Feb 14, 2012
For months now, we’ve been talking about the exploding trend toward using smart phones and tablets as the primary connection to the Internet. I have to admit that I was preaching the news, but didn’t really accept it. Now I do.
So far this morning I’ve used my iphone to check the news, read email, GPS directions to the car dealership, oh, and talk to the office. Six months ago I was always leaving my phone in my purse and forgetting to turn it on. Now it’s my constant companion. If it were waterproof, it would go right into the shower with me. I no longer see a phone but an all-purpose, irreplaceable assistant for my life.
I know there are folks who are ferociously resisting this role for technology. But I’m sold. Are you?
Now one of our oldest and dearest projects, the Cardinal’s Appeal for the Archdiocese of Washington, has gone mobile. It was an exciting challenge to take this finely-tuned, historic campaign into mobile technology.
Designing a mobile site is more than just “shrinking” an existing site. To be effective, a mobile site must display only the most pertinent information that people need when they’re on the go. A mobile user experience (there’s that UX again!) is not the same as the PC desktop experience.
Take a look at the difference in the two Cardinal’s Appeal sites to see what I mean.
- Navigation. We designed a simple navigation system with large buttons that were easy to activate on a touch screen.
- Content. Although the desktop website has a generous amount of stories, history and information to offer, the mobile site only includes the most critical content: About the appeal, donate and contact, with sub-links to the main site and the Spanish version.
- Branding. Although the viewing area is small, we made it a priority to honor was the branding for the campaign. Remember, a mobile site is just one more tool that you can use to establish an identity and set yourself apart from your competition. The same design and marketing standards have to apply.
posted by Anya Kholodnov | No Comments
Feb 14, 2012
We see it over and over again. Organizations invest time and money to redesign their web sites but still load as much information as possible into each page. They want fancy functionality and beautiful design, but don’t take time to “clean their content closet.”
Our top goal as web designers is to offer a satisfying experience to site visitors. That means getting people to the information they need quickly and making it easy for them to act. In web lingo, this is called a “positive user experience” or UX (if you’re into acronyms).
The emerging wisdom today for web content development is “less is more.” Sometimes our clients struggle to understand that the key to effective communication is to keep the information as simple as possible.
Jakob Nielsen, a guru of usability, says that the experience of a consumer is akin to a journey. He says, “Keep journeys short and focused to allow users to reach information quickly and easily; anything less and they’re going to go elsewhere.”
Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, recommends, “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.”
Here are some tips to give your visitors the experience they deserve.
- Organize, organize, organize. Think about why people come to your site, what they most need and the most direct way to get them there. Tailor the content to support their goals more than yours.
- Anticipate user mistakes. Make every process easy whether it’s using an online donation form or accessing contact information or finding in-depth articles. Even with the best planning, mistakes always will occur. Be sure to provide an obvious way for visitors to “undo” actions when they make an error or change their minds.
- Help visitors focus. Consumers can be easily distracted by bright colors, bold text and moving objects. Keeping this in mind, if you want the consumer to stay focused keep the distractions at a minimum.
- Lean on the experience of your web development team. Sometimes your internal staff may have a strong attachment to content even though it is no longer helpful to site users. An objective assessment can help you know when it’s time to let content go, just like that 10-year-old sweatshirt crammed into your closet.
posted by Anya Kholodnov | No Comments
Jan 20, 2012
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial which opened to the DC public on August 25, 2011 has been hitting the news circuits this week, particularly in the midst of the MLK holiday on Monday. What was supposed to be a memorial honoring Dr. King’s life and work has become an example of the vital importance of thorough planning with the appropriate people prior to producing a design. At the center of the controversy is a quote chiseled into the granite, which shortens and paraphrases Dr. King’s words. The public is outraged that the quote is not a reflection of Dr. King’s humble character but instead portrays an image of a boastful leader. In light of the public outcry Interior Secretary Ken Salzaar has ordered a plan to fix the erroneous “mis”-quotation. A situation like this is a nightmare to small business owners everywhere. An artist has created a piece of art that probably went through several rounds of approvals before creation. Now the artwork is finished and someone wants to make changes. Making changes in granite is not easy or cheap. I immediately thought, “who is going to pay for this?” It was a wakeup call to pay attention to this very serious step in the design process – the approval. An important question that needs to be addressed in the beginning of every project is “who is the decision maker?” “Who is giving the approval?” “Should the idea be tested before implementation?” The controversy with the quote on the King Memorial could have been avoided if the quote was vetted by people who had the authority to make changes. It’s a very unfortunate situation with an expensive fix.
posted by Anya Kholodnov | No Comments
Jan 18, 2012
As I sat in front of my computer this morning checking my email and searching for news, I was jolted out of my hazy ritual by an outcry on Facebook and a black screen on Google. Site after site that I visited had some form of black square with the words “censorship” written across the page. I wasn’t sure what it all meant at first but I immediately thought about the power of the message and the Internet. I couldn’t help but think about the design, marketing and media possibilities that aren’t being explored. The Internet blackout campaign today, in protest of the Senate Protect-IP ACT (PIPA) and the House of Representatives Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a powerful reminder of what is possible on the Internet and the significant voice that it has. The lights are out at Google and Wikipedia and everyone on Facebook is spreading the word. This shows that an idea with a little passion, creativity and organization can spread like wildfire. According to Eric Qualman, author of Socialnomics, “We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it.” I’d say this protest campaign is using the Internet potential to get its message out loud and clear.
posted by Anya Kholodnov | 1 Comment
Nov 21, 2011
Graves Fowler just got a package of “Way to Go” certificates. One of our fundraising campaigns, a logo and a marketing package all received American Graphic Design Awards. The competition honors outstanding design in all forms of media. It’s sponsored by Graphic Design USA, a New York-based news magazine for our industry and has been an annual tradition for over 40 years. Here are the winners.
The Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area needed a new identity, marketing strategy and materials. GF worked with them for two campaigns to launch the identity and establish recognition. The result? A record-breaking total of over $132 million in pledges.
National Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning asked GF to create the identity for a national initiative that would educate people about the link between unhealthy housing and children’s health. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Centers for Disease Control and other major Federal agencies have partnered with the Coalition to provide an integrated approach to this important issue.
Nativity Miguel Network of Schools asked GF to develop new marketing materials that would help them open doors to education for underserved students across the country and make clear this organization’s leading role in the field.
posted by cfowler | 5 Comments
Nov 21, 2011
Quick Response or QR codes are those digitized boxes that are popping up everywhere on ads, merchandise signs and billboards these days. They provide links to online resources, text messages, contact information and more. You access the information with a smart phone app that reads the code and makes the connection. Are they a smart strategy for your organization?
I decided to scan every QR code I could find for one week and answer the “why” question for myself. Here are three lessons I learned in my unofficial research.
1. Some QR codes substitute for home page URLs
Many of the codes just took me to a main landing page for the company web site. Several of the sites were difficult to view on an iPhone. A magazine ad (yes, I had time to read a good old-fashioned magazine!) for Arkansas tourism used this approach. Remember, QR codes will be scanned by mobile devices. That means wherever you take users, they will be viewing the information on the go. If you direct them to a web site that isn’t optimized for mobile viewing, you’re wasting your time. Even worse, you’re wasting the time of a potential customer or supporter.
Lesson learned: If you include a QR code in your marketing, use it to provide something of unique value, and make sure that the destination is mobile-friendly.
2. QR codes can carry branding or act as design elements, but be careful
My reader wouldn’t recognize one code that I found on a sports bar coaster. Was it my reader? Was it because the code was white with a dark background? Figuring out an answer was a hassle, so I didn’t bother to find out where the QR code would take me.
Lesson learned: You can do a lot to customize a QR code with branding, etc., but test to make sure it will still be scannable by standard readers.
3. QR codes still have to prove their value
Some experts say that QR codes are overrated gizmos. If we use them as just another way to bring users to our home pages, then I predict that they will lose their appeal quickly. Plopping a QR code on a sign or ad isn’t enough. The strategy must be to provide people with quick access to special information that helps them make decisions, connect with real-time news or dig deep into what you offer.
At the California Amgen Tour, the Radio Shack team did just that. On their promotional t-shirts, the big QR code took me to a Twitter feed of the race and helped me follow Team RadioShack during the leg of the race that was in progress. I felt like an insider, a member of the “tribe.” And I knew what I was going to get before I ever scanned the code, because that information was built into the t-shirt design. Now that’s a smart QR code strategy.
Lesson: Like all good marketing tools, QR codes are only as good as the strategy that drives them.
In the next 18 months, more people will be getting their information through mobile devices than desktop or laptop computers. QR codes can be a useful part of your overall marketing strategy to respond to this reality. Use them well!
posted by cfowler | No Comments
Oct 20, 2011
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York established National Design Week in 2006 to draw attention to all the ways design influences our daily lives. This week I am taking a few moments to honor to some aspects of design that make life work better for people and communities.
Arrows
This morning on my usual bike route, I started to notice arrows everywhere. This humble symbol has a lot to do with design. From hand-drawn pointers to iconic logos, arrows direct us to safety, to information, to services and other stuff of life. As I rode on, even the trees started pointing to me!
Designers are symbol people. They create the arrows and letters and icons that communicate simple ideas or launch movements. Today, hats off to John Baskerville, Claude Garamond, Eric Gill, Herman Zapf and all the type designers who have given shape and form to the words and symbols of our lives.
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Oct 17, 2011
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York established National Design Week in 2006 to draw attention to all the ways design influences our daily lives. Each day this week I am taking a moment to honor to some aspect of design that makes life work better for people and communities.
Thank you, Freeport Regional Water Authority
For Monday, kuddos go to local government in California. (Bet that doesn’t happen often these days!) I live near the Sacramento River where two regional water authorities worked together to build an intake plant that draws water from the river and distributes it to key areas throughout the region.
The facility sits at the end of a walking/biking path. It could have been a bleak, industrial end to a beautiful hike in California’s Central Valley. Instead, the design is a well-integrated, graceful building that graphically celebrates the river and the life it brings to the land.
The project was many years in the making, but it has been worth the wait. Thanks to design, this levee landmark offers a serene welcome to my neighbors as well as thousands of travelers heading toward the city along the nearby freeway.
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Oct 11, 2011
A weekly post of catchwords that buzz around today. The BZZZ for this week is: National Design Week
It’s that time again. Next week is National Design Week. We’re all over this chance to revel in all things creative. The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York established this commemoration in 2006 to draw attention to all the ways design influences our daily lives.
With the passing of Steve Jobs last week, I hope that his impact receives a proper spotlight. I’m sitting in my office surrounded by his design. I spend many hours a day hands-on with his beautiful and functional products.
The American Institute of Graphic Arts’ Washington DC chapter is hosting a great selection of events to honor the week. Even if you are far from the professional world of design, I’m issuing a challenge to you. Each day next week, take a moment to appreciate some aspect of design that makes a difference for the better in the way life works. It won’t be hard to find examples.
Let me know what you find, and I’ll do the same.
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Sep 16, 2011
By 2013, more people will access the Internet from mobile phones and tablets than a desktop computer. Are you making the transition with your web site and marketing?
Here’s a start.
In June, Graves Fowler Creative hosted a virtual open house and round table discussion about the shift to mobile technology. “Best Practices: Choosing a Mobile Strategy that Works for You” grew out of that event.
Download your free copy today >>
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Cindy Fowler is the editor of Smart Thinking / Great Design. Her insights and practical approaches come from over 35 years in marketing design, many miles on a bicycle and life as a fearless babyboomer in the world of social media. 
