The Creative Design Blog

Author Archive

How To Utilize The Difference Between Web Design And Web Development Effectively

by Adriana Noton on Mar.05, 2010, under Uncategorized

Many people are interested in using the Internet to promote their business. Knowing the difference between web design and web development is important because while the terms are often used in place of one another, they are two very different things. Being able to speak with the people who are creating your website and use the proper terms can help reduce misunderstandings and speed up the creation process.

When a web site is being created, it uses both design and development before the site becomes “live”. That is, before a web site becomes visible and accessible by potential customers. When you are working with a company that is building your web site, they should be able to explain the importance of each of these processes to you and show you how your site is coming together at all of the different stages of completion.

Web design involves the way the website looks. Each website has a different feel and should stand out and be memorable for your customers. You want to make sure that different design elements such as color, font size and style and the position of images and text all work together to create a website that looks professional.

You want to find a site design that your customers will want to look at. Often, customers may have problems looking at a website that is too busy and if you add too many things or put design elements in the wrong spot it can leave you with a website which looks cheap and amateurish. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to the number of items on a web page. Experienced designers can help you pare down your page and make it look elegant and professional.

Web development however tends to deal more with the way the site works. This is also referred to as the back end of a website. You want to make sure that your site works well in that you want to make sure that you can navigate from one page to another easily, that the links work and that the images used will load properly and consistently.

If you have elements such as a shopping cart, you also need to make sure that this feature will also work well. The last thing you want is for clients to be unable to accomplish the business they need to do using your website. You can see how important proper web development is to the success of your site in general.

Experience is important when it comes to selecting the company that will create your site. If you can, make sure that you have one where there is both a designer and a developer on staff. This means that sound design principals can be used in order to make a beautiful looking site and the development staff can programming things properly so that everything works as it should.

If you work with the company that is creating your website, you may be amazed at how much of an increase your customer base will experience. So many people are using the Internet to research and locate the companies they want to deal with that if you do not have a website you are missing out on a huge potential customer base.

Vancouver Web Design is a full service design firm that have both the technical expertise and experience needed to provide the solutions to convert audiences into your customers. Toronto Web Design Company: Acro Media First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Suite 5700, Toronto, ON M5X 1C7(416) 915-3136‎ – (877) 763-8844‎

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , more...

The Smart Investment Of Choosing Custom Website Design

by Adriana Noton on Feb.12, 2010, under web design

Let’s face it being online with your business just isn’t good enough in this day and age. The internet is saturated with pages and what gets attention is a website that is not only good looking but highly functional. A cookie cutter design will bore the viewer. Having a custom website design will get your pages noticed and your business activated to the level of expectation your dreaming of.

Just as you studied and have a passion for your chosen career a designer who creates web pages is familiar with their drive. They seek to give originality and leave their mark on the world with the pages they create. It is not a chore to them it is an artful skill. This is the type of designer that you want in your corner.

This is the investment in the look and feel of your business and its online presence. There are many reasons more than this for your benefit and why you should consider a custom website design for you.

Competition: Every day you are online as a business you are in competition for business from other companies that provide the same or close to the same services. You are in competition for their attention from other company’s online presence. For this reason your website needs to be eye catching and informational.

Communication: Your site needs to effectively communicate who you are and what you do in an original way. It also needs to be easy to navigate for the viewer. Pages need to be legible and communicative with good copy that doesn’t just say blah, blah, blah.

Professionalism: You want a site that reflects the professional that you are. You have seen the self made looks of some websites you stumble upon. This is not the image you want to portray. Rather you want to be taken seriously as a serious business with a serious look on your site.

Branding: Your website needs to with out any doubt states who you are as a company presence. Branding is the way that a company does this. The website needs to be an extension of the branding that you are creating for your product or your service. When a customer sees your site they need to instantaneously remember that this is who you are and remember who you are with its image.

Creativity: Let’s not get too serious. Whatever your business is you need to represent yourself with all of the above in a creative way. This will enable you to stand out above the competition, communicate your professionalism and brand who you are. Using technology in a fun and creative way will do all of this. A web designer has the skills to get you to that level.

If you want to get serious about your online presence then you need to think seriously about your website design. You may have ideas but let a professional take your ideas to the next level. Trust their creativity with your vision. You can find many designers online and see sample of their work.

Is your company’s website in desperate need of a overhaul? A full service design firm that has been doing quality Toronto web design and Web design Vancouver since 1998, they have both the technical expertise and experience needed to provide the solutions to convert audiences into your customers.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , , , more...

A Look At A Postal Code Map

by Adriana Noton on Jan.27, 2010, under multimedia

Countries throughout the world use a postal code map in their postal stations. These maps are compiled for each country, state, country, and region and are kept in a centralized location where they are scanned into scanning machines that are used in postal stations throughout the world.

The kinds of scanners that are used for postal stations are often very large. Letters are collected from villages, towns, and small cities and transported to large, centralized distribution centers where the scanners read bar codes that have been placed on envelopes and parcels.

Many of these scanners also are made to reach the handwritten numbers and letters on envelopes. These letters are often more difficult for the scanner to read appropriately and, when it is not possible to discern the number or letter, the machine passes the letter or parcel to a human for review. The individual reviewing the letter will then direct the item to its appropriate distribution point.

People will find a postal station in almost every small town or city. Mail is distributed to, and collected from, the residents of the town. In most cases the mail is collected by services on a daily basis and transferred to the centralized station where it is sorted and shipped to distribution points in other regions.

The main scanning machines that are used in centralized stations are very large. When mail is dumped on the link chain conveyor it moves very quickly through an ever narrowing group of sorters that lead to the main point for scanning. As the mail is scanned, it is then directed to bins for local, national, and international distribution. When hand written letters or numbers cannot be read, the scanner sends the letters to a human who has a small handheld scanner. The code on the letter is scanned with the handheld scanner and the data is transmitted to the main computer. This allows the main scanner to read the numbers and letters when they come through again.

When the wrong postal code is placed on a parcel, it can be directed to the wrong country very easily. Many people put codes on their letters they are unsure of, when this occurs the letter or parcel can be missing for several years before it finally is returned or ends up at the correct address.

Scanning machines use a global postal code map that is built in to the hard drive of the system and updated regularly. An individual who does not put a postal code on a parcel will find that the postal station will put a label with the correct postal code on it so that the parcel will be sent to the proper location.

In many cases people are able to get maps that contain postal codes for their region or area. However, some large regions have several codes for cities and use many maps simultaneously in their distribution centers.

GPS systems are getting cheaper everyday. It’s not hard to find where you need to go using address validation, address verification and spatial data

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , , more...

Adobe Software Has Many Functions

by Adriana Noton on Jan.09, 2010, under web design

Adobe software is an American company with offices in California. Adobe has always focused on the multimedia and creative side of software. However, lately they have been creating applications for the Internet in order to enhance your viewing pleasure and to join the other companies.

Adobe started off with small software development ideas, as most companies do. But soon started creating more detailed software to complete specific tasks. It wasn’t long before they developed software so people could create web sites. This put them in with other companies, however their unique software soon became industry standard. Their software has the ability to do many different things.

As if that wasn’t enough Adobe created titles to enhance a photograph or alter photos. This has made them a required element to know and learn for most creative businesses. The more creative a company the more adobe products that company would use. All sorts of companies use Adobe products. If you are uncertain which one to use or to have you can use their trial packages to access the packages and see what is best for you .

Print shops everywhere thought cheap software would be great for their company and started switching to the new packages. This put their titles in most companies around the world. Adobe has proven they were in it to be the best.

These titles are not cheap and most titles are very expensive. You can easily spend 1000’s of dollars on one package title. Graphic artists and web designers are just a few of the people that use these titles in their companies. You can receive tutorials both in person and online to help you. The tutorials are free because you cannot get a manual in with the CD’s when you buy them.

Even the movie industry uses Adobe. There is software that can alter music or add sound to films. They have software that will burn Blu-ray disks or make a home movie and let you put it on a DVD. If a person owned their creative suites package they could build or create any item they like from very basic items to a more complex project.

Anyone surfing the net usually run into one of the products made by Adobe. Their PDF files have become the way to share documents that you don’t want altered. People send and received these type of files all the time. Aside from creative measures, many offices use their office products to help them.

Adobe offers Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Flash are only a few of the titles they carry. These titles will let you create an outstanding presentation or a moving web site item. With these types of creations you can produce an amazing production to impress a new client or your boss.

These types of packages have won awards for their performances. With all they have accomplished they still get criticized for charging more for their products in the US than in the foreign markets. They are now a large company with a huge revenue, instead of that small company. Many Universities offer these packages at a reduced amount to help the students afford them so they can learn to use them.

Are you a student or professional looking for cheap Adobe software to create stunning graphics and animation? Be sure to check this online retailer that has an array of cheap software for you to choose from.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , more...

Web Design Leads To A Successful Online Business

by Adriana Noton on Dec.16, 2009, under web design

You want the correct images in the correct place on your website home page. Successful web design is easy but you must create a memorable website image so visitors will keep coming back. You might want to visit your favorite websites that sells products and get some ideas to use for your site. But follow these basic steps for now. You will be able to add to your site later.

Place three to five images on your index or home page. Do this also for your core sub web pages. Assume that all people online just brought their computer home from the store. They therefore have 800 by 600 screen resolution and have a 56k modem.

Many if not most people use high speed internet buy assume for now they all have slow dial up to get online. Once you are set up you will be able to read your stats tool and find out what speed internet connection your visitors are using. You can adjust accordingly.

For now begin with three to five images on your home page of your website. A logo, an emotional image, and a product image will make up the images on your home page. The first and biggest image will be your logo. It will be the first image your website visitor will see. It will be for you, the most valuable image for an effective logo image will help your site stand out in your visitors mind.

Imagine how you shop online. Most visitors shop for products on many websites before they buy. A clean and professional logo will be memorable and people will want to make their way back to your site when they are ready to buy. Also, include up near your logo your telephone number, hours of operation, and information on how people can make a purchase; credit or debit card, or by pay pal for instance.

Before they buy people go back to a website five to seven times. You want to have a memorable logo and not simply your domain name written out at the top of your website. Think about memorable logos. When you see them you automatically think about the products the logo represents.

The emotional image should tell the benefits of your product in a photo. If you are selling iced tea, have images of people drinking your iced tea on a hot day. They are being refreshed by your tea. Your visitor will want the same feeling. Take a look at some sites to see if they have emotional images. Compare the sites with and without them. You will see how effective emotional images can be.

Place three to five product images. This way people with slow internet connections will not get impatient and leave your site because they had to wait a long time for your site to download. You can add more later when your stats show that most visitors have high speed connections. Many people create a website without a plan but not you. You will follow these web design tips and you will be on your way to success.

We utilize Vancouver web design to generate dynamic results for our clients. Our web designers in Vancouver understand your needs and we employ trends and technology to deliver clear communication. To learn how to gain a competitive advantage through web design in Vancouver, please visit us!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , more...

Follow These Web Design Steps To Success

by Adriana Noton on Dec.12, 2009, under web design

The web design for your website graphics to include on your home page should tell a story. You want to have the right images on the right places. This can make or break your site as far as the number images.

You want to have about three to five images at least on your home page and on your core sub pages. Begin with a customer with a computer that just came out of the box typically the screen resolution is 800 by 600 and they are going to be using a 56k modem.

The bulk of people have high speed internet but you want to assume for the worse and once you get your site up and running you are going to be able to tell through the stats what screen resolution and speed of internet connection people have that will looking at your site.

You will be able to make changes based on that but for now start off with three to five images. Your images will include a logo, and emotional image, and a product image. Your logo or header will be your first image. It will be your largest image and be the first thing people will see. It will be the most beneficial because an effective logo and your domain name will help your website stand out in people’s minds.

And when people are shopping for products they are going to look at several websites so a clean professional logo will help you stand out from the rest of the pages out there. So having that and also other helpful information like your telephone number your credit card acceptance information your hours of operation listed at the top of your page will set you apart from other websites out there. And that logo can make or break a sale depending on whether or not they find their way back to your site.

People actually return to a website three to seven times before they make a purchase so having a logo verses having your domain simply written out is going to help you stand out in people’s minds. If you think about it major companies have memorable logos and when you see it you think of the company and their products.

The next image to have is an emotional image. If people feel something at your site they are more likely to return to your site and make a purchase. You want to present in your image what you are trying to sell. If you are selling comfortable bean bag chairs have images of people relaxing and enjoying life sitting in your bean bag chairs. Your website visitors will believe that they too will be relaxing and enjoying life once they get this product.

You want to have three to four product images. Once you see that most of your visitors have high speed internet connections you can add more product images. Product images once clicked will give more details about the product. Follow these tips on web design and you will be on the road to a successful internet business.

Trying to find talented web designers in Vancouver? We specialize in Vancouver Web design to generate dynamic results. Don’t miss the chance to gain a competitive advantage through web design in Vancouver!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , more...

Web Design For A Successful Online Business

by Adriana Noton on Dec.08, 2009, under web design

Web design will be your first step to a successful online business. Tell a story with your webpage. Have the right images in the right place. This can help make or break your internet business. Follow some basic principles and you will be ahead of your competition.

Place 3 to 5 images on your home page and on your main sub webpages. Assume your customer just pulled her computer out of the packaging. The screen resolution will be eight hundred by six hundred with a fifty six k modem.

Most have high speed connections but assume people have the slowest possible dial up connection in the beginning. Afterwards you can use your stats tool to find out what speed the majority of your visitors are surfing the internet with but for now keep it simple.

For now stick with 3 to 5 images. The fewer the images on your website the faster it will download. If someone with dial up has to wait too long for your site to come up, he will be off to the next site. Your images need to included a logo, an emotional image, and a product image. The first thing your visitor will see is your logo. It will the largest image on your site. A good logo along with your domain name will be what is remembered by your visitor. It will help your website stand out.

A clean professional logo will help when people are searching several sites for similar products. You also want next to your logo, your telephone number, hours of operation, and information on payment options like credit card or pay pal information. This information will help you stand out from other websites that do not bother to list this on the home page. This can help people when they are searching back to find your site.

Visitors usually go back to a website 4 to 8 times before they buy. Having a logo rather than simply your domain name written on your website will help you be memorable in people’s minds. Think about the logos of major corporations. When you see them what do you think of? You think about their products. You want the same thing with your website logo to happen with your visitors.

The emotional image is simply that. You want people to get the feeling of the benefit of your product. If you sell lawn furniture you want images of people relaxing on your lawn furniture. The people in your images have not a care in the world because they bought and are using your furniture. Your visitor will want the same benefit. They will assume they will have this when they buy your products.

Have 4 to 5 product images. You can add more product images and product categories once you find out that most of your visitors have high speed internet. Your product images will lead to a webpage with details about the specific product. Follow these web design tips and you will be on your way to a successful online business.

We utilize Vancouver web design to generate dynamic results for our clients. We understand our clients’ needs and we employ trends, tactics, and technology to deliver clear communication. To learn how to gain a competitive advantage through web design in Vancouver, please visit us!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , more...

Web Design: Considering Your Audience for Maximum Impact

by Adriana Noton on Oct.29, 2009, under web design

As you consider designing your website, you will face many important decision. What content will be the primary focus of the home page? What images will you use? Where will the main navigation bar be located? Before you even begin the project, you must take the time to consider your audience so that your final design will have the best possible impact.

Consider, for instance, a website that targets corporate executives. This website should not contain cutesy graphics, several sound clips and extremely bright colors. These are not considered formal, and they will turn away the business of the serious businessperson.

On the other hand, if you are creating a website for teens, you should spend some time researching catchy music, creating cool graphics and choosing bold, appealing color schemes. In this case, cartoon-like graphics may be appropriate, provided they are not designed to look too much like a children’s book.

Consider Your Audience for the Look

The look of your web design is going to be the most important place where you need to consider your target audience. Your potential client or customer needs to open up your website and feel at home instantly. If the visual look is unappealing to the target demographic, your product, service or content is going to mean little. It will never be considered or read, because the potential buyer or customer will simply click away to a more appealing site. Take some time to explore other sites that appeal to your target demographic, and take notes about the features you see that they all have in common.

For a site catering to businessmen, a simple, clean web design with classic colors and easy to navigate buttons is ideal. The younger audience enjoys animations, bold colors and modern design elements, even enjoying a little bit of on-page clutter somewhat. If your audience is primarily female, add some feminine design elements to the page. No matter what, though, keep the page readable and appealing at first glance.

Consider Your Audience for the Language

Whether you are writing your own content or hiring a writer to do it, you must consider your audience as you write the information that will be included on the page. Use terminology that is familiar to your target audience. If necessary, define words that would be foreign to the target market. Use the “grade level” assessment tool in your word processing software to decide whether or not you are writing on the level of your average reader. Keep in mind that the average adult does not read on a post-high school reading level.

You also must decide whether the tone will be formal or informal, and that will also depend on your audience. How is your audience used to being spoken to? Would you naturally talk to a member of your audience as a friend, or would you be more formal if you were conversing with them in person? Incorporate that tone into your work.

Consider Your Audience for the Layout

Finally, keep your audience in mind as you create the layout of the site. An audience who spends most of its time on social media sites, like college students and online entrepreneurs, may expect one sort of layout, whereas an audience who regularly visits retail sites will expect another.

Put important information where it is expected, like contact information and shopping cart access. Do not bury the items your audience needs to find in hopes of generating more sales. This will only serve to frustrate people, not help your bottom line. Remember, in every aspect of your web design, you must consider your audience and create a website that will be as effective as possible.

Web design Vancouver agency delivers web development and online marketing services focused on attaining measurable performance and value. Offices in Kelowna, California and web design Toronto.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , more...

Key Factors that Separate One Web Design from Another

by Adriana Noton on Oct.23, 2009, under web design

Web designs can vary quite a bit, not just in quality and method of implementation but also in look and feel, and in what type of responses they evoke in users. The different elements that contribute to the unique impact of a web design can be broken down into layout, color and texture scheme, and typography and rhythm. When used together strategically, these three elements can create a wide variety of successful web designs.

Layout The layout of a website can help to determine not only how it’s perceived, but also how it’s used. Most website designs consist of a header and footer region, both of which house important navigation links and span the entire width of the screen, as well as one or more columns in the body area for displaying text, images and other blocks of links. Using several columns within the body area is great for presenting users with a variety of content options, or promoting a large quantity of thematically unrelated content. A body area that uses less columns is great for focusing users’ attention or allowing them to consume a big piece of content without further navigation.

Often, depending on the specific page within a website, the number of columns that are appropriate in the body area will change. For example, a news website or online merchant may want to display plenty of different stories or products on their front page, then present the user with bigger, unbroken content on inside pages once a story or product has been chosen.

Color and texture scheme The color and texture of a website can go a long way in establishing its mood and energy. Loud, vibrant colors can be used to create a buoyant, boisterous effect that communicates high energy and a fun, easy going atmosphere. On the other end of the spectrum, subdued, low intensity colors can be used to evoke a professional, strictly business, or even sombre attitude.

While a website’s layout is often dictated by its functional requirements, its color and texture scheme should be inspired by the essence of its brand. It’s important to conduct a thorough brand discovery process to make sure that the right colors, textures and images are used to represent a company’s unique culture and promote its business goals.

Typography and rhythm Typography can almost be thought of as an extension of the color and texture scheme of a web design. Fonts communicate personality attributes; depending on the font that’s used, text can come across as authoritative, brazen, honest, formal, casual and much, much more. It’s important that the font expresses the character of the website’s brand without coming across as jarring or incongruent with any established visual theme.

The rhythm of a website’s text, or the way it’s arranged within the available space, is important too. Establishing standard margins between headers, paragraphs, quotes and other unique types of text can create a rhythm at which the user will consume the content. Strategic breaks or disturbances in that rhythm can then add prominence and weight to specific lines of text, and effect the overall look and feel of the website.

Looking to build your company’s online presence? Full service web design Toronto firm provides online software services and internet marketing services customized to your needs. Offices in Kelowna, California and web design Vancouver.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark
Leave a Comment :, , , , , , , , , , , more...

Looking for something?

Use the form below to search the site:

Still not finding what you're looking for? Drop a comment on a post or contact us so we can take care of it!

Visit our friends!

A few highly recommended friends...