument supplies.
The requirements
Progressive edge had an out dated web page that needed a face lift. The page was developed when display sizes where much smaller, some of the content needed to be revised and new branding was required.
The Approach
The first thing we needed to do was to update the site content. With input from the customer we went through the content and eliminated or updated the material to better reflect the companies services and products.
The company wanted to re brand themselves as an eco friendly option for dental instruments. I used a brochure of theirs for inspiration and developed a fresh web look by using colours found in nature and “green” images.
The sizing of text and the width of the page itself was adjusted to suite the needs of web browsers with larger displays.
The Future
Future plans for the site include creating an e-zine/newsletter that customers can subscribe to to highlight new products and related dental information. Also there is a back end form which has been developed by giant spheres for ordering tools online which is in the process of being implemented. This could entail making use of some e-commerce features in the future.
The Result
Progressive edge has successfully carried their brand from print to the web. They are showing there customers that they are current and effective by re thinking their old design.
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Posted on February 3rd, 2010 by giantspheres
Case Study
The Company
HBI creates business environments by supplying and servicing office equipment.
The requirements
The web page was developed by a completely seperate company but HBI needed some pages to be altered. They were looking for a cost effective way to gain more feedback from their clients so they could provide them better service and product.
The forms were required to have the same look and feel of the pre designed site and to be effecient and functional.
The Approach
Giant Spheres created a custom form, php script and e-mailing process.
We did very thorough testing and included a captcha to prevent spam.
The Future
Future plans for the site may include some flash implementation to keep users coming back and add interest and interactivity to the site.
The Result
HBI has received a ton of feedback since the implementation of the forms.
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Posted on February 3rd, 2010 by giantspheres
Case Study
The Company
Sound design bids is a sound design crowd source web page where people in need of audio can submit contracts for sound designers to bid on by uploading mp3’s.
The requirements
The web page had to be built in a programming language and to make use of databases to store information. Mp3’s needed to be played in flash so that people would have a harder time stealing them.
The page also called for a very clean user friendly look where content could change based on information from the database.
The Approach
Giant Spheres created a php and mysql driven site. The page makes extensive use of tables populated by the database to display jobs, users and mp3 bids.
Users can comment on bids, create a profile and message each other through the web page. There is also use of php mail function to notify users when a new job or bid has been placed.
Some marketing features include a current listing rss feed of available jobs for users to subscribe to, a twitter feed, a forum, a blog and more.
The Future
Future plans for the site include more online marketing, smoother content creation, slicker user controls ect.
The Result
Sound design bids has over 100 users in multiple countries and is constantly growing.
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