Essential elements of good web design

Your website is often the first time a prospect connects with your business. That’s why it needs to make the right impression and keep their attention.

Here are 8 tips to a great website user experience:

• Ditch the splash page: it’s become a thing of the past. Don’t annoy your user with this useless page, you have 10 seconds to grab their attention and if they have to wait to get to the core info – they won’t stick around.

• Easy navigation: that invites your visitor to explore the pages of your site is essential. Make sure the navigation buttons are clear and legible. Use underlines, breadcrumb navigation or different colour buttons to indicate which page the user is viewing.

• Clear contact: details are essential. Don’t make your user search your site for contact information. Ideally your phone number should be displayed on the top right hand corner of every page. A specific contact page with enquiry form is best, and reduces the risk of receiving spam. Adding an extra form to the home page for quick enquiries or quotes may assist traffic to your site.

• Subscription forms: help to build your database but you need to spell out to the user what they are signing up for. If it’s a newsletter, tell them how often they can expect to hear from you. Showing a newsletter sample or e-book sample on your website will assist the user in deciding if they want to subscribe.

• Pop up windows: will scream at your user and chase them away. Make sure your website is a calm and pleasant place to visit and respect your audience without the hard sell. Avoid blinking or flashing graphics, studies show that people find them extremely distracting.

• Photographs: can add a lot of personality to your website and help your target audience to connect with you. Stock photography is useful if chosen with care, however the best option is to organise an onsite photo shoot at your place of business. A professional photo of yourself and team on the appropriate page will allow your visitor to connect with you and personalise their website experience.

• Text: needs to be large enough to read and well contrasted. Black text on white is best for accessibility. White text on black or other colours can be difficult to read. Also consider that some people are colour blind, so keep colours simple and well contrasted to ensure your visitor is comfortable on your site. Large scrolling blocks of text will bore your visitor. Keep text to a minimum – succinct and informative is ideal.

• Make it mobile: as your site must be accessible on all devices such as tablets, iPads and mobile phones. It has to look good and function well so that your user can access all pages and contact you from the mobile website. (Tip: Flash sites do not work on Apple mobile devices).

The digital age is here to stay and websites are the porthole to your business. By keeping it simple, informative and easy to use your website will attract the right clients to your business.

 

Printed pixel fabric

I’m always looking for new mediums to show off my illustrations and pixel art, and I’ve already found a number of online companies that upload your artwork and apply it to all sorts of products. From cards and stickers to apparel and even lampshades, by far the most inspirational thing I’ve discovered has to be the custom printed fabric from Spoonflower.com

Spoonflower is an American company that will print your designs on to a variety of fabrics – they even let you sell your designs on their website! Over the past few years the quality of the prints have gone from great to even better. And they use eco-friendly printing and water-based inks.

Some of the ideas for uses for custom fabric that the Papercut team came up with included:

• cosmetic pouches
• cushion covers
• framed prints
• patchwork quilts
• patchwork pants
• upholstery

I would love make a pair or two of Peter Alexander-style pyjama pants out of some of my fabric. The only thing holding me back now is the fact that I can’t sew!

- Meagan

 

My favourite sense

I would hate to loose my sight, but almost equally, I would hate to loose my sense of smell. When I was a kid, one of the numerous things I wanted to be when I grew up was a Perfumer. I loved smelling my mum’s fragrances and the different levels of notes and combinations. I thought it was amazing that a smell could bring you back to a moment in your past and re-create it so vividly. Unfortunately I never became a perfumer, but my love of fragrances and scents stayed with me.

Claire loves burning essential oils at the Papercut studio and it creates a wonderful atmosphere, can energise and help you work better. I’ve just recently added to my oil collection and I’m still learning about the benefits of aromatherapy and what particular smells help with particular issues but I’m a firm believer in it. It’s just another way that fragrance and scents amaze me and why I would hate to live without them.

– Susannah

Photo credit: http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com

 

Never let me go

I was going to write about hand-drawn illustration this week but find myself heading in a completely different direction. I have to tell you about a movie I saw last week that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. The film is called ‘Never Let Me Go’ which is based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and stars Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield.

The story begins in an idyllic English boarding school, where the three friends spend their childhood. Right from the start, the viewer gets the impression that things aren’t quite what they seem. This is confirmed in an affecting scene where Miss Lucy, the new School Mistress, tells the children about their lives and futures.

The remainder of the film follows the children as they grow to adulthood, fall in love and fulfill their destinies.

The acting was wonderful, especially Andrew Garfield. The viewer really feels his pain, anger and frustration.

I’ve been dwelling on this story for the last week. Thinking about what it means to live a short life, about a society whose technology overtakes its ethics and the ability to accept the inevitable.

I loved this film, it was thought provoking and painful at times but had a message of hope, love and courage.

K

 

What is Visual Communication

This month at Papercut we’ve been talking a lot about branding, and how essential brands are for businesses of all sizes.

It’s been good to be reminded of those key elements that make up a brand identity toolkit, components that supplement your logo and form the graphic ‘face’ of your business.

It might help to think of your logo as the ‘boss’ of your brand, and the visual communication elements as the ‘employees’. In most of your communication materials, your logo won’t appear by itself, it will have the help of all of these visual elements to accomplish its job of communicating and connecting with your target market.

Some of the key design elements include font styles, colours, shapes and layouts.  They all work together to create the impression of your business, and the way your business presents to your customers.

Your Visual Communication can include design elements such as:

• Font styles: You should have a small collection of typefaces, font weights, and styles that you use regularly in your materials. Consider fonts for both print and web use, and specify styles for headlines, subheads, and body copy in each case.

• Colours: Creating a colour palette for your business can add flexibility to your marketing materials and give you an easy resource to go to when choosing colours for illustrations, graphics, or any other part of your Visual Communication. If you keep your colours consistent and limited, then you’ll develop a more focused palette that will be easier for your audience to associate with your business.

• Shapes: The shape that you use for your bullets, break-out boxes, colour-blocked areas, and even borders in your materials can create a strong visual component that will contribute to your brand memorability.

• Layout: The layout of a marketing piece covers elements like the number of columns and the placement of all of the other Visual Communication elements. Remember that white space allows the eyes to rest, white space in any layout is crucial.

• Backgrounds: Using background screens or shapes, or even a specially designed watermark, can give your materials extra flair. You can also develop a special background that will make your materials stand out.

• Photographs: Photos can add a lot of personality to your materials and really help you to connect with your target audience. Stock photography is easily accessed; buy a few shots that are compelling and really match the rest of your Visual Communication. Make sure that you buy the highest resolution and the largest possible size to ensure you have images for both print and web.

• Paper type: Printing your materials on a special type of paper can make them look even more interesting. Papers come in different colours, textures, and thicknesses that can contribute to the uniqueness of your brand.

Crafting a tool kit for your visual communication and then using it consistently will define your business in the marketplace and create a strong brand.

 

Facing the fear

I went to Jamberoo last weekend and had an awesome time! It’s great to feel like a kid again; running around barefoot in swimmers, screaming just for the hell of it and holding people under the waterfall… against their will!

But I really felt like a kid when I came to line up for The Rock, a 5m jump into deep water. At first 5m didn’t sound too bad and there were kids that looked 10yrs old lining up. I figured if they can do it, surely I can. I was never a big fan of heights, but I hate regretting anything, so once I’d lined up I knew I’d have to see it through. As we got closer 5m started to look like 10m, and people in front that had looked over the edge were chickening out. Maybe this was going to be harder than I thought.

Painfully, it came to my turn. As soon as the lifeguard said it was clear, I knew any hesitation meant I wouldn’t do it, so I didn’t look down, I just jumped straight away. The fear on my face must’ve been hilarious! My legs were shaking for a good 10min afterwards, but the pride I felt in myself for facing the fear lasted the rest of the day.

By Susannah

Image from http://travel.stills360.com/experience/kiama-and-jamberoo-park/

 

Water Snakes and Ladders

While cleaning out cupboards recently I came across an old board game of Snakes & Ladders and I brought it into work. We played the game at our morning tea and it brought back childhood memories of a simple time when fun could be had interacting with people rather than an electronic device.

Snakes & Ladders

Then I received some information about 2013 being the year of the Water Snake so I thought I’d share what I’ve learnt.

We have just celebrated the Chinese New Year and this is the year of the Water Snake. This is a Yin year, meaning it will be more passive and gentle compared with the tension of 2012. It brings with it optimism, romance and a love of the finer things in life. The Snake symbolises change, travel, adventure and restlessness. The Snake sheds it’s old skin and starts anew, this is a transformation year and one of healing and new beginnings. Source Sacred Feng Shui

Totem Art by Ravenari

This is a great time to de-clutter and clear to make way for new energy. By removing old stuff from your life you will begin the healing process and attract the new.

May the Year of the Snake bring you abundance and peace.

Namaste
Claire