Blair Stover Designs

One of the most important concepts in online marketing, and one that is generally ignored, is web usability.

Many companies, who are aware of the importance of a good virtual environment and want to do a good job, invest heavily to create their websites. The problem is that they end up forgetting the common user experience, since the site was done only following the wishes and tastes of those who planned it. Blair Stover lists some tips that improve usability below.

• Simple and natural dialogue- The ideal site should display exactly the information you need at the moment, neither more nor less.
• Be consistent- The same interaction or command must always have the same result. If you include a button within the product pages, it always should have the same action.
• Speak the user’s language- The content of the pages must be produced to understand a person, not for the Google bots.
• Provide clear outputs- It is necessary that the user leave your site or log out at any time easily without any problems.
• Do not overload the user’s memory- The system has to be as intuitive as possible, so you can easily learn to perform the necessary steps, and can easily create a mind map that will help users navigate the site.
• Errors- Identify what are the main error situations within your site and fix them.
• Show users the benefits of your site- Your website should clearly show what the benefits are to the user.
• Navigation shortcuts- Users who already know your site should be able to perform duties quickly. Provide shortcuts.
• Feedback- Your site should have digital media with the capacity to interact.
• Help page- Your system has to be operated easily so users won’t need help. However, if they do, make sure you have a help page.

The color that will emerge next year and outshine all others will be the “emerald green”, according to Pantone, provider of color standards for fashion companies and design. The company attributes the color’s tone power to a growing sense of well-being, intuition, inspiration, balance and harmony. Blair Stover has more on this story below.

Variations of green (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This tone is also interpreted and linked to growth, renewal, prosperity, unity and healing. With respect to aesthetics, the color refers to the idea of luxury and sophistication, according to Pantone, since it is inspired by precious stones and diamonds.

Every year, the company chooses a color that will dominate the upcoming year, based on an extensive survey of influences. Among the aspects taken into account by the company are the entertainment industry, film production, art collections, travel destinations, artists of the moment and socio-economic conditions.

In fashion, “Emerald Green” will be present in both the winter and summer seasons and should be adopted in clothes, accessories and makeup. This versatility also gives a certain ambiance to different types of clothing that can be used on formal and casual occasions, for men and women.

For decoration of indoor environments, Pantone says that the color gives a sense of well-being and is suitable for painting walls and the application of accessories. Some parts of the home are best suited when given the extra touch of colors like emerald green. For instance, the dining room, study, entrance door and bathroom are excellent areas that can benefit from the color.

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Earlier letters were written by hand and later the typewriter worked its way into fruition. Today, letters that are written by hand are done so only in the most exceptional of cases, and the computer has all but replaced the typewriter.

With the computer came options once not possible, including what type of font to use on your letter. As Blair Stover discusses below, word processing programs can quickly give the writer a variety of fonts to choose from. Different fonts convey different meaning, however, so here are some tips on how to choose the right font for you.

What suits the reader: When it comes to selecting the font, the author is well advised to think of for whom the letter is intended. The author should always choose the font that suites their reader, not just themselves.

Serif and sans serif fonts: In connection with fonts, there is a fundamental difference between serif and sans serif fonts. Mixing the two families is not generally advised, and care must be taken when mixing fonts from the same families as there is a good amount of difference between fonts of both sides.

The font size and line spacing: Generally, for most letters, sizes between 10 and 12 points are chosen. In no case are they less than 8 points, as any smaller makes the letter hard to read.

The arrangement of the text: In letters, a left-aligned arrangement is standard. Although this leads to the fact that the lines are of different lengths, overall this is the friendliest reading arrangement.

In the main context of web design, white space refers to the blank space between the different elements of the design. The area between the texts, images, links, paragraphs and footers, among others, are called “space arm.” White space is important in web design for many reasons, but in particular because it helps in defining sections of the website and its pages.

As you are designing a layout for a website, designers often forget the greatness of white space. They reduce the amount of information the user must filter to have the first contact with content. A website that uses these spaces will concisely look clean, organized and enjoyable to the viewer. Here are a few things you might want to know:

Positive space - The actual space between the placement of images and text can be highlighted using the negative space. This white space can also be used so you can create a type of sophisticated elegance for major brands.

Types of Blanks - There are two main types of blanks in web design. The blank space asset is space that is intentionally left out to improve the structure of a website. It is used to emphasize certain content. The blank liability is the space around the pages or blank areas that are automatically generated in the development of the layout.

One factor that provides a better reading and understanding of the website is to use spaces between lines of text. If the lines are too close together, reading becomes difficult. When lines are far apart between sentences or words, a sense of confusion concerning navigation is possible.

How do you use white space? Share with us here at Blair Stover Designs.

Image via CrunchBase

Thinking of innovative ideas for new technologies can be a great challenge (and opportunity builder) for those who have their own successful business or wish to do so in the future. An example of how you can do that is by creating apps for iPhones, which have increasingly become popular among people of all ages. Here are some tips to ensure your apps become (and stay) successful, all provided by Blair Stover:

1. Join Apple’s iDeveloper Program ASAP - Before doing this you need to ensure that you create an app that makes people want to buy your product. It needs to be something that facilitates your chances of acceptance in the iStore and the best way to start that is by joining the iDeveloper program.
2. Practice - Applications that try to mix many things existing in one place tend to get too confusing. Try to meet your customers with a sole and exclusive functionality. That way you have an audience that relies on your specific services. However, practicing is the only way that you will know if you are doing things right.
3. Consult With Others But Accept Your Limits - People, ideas and technologies have several limitations, some mandatory and some unexpected, but all should be accepted. Look and innovate, but never run away from what is rational.
4. Collaborative Ideas - Your friends, family and clients can be one of the best sources of ideas and constructive criticism when improving your application. When you first start out be aware that you will be confronted with plenty of paperwork.
5. Never Expect The Best - If you find that this is what you want to do full time, take the necessary steps, otherwise enjoy it while it is still profitable and keep your eyes open for new opportunities.

ActionScript (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Flash first came out, it was made possible thanks to its relatively revolutionary furor. The tool was to use a lot less complexity than its competitors. Its major advantage was to the point: Flash allowed the average computer user, without the need of a special talent, to create graphic web design and simple interactive elements. Since then, web designers have been debating the use of Flash throughout the years.

It did not take very long before Flash was used to generate complete websites. This trend was reinforced with dissemination of ActionScript. Flash saved people lot of development time while also simultaneously solved the animation problems that many webmasters had, stating that Flash was “light years” ahead of anyone else.

Interestingly, the place of Flash is not only on the Web – it is suitable for the production of complete websites. Flash will certainly always be in the web design uses for banners, greeting cards and games. However, Flash can be used in some other areas.

• First corporate communications – The first area is in corporate communications. Teams are composed mostly of Flash developers and there is a huge need for more Flash developers.
• Second mobile platforms – The second area is a very promising, but still somewhat turbulent area: mobile applications. Creating web content for the production of applications and the graphical, interactive elements for various mobile platforms is a powerful tool for designers and developers and would contribute to the booming mobile industry.

Flash designs are very useful on the web today and can be quite rewarding if you possess the talents. What do you think of Flash? Still useful or outdated? Share with us here at Blair Stover Designs.

Tutorial Photoshop – Lista dei migliori Tutorial di Fotoritocco, Fotomontaggio e Adobe Photoshop (Photo credit: Marco Crupi Visual Artist)

Photoshop is a flexible design pixel-based application. In general, it is used for things such as cropping and editing images with differing levels. Photoshop provides a good all-around solution to the various requirements of web designing, as we discuss below here on Blair Stover Designs.

The main advantage of Photoshop is that you can work accurately and precisely. With the latest imported tools of Photoshop concerning pixel grid technology and the significantly improved handling of vector shapes in Adobe CS6, there is nothing you can’t do to a photo.

Photoshop is known for its image manipulation programs. In large part, cropping and editing make up the brunt of what this application is used for.

Cropping helps to cut images down to size to fit in banners, headers, buttons, and avatars. Photoshop offers a variety of options for cropping, from tradition squares to shapes. While it cane take some time to get acquainted with Photoshop’s controls, the efforts are almost always worth it.

Editing photos is also a major application Photoshop is used for. This is something that people use the application for a lot and Photoshop’s numerous options make both classic, simple editing and complicated, fancy photo editing possible.

How effectively you work with an application ultimately depends on how familiar with it you are. Every application, whether it is with Photoshop, Fireworks, or GIMP, has its advantages and disadvantages over the others. Choose what is easiest for you and start practicing; you’ll only get better!

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HTML is not enough for successful websites any more. Web design is about creative ideas, principles, knowledge, facts, and the right tools, and applying them in a way to get the point across quickly and efficiently.

The foundations for a web design and layout are important to any business that is looking to make their presence known on the internet. They will need a collection of elements that consist of tricky layouts, a standardized layout, columns and art forms. Other things will include balance, rhythm, proportion, or even dominance.

Besides the thoughtful appearance that should be in a design of a website, there should be usability as well. Navigation and the build-up of the site to attract as many people as humanly possible should be another focus. Here, however, usability comes into play. Usability means accessibility, which is manifested in the avoidance of designing a page in which information can only be achieved with particular browsers or through multimedia content or creation of (texting) alternatives.

Flash and several other browser extensions can’t be avoided in some situations but you should ensure that your content is still fully accessible without them. In most cases, you can do this through artistic design; just make sure the usability of the website is not lost. An important aspect concerning web design happens to be the knowledge and correct markup of the site.

The development of web design has calmed down considerably in recent years. After the introduction of Flash (since 1997), there were essentially a few other W3C compliant technologies like XHTML, JavaScript CSS and Java that made themselves known.

These days, websites continue to incorporate more and more elements used to attract, engage, and inform. What are your must haves when creating a website? Share with us below in the comments here on Blair Stover Designs.

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Web design and usability is becoming a big buzzword as the digital age continues to loom. Because websites are often the first impression a business has on a customer, having a site that is both easy to use and sporting a pleasing design is a forefront for many businesses, big and small.

When looking to design your web page, be sure to talk with the web designer thoroughly. Together you should be able to create something that fits your business’s vision and style, while communicating clearly. Blair Stover breaks down some helpful basics of web design to help you both understand and talk to the web designer you hire.

1. Less is more (make the site light and fast). If you are selling a product or service on the Internet, do not be fooled by an ‘artists’ network. Keep the focus on your message. Nobody wants to see a layout full of pictures and animations that never finish downloading.
2. Pattern. We all have a “comfort zone”. We like to feel safe and accommodated. Imagine coming home every day and the color of the walls is different each time. At first it can be okay, but after awhile, you start to get anxious and insecure. Choose something and stick with it.
3. Browsing. The key word is simplicity. The Internet is already a maze of information. There are several people who get mad when they have to search for awhile find something. Keep your browsing easy and search options handy.
4. Contact us. Put your email address on every page so your users know how to contact you.
5. Logos and images. Keep your images to a minimum. If you have to use a lot of images to get the message, one word: compression. Pictures are an important part of the site, but may make it too heavy if they are too large or there are too many.
6. Fonts. Use only one font throughout the site. If you want to use more than one source, use it only for highlights, quotes and titles.
7. Blanking. Let the words jump of the screen, putting enough space between them. Leave the text ‘breathe’. Use the left and right margins.
8. Blind alleys. Consider a site in a way that it does not require the browser buttons to navigate.
9. Dead links. Dead links are those who are on the menu, but have not yet been created to the corresponding pages or, even worse, lead to a “page under construction”.
10. Broken links. Always test all links on every page. Broken links, (those that lead to error pages or nonexistent) are bad news.

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