Design on the mind

Hi Folks, Any of you feeling disappointed with your broadband download speeds? Did the lovely salesman tell you on the phone you would be getting 8mb of band width? Well, what they mean is…”up to 8mb”. All the major broadband providers will give you a contention ratio of 1:50 which means that you are sharing your 8MB with 50 other users. Probably explains why your connection speed is rubbish at peak times.

Anyway, the Gadget Show have started a campaign to make these companies be a bit more truthful about the service that they are providing. They have set up a device on their website that will measure your broadband performance and log the results for you.

Do your broadband test here

Here is what ours looked like…….

Fantastic, isn’t it? We are a web design company for goodness sake!!

Anyway we are in the process of changing our service provider to a company who have promised a much better contention ratio of 1:2.5. So I will let you all know how it goes. In the mean time join the campaign if you aren’t happy with your broadband service.

Any thoughts anyone?

Toni 

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During the process of designing a website I find that very often the job of writing the copy for the site is completely underestimated. I suppose to the client the look and functionality of the website are foremost in their minds. Of course these are vitally important, but getting the copy right is also important and should not be overlooked.

When you actually sit down to write about your own company or services you will probably find that it is quite hard. It is not uncommon for people to struggle with it and then have to extend the deadline of their website or seek professional copywriting services at the last minute.

The main thing to remember is; keep reminding yourself of who you are writing for. Firstly you are writing for your web visitors (or human audience) who you will hopefully convert into customers. Secondly you are writing for the search engines to ensure good positions in the listings.

For your human visitors the main things to bear in mind are:

• Focus on the benefit to the reader – Be sure to tailor the copy to the reader’s interests or the benefits to their business. How can your product or service make a difference to them? Nobody wants to read endless drivel about when your company was founded, what you eat for breakfast etc etc.

• Keep the first paragraph of any body of text simple and to the point – readers can get the information that they want quickly and then make the choice to read on for more detailed information if they want to.

• Don’t confuse your objective with long words or over wordy sentences.

• Check your spelling and grammar – Not very professional to have misspelled words all over the place.

For the Search Engines, bear these points in mind:

• Keep each body of text focused on a researched key phrase – The search engine crawlers scan the text and analyze it to find out what the page is about. It is important that you thoroughly research the key phrases that your visitors use, so that your page will be listed high on the search engine results pages for that term.

• Keyword Density – Getting the balance right is important. You need to make sure that the relevant key words/phrases appear in the copy but you don’t want to over do it either. Google in particular can spot a piece of copy that is overloaded with a key phrase a mile away and you might be penalized for keyword stuffing. (Your human readers won’t like it either).

So, whatever your product or service, be sure to keep both audiences happy when writing the copy for your website. Any other top tips out there?

Toni

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Yesterday, I had an experience that I thought I would share with you all. Our colour copier in the office had ground to a halt. I urgently needed some A4 proofs printed, so I dashed round the corner to a print shop close by.

I explained my predicament and that I was from Deckchair round the corner. The solemn faced man gave me the price for the job and said that he could have them done by the end of the day. He was a bit on the pricey side but I was pushed for time and was assured of a quality job.

I returned to his shop later on and was handed my pile of proofs. My jaw dropped, they were AWFUL; covered in white lines and scratches and completely unusable.

“What are all these white lines?” I ask

“Oh” he said, obviously hoping that I wouldn’t notice them, “It’s the imaging drum; we are waiting for a new one, I can redo them for you in a few days”. He hadn’t listened to me when I said the job was URGENT!

“So, you knew it was faulty when I came in earlier?” I asked Incredulously

He shrugged in an annoying noncommittal way.

“Well”, I said “I can’t possibly pay for these, they are unusable”.

Looking annoyed he grabbed the pile of prints and tore them up, then tossed them into the bin behind him.
I was quite speechless (rare for me I know). Without any sort of apology or explanation he returned to his rancid little back office. I left.

Thinking about this afterwards I wondered how long he would be able to stay in business, he had made every mistake in the book:

• He took the print job on knowing the quality would be poor, which is outrageous.
• He insulted me by trying to sell me the substandard work; hoping I wouldn’t notice.
• Then by not apologizing for the error or accepting any responsibility for it, he made himself even more unlikable.
• He offered a solution that was no good to me.
• He missed a business relationship opportunity with a graphic design company a few hundred yards away.

Who in their right mind would return to his shop?

Thanks folks I feel much better having shared that with you.
Got any print horror stories that you would like to share?
Want to have a rant about a rubbish customer service experience?

Toni

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This is a fascinating yet possibly controversial series of photographs depicting the process of cremating a human body. Although the usual purpose of this blog is to talk about design, I felt it was an opportunity to highlight what I find to be an interesting topic for discussion and give you a sneak peek at the latest work of a great photographer (and good friend of mine).
Stephen Lewis has been a press photographer working for various newspapers since 1998; he now also does weddings in a documentary style. Over the last few years he has been doing an MA in photography (like he didn’t have enough to do already). This exhibition is part of the final show for the course.

Stephen talks about his work:
“I initially set out to document the mechanical process of cremation but found my own mantra for the project in the ‘The devil’s in the details’. That is, little elements of the process became fascinating and I found even the most mundane of objects in such an environment became charged with significance and symbolism. Metaphors of death, symbolic suggestion of religious belief, suggestion of an after-life, even the evidence of life itself, in the most mundane items and even in the construction of the crematorium itself.”

“The more obvious imagery can be found in the photographs of the actual burning of the body which reflect a hell-ish vision. These were achieved through the viewing aperture which is a small window of very thick glass. The intense temperatures inside the chamber and the glass itself created a slight distortion, this coupled with the speed and unpredictability of the flame movement and no way of knowing how the body will ’sit’ as the coffin burns away, made it a challenging but extremely fascinating process with which to work.”

“One central aim of this project was to show the unseen ‘journey’ that many of us will take but obviously never experience and through that journey to confront the viewer with the processes of death and our own mortality. Ultimately I have found through the care and attention to every detail taken in the cremation process, a sense of the dignity ascribed to the dead and through that a sense of our own humanity.”

See the exhibition and that of the other MA grads:

Personally I find this work fascinating, thought provoking and original. What do you think? Do you feel moved by the pictures? Offended?

Toni 

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We have designed a few websites for schools in and around Bristol in the last year and have just launched our latest project; the new website for Colston’s Girls’ School.

Colston’s approached us at Deckchair to design an up-to-date and fresh website using the Colston’s colours and style. They wanted the website to become a resource for students, staff, parents, govenors and prospective parents and students. They also needed the website to be updateable by their staff, include an ecommerce shop and many other features.

The website features:

• A bespoke content management system – allowing staff to update all areas of the website themselves and upload information and pdf files easily.
• Ecommerce shop to sell uniform, sports kit and stationery.
• ‘Letter to home’ feature, allowing letters to be directly sent to parents from the website.
• A-Z index of content and site map.
• Slide show of images on the home page created in Flash.
• Professional photography session including the school buildings, lessons, students, staff portraits and more to produce quality pictures for the website and printed materials.
• Training sessions and support for the staff to use the content management system.

 If you need any advice or help with content management systems or you are wondering if a system like this would benefit your business then give us a call for a chat or pop in for a cup of tea if you are local.

Toni

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Last night, when I got home from work, all hell had broken loose, my daughter (aged 3), had stuck her hand onto a hot light bulb and was screaming the place down. After putting her hand under the tap for 5 minutes I rushed at top speed to the chemist round the corner.

The pharmacist recommended a spray to take the pain away. Great! It was then that I realized I had left my purse at home! Not so great! (They were about to close).
“No problem” he said, “take the spray now, and call by in the next few days to give me the money”. What a nice guy! This kind of trust is rare these days I think, don’t you?

What on earth does this have to do with design? I hear you ask. Well it got me thinking about the trust involved in the relationship between designer and client. In fact, its not just designers; in many of the service industries there has to be an element of trust between the parties. As a designer, I think you only have to have your fingers burned once before you protect yourself, legally, against the sort of people who want to rip you off.

Most design agencies have staggered or stage payment systems in place so as to avoid the situation where the client disappears into the sunset without paying at the end of a three month project. I suppose for web designers, at least there is the option to just take the website down if the client doesn’t cough up. Although this doesn’t pay for the hours of design work spent on the project.

Aside from the money issue, there is another element of trust that rears its head every now and then. Why is it that people think that designers should do spec work for nothing? In other words, come up with preliminary work for no payment to pitch for a job or ‘prove’ that they can do it? Surely the client looked at the designer’s portfolio and liked the work. That is what a portfolio is for, is it not? The client should trust that the designer will deliver the goods, or don’t hire him/her.

Design is a professional service, not a commodity. What do you think?

Toni

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With a website’s potential to be so dynamic, it’s often a good idea to have a content management system, which allows non-technical staff, with a little bit of training, to update certain areas of a site. This means potentially you can update your website everyday, adding news stories, uploading a photo or changing product details without having to contact the web developer.

Now this is sounds all fine and dandy at the planning stage or when the site is being put together, but there are big implications for the site owners once the website is complete. Who is going to do the updates? How are you going to ensure the quality of the content? Who is responsible? Once the site has been handed over these are now an internal issue.

Some companies embrace their new content management systems; the site grows and becomes a great, up-to-date resource for customers and internal staff. This relies on one or a few members of staff dedicating time to the site on a regular basis, making sure they integrate it into their busy work schedules and the business or organisation will soon reap the benefits.

When getting a new site developed with a content management system make sure you have the resources to handle the site, if you don’t it may become a thorn in your side. If you gain control of your website and maintain the content, it can become one of the most important parts of your business.

We can help you with a complete web solution, ongoing strategy and the training your staff will need to maintain the site.

Ollie

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Supposing you were to employ the services of an experienced web design company whose SEO consultancy services were second to none. Once on board, your entire online marketing strategy was overhauled. From relevant content, linking strategies and web traffic analysis the job was done.

Within a short space of time you are climbing to the first page of the SERPs and you have quality traffic driven to your site. You are absolutely thrilled….But can you handle it? The phone is ringing off the hook; your email inbox is full of enquiries and requests for quotes. Your dippy receptionist is finding it hard to cope and your head of sales has gone off sick.

OK I may have exaggerated the situation slightly. But you need to be aware that if you make drastic changes to your online (or offline) marketing strategies you need to be prepared internally for the increased business. Can you cope with the calls? Do you have enough stock? Do you have enough staff?

Are you based in Bristol? Does your company need a new web marketing strategy? Search engine optimization? Pay per click campaign management? Web traffic analysis?
Give us a call at Deckchair 0117 9299150

Toni

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As a web design company, we have clients from a whole range of different businesses. We have been approached by all sorts of companies; some of which we have found to be ethically unsound. Either the line of business is unethical or they have wanted us to do something we don’t agree with, in either case, the client is shown the door.
 
Aside from the obvious moral stance of not wanting to be involved with the project; working with an unethical company will more than likely damage your reputation.
 
Would you work with a client whose product or values you don’t agree with? Where do you draw the line?

Toni

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Well, let’s try to define what makes a design good; I suppose a design can be ‘good’ if someone says that it is – so a validation of approval means that it works for that individual. But does approval from the right person makes it good? Think about controversial works of art like a Damien Hurst piece for example, you probably couldn’t get a more divided opinion on that!

Perhaps a design should be considered good if it succeeds at its purpose. A chair design for example has to fulfill a practical function i.e. not falling over when it is sat on. But the aesthetics of the design of the chair are a different matter and all people have different tastes.

It is the same for graphic design, a logo design succeeds when it projects the image and ethos of the company, it is distinctive, memorable, appeals to the target market and it stands out from its competitors. But I can guarantee that each person’s perception of what looks good and ticks those boxes will be different.

With any type of visual design the perception of whether it is good or not is totally subjective. People’s expectations will be different according to what their previous experience has been or what they have aspired to in the past. Take the London Olympic logo, someone somewhere along the line must have thought it looked good, but most of us think it is an absolute monstrosity. Perhaps it was a classic case of ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’. So the question is; is it a good or a bad design? (Personally I have to say very bad!)

So picture the situation – a company approaches the graphic design company wanting a new image, their old logo looks like it came from the seventies and their brand needs a serious make over. After initial talks and discussions with decision makers the design company comes up with a stunning choice of logos for the client to have a look at.

Most of the panel like design number one, but the director doesn’t (it was his son who designed the old one from his bedroom during his gap year). He sets the designer on a new direction with the design (a visually painful one). But the Director ultimately has the final say on the company’s new logo and even if all around him can see that his choice is going to be detrimental to the company image, he forges ahead. Is his decision right or wrong?

I’m sure there are hundreds of graphic designers out there who have come across the scenario; the client is hell bent on pursuing his choice of design (for whatever reason) and then has the designer develop it further into even more of an eye sore. As a designer you can only do your best to fulfill the brief and try to guide the client in the right direction, but if they really won’t take your advice you can only wonder why they hired the services of a professional designer in the first place. Surely it was because you know the industry and have infinite knowledge and experience in your field.

So is a good design that the client doesn’t like, still a good design? Or is the poor design that the client does like, a good design? What do you think?

Toni

Related Article: Logo Design Trends

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