One of the first questions prospective clients ask is “How much should I budget for a website?” I can’t give you an accurate answer on the spot for a few reasons. But I understand why you’re asking. You’re curious about a ballpark figure because you want to reduce your risk. You’re asking to make sure […]
How Much Should You Budget For Your Website?
Why You Should Be Gathering Web Content Early
There’s something amiss about the way most of us are designing and producing websites today. I’ve been noticing it for a long time, and it’s something that almost every designer I know is guilty of. I can’t even say I’m calling anyone out on this, because it feels like 95% of freelancers, agencies, and consultancies […]
The Best Time To Create Content
The best time to create content is before you begin building your website. Most site owners and web design studios get this equation backwards, and focus on visual elements and logos first. While a professional logo is important to have, a site without great content is not useful to anyone. Having content prepared for your […]
Managing Images in WordPress
Managing images in WordPress is done through the Media Library in the back-end. There are things you can do to make it easier and more efficient. Uploading and finding the images you need for a particular string of posts can be difficult if you are hunting through a series of photos that look similar. Making […]
Mobile First Web Design
Working with web technologies means keeping up with the blistering pace of change. In the past few years, the web has transformed from primarily desktop to mobile. The next few years will continue that evolution as more devices and screen types become part of the web. For many organizations, this creates both a problem and […]
Content First Web Design
Perhaps the most underestimated component of a website is its content. Like print, radio, and television before it, the internet is a unique information-sharing technology with its own advantages and challenges. Yet many web studios inadvertently teach their clients that the presentation matters a lot, and what is being presented matters far less. I believe […]
Using Adobe Color (Kuler) for Web Design
Update, May 2015: Adobe changed the name of this product from Adobe Kuler to Adobe Color CC. Adobe Color is a visual tool that lets you create and save color palettes, with up to five colors in each. I like using Adobe Color for web design, especially in the planning stages, because it allows me […]
Web Design Research Creates Successful Projects
Your website is a big deal. It is your number one marketing tool, so getting it right is important. Many small and mid-sized organizations have to align their internal forces and gather their resources to get a web project in motion. If a web project is executed ineffectively, it may be a while before the […]
Design And Creativity Are Not The Same
Many people talk about designers or anyone else in the web industry as creatives. This enforces a destructive fallacy. Design and creativity are not synonymous, even though that’s how they are perceived. Allow me to explain. When people think of creatives, they think of the Mad Men era team sitting around brainstorming—waiting for inspiration to […]
2013 Year in Review
2013 is coming to a close, and seems a good time to reflect on what I accomplished professionally this year. After seeing many other web industry leaders tabulate their last 365 days, I thought it might be fun to do likewise. I will be doing this every year around the end of December, or the […]