by Lana Antonova (Founder / Creative Director of WebVixxen Design)
“In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”
On a daily basis we hear our friends complain about their jobs. This isn’t surprising. Most people are dissatisfied with their jobs. In fact, 70 percent of Americans aren’t engaged by what they do for a living. There are around 120 million full-time workers in the U.S. right now and 84 million of them don’t really like their jobs.
Are you one of them?
by Lana Antonova (Founder / Creative Director of WebVixxen Design)
Is there any way to switch to the other side? Absolutely.
“To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” ~ Chuang-Tzu
The beauty of life is that we constantly have the opportunity to change it.
We always have the power to recreate it. We can change our thoughts, remember how to live instead of planning each moment, forgive the past, be present for the now, slow down the speed, and push the reset button on a day that has escaped us.
Notwithstanding the onslaught of competitors from across the contemporary tablet space, Apple’s iPad remains the dominant device for eCommerce.
Apple’s iPad is still the top dog. In fact, close to 9 out of every 10 tablets that connect to an eCommerce site is an iPad. Even more important for retailers to understand is that iPad owners spend more when shopping online than their Android counterparts.
All told, tablets and smartphones claimed 21.02 percent of ecommerce-related traffic in the quarter, compared to just 2 percent two years ago. Tablets, however, led smartphones (10.44 percent) in ecommerce traffic.
“Your brand is the magnet that draws consumers to your product or service.”
Here are a few rules to follow:
1. Understanding the value of a well designed brand identity.
“Make it a priority and find money to invest in it right away.” So many people have a business idea, ask their cousin or a colleague’s wife, who dables in photoshop, to design a logo and say, ‘That’s my brand.’ That’s a mistake. Your brand often is the most important thing beyond the product itself.”
Every professional graphic designer needs the right equipment. The top computers are helping designers create high-end designs a lot faster and easier.
Whether you’re a seasoned graphic designer or you’re new to the graphic design scene, having access to the right computers for graphic design can make a difference. The following are the best computers for graphic design according to graphic design experts.
We sent out a Twitter (follow us) message to our followers asking what their favorite inspirational quote was. Below you will find the first 40+ responses. Hope this inspires your day!
It was also interesting to note, that not one person had the same favorite quote.
“An artist cannot fail. It is a success to be one.”
“Unless you move, the place where you are is the place where you will always be.”
“The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”
“Do what you love to do, but don’t do it to the point where you don’t love it anymore.”
A photo speaks 1000 words. You can invest in impressive design, carefully crafted written content and seamless user journeys but if your photographic images aren’t up to standard, you might well be wasting your time and money. The internet is a visual environment, your online imagery is one of your most powerful tools to communicate with your audience, yet it’s so often an afterthought and then becomes a sticking point for the whole design process. Your website is your storefront to the world, treat it as you would treat a real shop window, make sure it is visually stimulating, enticing and a reflection of your business in the best possible way. If you are about to embark on new website or a website refresh in 2015, here are a few things to think about when considering your photographic content.
We always use professional photographers who have experience in shooting photography specifically for web design and are up-to-date with the latest technology. Check out other websites they’ve worked on and ensure that their style matches your business image.
Including your web designer in the photographic shoot will avoid having to compromise the design to fit the images later on. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the designer has to be present at the shoot but having a conversation about how the images are to be used can be very useful. Consider sharing wireframes or designs with the photographer in advance to give an insight into the types of shots that are required, for example, wide portraits of staff members with ample space to the left could be necessary for a particular layout over close up shots.
Stock photography can be incredibly useful and has its place in some web projects BUT always use it with caution. In an online environment, gaining the trust of the user is crucial if you want them to engage in your business. Real photographs, of YOUR people and YOUR products will go a long way to creating user trust.
Stock photography often lacks personality, whereas using genuine photography of your products or business will allow you to portray your brand’s values. So while it can be cheaper to buy stock over hiring a photographer, the benefits of using authentic photography to your business and your brand will out-weigh the potential cost.
We were able to take advantage of the great photography taken for our client Firefly by Leckey when we designed their new website. The high quality product and lifestyle images taken for the client have helped to emphasise how much joy the products can bring to families and show Firefly as a brand that really care about their customers.
