Rudy Vaughn
Time to redesign your website?
As we go about our business of logo and web design, we occasionally receive calls from people asking about website redesign. If you own a website, chances are you often wonder whether it is the right time to do a total redesign of the layout of your website. Here are some points to consider:
Are you thinking of a redesign just for the sake of it? If you answered yes to that question, it is not yet the right time to do a redesign. Remember, a design serves a specific purpose. Make a list of the pros and cons of getting a redesign. You’ll likely find the core of what is lacking in your current site. Can it just be added to your existing site without a redesign? Cool, you just saved time and money.
On the other hand, if your website has had the same website design since 1990, perhaps it is high time to do a redesign. The last thing you would ever want to happen to your site is when visitors leave your site without taking a look at your content just because the design is old fashioned (or takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to load). If this is your case, here are some points to ponder before doing a redesign.
Redesigning your website is like doing a remodel on a house. Your website loses its current identity (for the better or worse) and your regular visitors might not recognize your new design at first glance. You risk losing them just because they thought they landed on the wrong page. Hence, it is very important that you retain a characteristic feature from your old layout. Perhaps it is the logo of your site; perhaps it is the same text style for the title for your site.
Check out your competition. Notice I didn’t say copy your competition. You are different, so choose a different design. Can you incorporate certain similar elements like your competition’s website? Sure. But if you want to innovate, you gotta design. That goes for logo design too.
I Lost Google’s Algorithm Formula!
Oh wait, I never had it in the first place. So can I just call Google and ask them to send it over to me? That seems to be the impression one client had of us recently. Yeah, Graphic Zen and Google, we’re like this. Seriously….and all sarcastic snarkiness aside, that was an actual request of a client recently after we’d done some web design for them. They wanted a higher search engine ranking and suggested we “Just call Google and ask them.” I had to explain that just as they would not give out their company secrets, Google is not about to reveal theirs to anyone, let alone a great Boise web design company like us. Maybe someday Google’s formula will get out, just as the secret formula of Coca Cola is now out, but probably not before we catch Bigfoot and discover life on another planet. Now back to your regularly scheduled logo design channel.
Design inspiration
Was asked by a friend the other day over coffee how we get ideas for clients, or what is the process that leads us to create a design for the client. This quote below from Paul Rand is a great summary and description of what I sometimes call ‘creating order out of chaos.’
“The designer does not, as a rule, begin with a preconceived idea. His idea is the result of subjective and objective thought, and the design a product of the idea. In order, therefore, to achieve an honest and effective solution he necessarily passes thought some sort of mental process … Consciously or not, he analyzes, interprets, translates … He improvises, invents new techniques and combinations. He coordinates and integrates his material so that he may restate his problem in terms of ideas, pictures, forms, and shapes. He unifies, simplifies, eliminates superfluities. He symbolizes … abstract from his material by association and analogy. He intensifies and reinforces his symbol with appropriate accessories to achieve clarity and interest. He draws upon instinct and intuition. He considers the spectator, his feelings and predilections.” ~ Paul Rand
Or we could sum it up in one sentence from Michelangelo, “I am still learning.”
Victory Viper Logo
[youtube width=”560″ height=”340″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ6BvCxAU2k[/youtube]
Finally got the video edited and up for those interested in seeing the Victory Viper logo we designed and painted on the Victory Charter School wall. Pretty cool to be able to “go big” with one of our designs. The project took two days to paint, for those keeping score at home. For those interested in the music, the song is “Tu Meri” by Asian Dub Foundation. Dig it.
Backup your blog easily.
Recently our Graphic Zen site got hacked. Why people do it, I’ll never know. What I do know is that the Graphic Zen site was gone, the WP database was hosed and two years worth of work, blog posts, images, etc. was down the drain, right? Wrong. Thanks to WP Twin which we’d run only a few days earlier, our entire site was backed up and we were able to restore everything. To see a demo video on how this site can save you from pulling out your hair and screaming at the walls, click the image above and then buy your copy today. It’s a time saver and a lifesaver.
A Good Logo Helps With Your Brand.
In order to establish a strong business brand, you need to create a strong business image. The image you create will be used by potential customers or consumers to assess their own expectations about your company. There is a crucial moment in every marketing strategy aimed at attracting the customers’ attention to your product or service, through your company image and brand.
From the beginning, you want to create a positive image on your customers. This will help ensure that you are among the top of their list when choosing between your product or the competition. This is just the initial phase and eventually the confidence of your customers on your brand will soon come into play.
Creating a Professional Logo
Your logo is an extension of your brand – a communication tool to identify your company to clients. So, it should be able to capture and reflect the nature of your business at its most basic level. Identity and reputation (which is defined by your customers) should be taken into consideration also.
As a reflection of your company, your objective should be to design a logo with a professional touch because it is what creates the initial impression on the mind of the consumers. These first impressions are almost always impossible to undo, so you cannot risk coming up with a mediocre design.
As simple as it may sound, designing a logo is an intricate process, which is why you need a professional designer to help realize your vision and visualize your business concepts. Among the elements that must be considered and combined effectively are colors, shapes, light, space, and so much more. A professional graphic designer should discuss these elements with you, so that you can create a consistent design for your logo that reinforces the message that your company is trying to convey. In fact, most businesses (big or small) allot an investment for this and you should as well.
Business Input Into The Design
Just because you leave the designing job to the hands of the logo designer, this does not mean that as the business owner you are eliminated from the process. This is your business and it is your vision, and a good designer will involve you in the logo creation process.
The logo design process involves gathering information about your company that will be utilized by the designer in coming up with the design. Usually, a brainstorming of ideas is an essential step to take before jumping into the actual design process. It’s a symbiotic process – you can share your business input to the designer for them to translate into a graphic representation of your ideas, while they can propose design elements that will jive with your business identity.