How to Redesign / Rebrand Your Site and Keep It SEO Friendly
So, you want to redesign a website. You have spoken with the client. They are excited, you are excited. Cloud 9 is officially your new home address. Little do you know the dangers that lurk around each...
View ArticleDesigning Websites on a Deadline
When I was in college, one of my favorite professors, Megan Fitzgerald, assigned a 20-page research project that would be due at the end of the semester. You may be thinking to yourself, “Why would...
View ArticleHow to Use Free Tools to Test and Optimize the Speed of Your Site
The year was 1997. We listened to cassette tapes all day long, watched Seinfeld religiously, hoarded Beanie Babies as if they were gold, and my family’s desktop computer took 15 minutes to download a...
View ArticleMobile Site Options for Small Businesses
Last year, over 50% of all local searches were conducted on a smart phone. This statistic seems perfectly logical since users often search while on the go. Whether it is finding a new restaurant to try...
View ArticleHow to Critique Custom Design
Critique is a large part of what makes up great design. Feedback from a fresh pair of eyes can mean the difference between a hit campaign and a devastating flop. Designers often become so close to...
View ArticleA Beginner’s Guide to Designing HTML Emails
As I was scrolling through the depths of Facebook over the weekend, I stumbled upon a fellow designer’s post cursing HTML emails, their lack of divs, and their inconsistency across email clients. After...
View ArticleIntroducing New Clients to WordPress
So, you have created a beautiful WordPress site for your client. It has all the bells and whistles they asked for, and you are very happy with the final product. It’s launched and the client is happy...
View ArticleA Designer’s Perspective; An Analysis of the Presidential Candidates’ Online...
As Election Day draws nearer, I am more frequently bombarded with a tornado of political opinions and questions. Who will you vote for? You can’t possibly be considering voting for that candidate! How...
View ArticleA-Z Guide to Web Design
After last week’s rather in-depth article, I decided to post something a bit more light-hearted. I’d like to do something a bit more fun, and well, what could possibly be more fun than the alphabet? In...
View ArticleIt’s Now Polite to Point; 10 Ways to Make Your Site Touch-Friendly
On more than one occasion growing up, I would become overly enthusiastic about one thing or another, and point in the direction of my newfound interest. At this moment, my mother or another nearby...
View ArticleTall Website Footers and Why We Love Them
This week, our Senior Developer, Julian Beaujardin, and myself, launched the newest improvement to the Optimum7 website. Since I am especially obsessed with how the change has come out, I decided to...
View Article20 Tools Web Designers Should Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving
I always get sentimental this time of year. For me, the next few weeks will be a dizzying blur of aromatic turkey, neatly wrapped gifts, and family. In an effort to keep myself from becoming too...
View ArticleHoliday Design Lessons from Top Online Retailers; Tis the Season for Optimal...
While most people were pre-occupied with their tryptophan-induced food comas last week, I was busy taking part in the madness that holiday shopping has become. Although I did hit up a few of my...
View ArticleDesigning for Non-Profit Organizations: Tips and Examples
I have a lot to be grateful for this year. I’m not saying this to brag, I’m saying this because I know it to be true. I have a roof over my head, a great job, good friends who make me laugh, and family...
View ArticleA Guide to Using Animated GIFs in an Email
The day after Thanksgiving, a close friend of mine forwarded me an email blast from Amazon that boasted their “Black Friday Deals Week.” Knowing I am a huge geek, she forwarded me the email not because...
View ArticleThe Case for Responsive Web Design in Higher Education
University of Alabama may have crushed Notre Dame on the field on Monday night at our very own Sun-Life Stadium, but the Fighting Irish definitely seem to be winning from a technology and web design...
View ArticleDesigning and Analyzing Annual Reports: A Lesson From MailChimp
On Tuesday January 15, MailChimp released its single page 2012 annual report to the public. Using a design consistent with the company’s wonderfully minimalistic branding, the report met great success...
View ArticleRebranding: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
On January 17, American Airlines unveiled its redesigned logo. This is the corporation’s first rebrand in over 40 years. The original logo was created by designer Massimo Vignelli. Vignelli’s logo...
View ArticleHow to Design a Logo: A Comprehensive Guide
In my last post, I examined American Airlines and their recent rebrand. This week, we’ll be delving deeper into the world of branding - more specifically, logos. In this article, I will discuss what a...
View ArticleHow to Re-Brand a Company and Re-Create a Logo – Presentation is Everything
You’ve done the research, you’ve mind-mapped, you’ve sketched out a million thumbnails, completed a few digital comps, drank 17 cups of coffee, and finally you have arrived. The moment we have all been...
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