Design Matters in our Visual Culture
Posted by Piscean
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. First impressions often leave lasting impressions. Impressions also result in people's perceptions. There goes that age-old debate -- "Perception versus Reality." I say that perception is someone's impression of reality. And sometimes... no matter what is reality, you just can't change people's perception of a situation or thing.Let's define these words...(im·pres·sion) noun: a characteristic, trait, or feature resulting from some influence; the act of impressing. (per·cep·tion) noun: a result of observation.To make a long story short, "Yes, design does matter!" ? When you meet someone you hope to date, don't you want to make a good first impression? You want to be in nice clothes, have your hair just right and be in the right place at...
Ten Design Mistakes to Avoid
Posted by Piscean
Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead of your competition.1. Not planning your siteBefore you even have a website, you must have an idea, a focus. Why do you want a website? What are your plans and goals for the site? Sit down and draw out a map of possible pages and ideas for your site. Include your site's purpose --whether it is to sell more product or make the public more aware of your issue -- whatever it may be. Build your site from it's strong foundation (your goals) and you'll have a better, more solid site.2. Failing to put contact information in a plainly seen location.This could be disastrous. If a customer doesn't...
Building Your Website to Save You Money
Posted by Piscean
Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE you any money?Websites are more than just marketing tools, out there in Cyber-Land effortlessly promoting you and your products. While that's great, why not use that same website to save yourself some money?How? Well, while I don't know your particular situation, I can provide you with some thought-provoking ideas that you can take back to your web designer for more input.Reduce your support costs.It is often cheaper, easier, and more effective to support customers over the Internet than through more tradiditonal methods such as telephone and direct mail. Services such as instant messaging and Get1on1 (www.get1on1.com) provide immediate chat facilities to current and potential customers.Corporations can support their...
Website Basics
Posted by Piscean
You have a flourishing business - everything is in its place. You just miss one important piece of marketing: an Internet Presence a website. Like everything in business, getting a website needs planning. Getting an effective website needs even more planning. Here are some basic things to know and plan:The WWWWhat is the www or the internet? Basically a network of websites from all over the world you can access via your computer for which you need an internet connection and a browser. Internet connections are available from ISPs, and most of the popular browsers are free downloads from the internet. Just like writing/typing an address on a postal envelope, you type the website address in the browser...
Ten Steps to a Winning Home Page
Posted by Piscean
There's no doubt about it - the first page your site visitors see is the most important page of your website. If your home page isn't appealing, chances are the rest of your pages will never even be seen by your visitors. It helps to think of your home page as the "front door" to your online business. Will it invite people to come in and look around, or persuade them to take their dollars elsewhere? Here are ten tips for making your home page a winner:1) Don't keep them waiting. Obey the "Eight Second Rule" (the one that says your Web page should load in eight seconds or less even over slower modems). Otherwise the viewer will...
Website Checklist
Posted by Piscean
If you've just finished building your new website (or revamping your old one), how can you be sure it's "ready for prime time"? Or maybe your site's been around for awhile and you think it may be due for a makeover. Because Web technologies, techniques and standards change so rapidly, even a website that seems "cutting edge" when it's built can look obsolete a year later. Or maybe you started out with a barebones website and finally have the time and/or money to take it to the next level. If you'd to give your website the once over, here are ten aspects you should consider:Compatibility: Will your website display correctly for most people regardless of their computer hardware,...
How To Set Up A Professional Website On Your Own Using Web Templates
Posted by Piscean
To create professional websites is not an easy task by any means. There are many things that you got to take into consideration like easy navigation, strategic links, clean coding, professional layout, easy downloading, scanability, usability and so on. These are the elements that differentiate a professional website from a mediocre one. So in a way it's not designing the website that counts but how the website is designed.The only option that most of us have in order to design a good website is to hire a web- designer. Web-designers can help you come up with a great website that looks professional and is coded to perfection, but what about the time factor, leave alone the costs. Here's...
Sales Versus Customer Oriented Websites
Posted by Piscean
A pure sales site has only one purpose... to generate as much revenue as possible at any cost. In other words, your experience--good or bad--is inconsequential to the ultimate goal of the site and may well sacrifice customer satisfaction to make a sale.How many times have you gone back to buy from a website you've had a lousy experience with? My guess is not very often. I know I don't. How many times have you gone back to buy from a website you've had a great experience with? What was the difference between the two experiences? Do you think the website you had the great experience with was a customer oriented site? And, might it be the other...
Graphic Design Using Color
Posted by Piscean
Color is everywhere and conveys a message even if we don't realize it. While this message can vary by culture it pays to know what colors "say" in your own corner of the universe, and even what color means to your target market.If you don't think that color speaks just complete this sentence, "red means ---- and green means -" even a child will know what red means stop and green means go. If such simple ideas work for all of a given culture or market what could it mean to the graphic design of your website, brochure, or product if you know some of this information.First let's start with the basics. The color wheel. We've all seen...
Create A Stunning Drop Capital Effect On Your Web Pages
Posted by Piscean
Drop Capitals are frequently used in many newspapers, books and magazines in the offline world. You will frequently see the large capital letter sinking down into the first paragraph of articles, stories and chapters in the majority of publications you come across.The drop capital gives the page a nice finishing touch, and certainly adds a more professional looking feel.Online, the drop capital looks just as good on web pages as it does in print. The only drawback is that you can easily get the whole effect wrong, and end up with a less than appealing result.The wrong way...When most people attempt to create a drop capital effect on a web page, they usually just enlarge the first letter...
Making Good Websites that Stand Out
Posted by Piscean
Websites, there's literally billions of them out there in cyber-space. How many of them do you go to and just think this is boring, bland, or hard to use? It seems like too many to mention. So what makes a good website? I reckon it's about interaction. You've got to make the visitor interested. You've got to grab their attention. Many sites use plenty of bright and shiny gimmicks to attract you, but once you make it through to the content of the site it's just not worthy. A good site uses easy navigation, relevant content, and interactive media like comments and message boards. If you're fortunate, whoever builds your site may even have a few tricks up...
Give Your Jeans Some Attitude
Posted by Piscean
These days, jeans are becoming a basic building block of any wardrobe. Almost everywhere around the globe, you see people wearing jeans. From high-waist pants, capris, and cargos to tattered jeans and cigarette pants, the variety seems infinite. Jeans are becoming such a moth-eaten that they're coming to close quarters with being a total faux-pas. But how do you squeeze out a savvy style for your jeans without becoming too distinct? The answer: ACCESSORIZE! Exude style savvy with your jeans using the following tips:For low-waist jeans, use navel diamonds and gems to accentuate a cute belly-button. You can also wrap silver chain-belts around your tummy, to shimmer while you dance "the bump". For a totally 70's look, add...
How to Choose a Comfortable Pair of Shoes
Posted by Piscean
You've finally worn out those comfortable old shoes that you have been wearing for years. Finding a good pair of shoes is a bit like trying to find the perfect spouse; it takes a lot of looking around to find the perfect match. But shopping for shoes should not be a stressful experience. Here is a brief guide to help you find that perfect pair.The first thing you need to decide on is your budget, as this will limit which brands and perhaps styles, you can buy. Many discount footwear stores have great sales, sometimes giving you up to 80% off the original price or even running two for the price of one sales. So, if you see...
Cashew Caramel Bars
Posted by Piscean
"This cashew-caramel combination is reminiscent of a candybar." Original recipe yield: 30 bars.INGREDIENTS:3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt2 eggs1/2 cup chopped cashews1/2 cup packed brown sugar1/2 cup white sugar2 tablespoons butter1 1/2 tablespoons light cream1/3 cup chopped cashews1/4 cup packed brown sugar--------------------------------------------------------------------------------DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.To prepare Pastry: In a large bowl, mix the eggs and both sugars together. Blend inthe nuts and sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add to egg mixture andblend well. Press into the bottom of the greased pan.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. While pastry bakes, mix 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cream andcashews into the...