Information is one of the cornerstones of web design. Your digital marketing strategy is likely to be very much centered around brand awareness, providing information to the consumer and encouraging the consumer to engage with the company and the product, which will hopefully eventually result in a sale (let’s face it, we’re in business to make money!)
Public sector web design is a very different animal indeed. It’s also about providing information to an end user, but for a very different end result and notably different motivations. There is very little place for the usual marketing terms or often ‘glamorised’ sales copy used on many websites.
Most public sector websites have to fulfil a public service and often provide the public with very important information. Take the recent Swine Flu website, much maligned, but a vital public service nevertheless. If you extrapolate the advice to users of the site to base economics, then the conversion rate of product ‘sold’ (Tamiflu) is the envy of many corporates.
Of course the reason this site was set up was to try and combat the spread of a disease not to make money! However, I think it highlights the very serious consideration that has to be given to designing a website in the public sector, paying particular regard to how the information is presented. You are still trying to drive traffic to the site, and very high volumes at that, but not for the same reasons.
Many of the same cornerstones of all web design projects still hold true, W3C guidelines and the importance of the user journey for example. But most of these projects require careful and considerate handling of the public message. Many public sector organisations, and in particular the NHS, have had limited contact with digital agencies, mainly due to the majority of digital work and system development previously being carried out by in-house teams of developers. Reassuringly, these days most stakeholders in the public sector understand that as an information tool, the internet is key in helping to reach as broad an audience as they can.
Historically most NHS websites have been developed by very busy IT professionals, who are not designers, but predominantly programmers and have to work under strict user guidelines. Our job, as a digital agency, is to show that we understand the nature of the work and the message that needs to be conveyed. Public sector projects can be rewarding, complex, confusing and complicated all at once! But understanding the message and as a digital agency being sympathetic to the organisation’s needs, great things can be achieved, with some public sector organisations even taking a lead in terms of their approach to digital. Public sector web design really can be exciting stuff!
Paul Windust
Project Manager
Showing posts with label web design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label web design. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Design for Multimedia
Multimedia has the potential to produce immersive, rich and creative websites. The process of designing and developing a multimedia site can have some significant differences to that of a static HTML site - the variety of media on offer can broaden the design canvas.
For example, similar to a movie, sound effects and music can dramatically improve the impact of a film. The same can be said for web elements like navigation, rollover effects and the overall user experience.
There can be a tendency to overcomplicate or over-design elements, thus overwhelming the user. It is important to balance the interactive elements with the complexity of the design to better appeal to the target audience.
From our perspective however, portraying the whole user experience can be difficult to adequately convey to the client. As the designs for the site will be initially mocked up as static pages, the client may be restricted by this and find it difficult to see the big picture, with all its wooshy bits! The best method to overcome this is to produce a storyboard of the user experience to demonstrate the multimedia designers/developers ideas in as much detail as possible. Similar real-life examples can also be given to help the client visualise how the site will work.
Being both a developer and designer allows me to carefully balance visually rich sites while still anticipating any potential development issues. This process aids in a much smoother project life cycle and some great looking sites!
Richard Fenn
Multimedia Designer
For example, similar to a movie, sound effects and music can dramatically improve the impact of a film. The same can be said for web elements like navigation, rollover effects and the overall user experience.
There can be a tendency to overcomplicate or over-design elements, thus overwhelming the user. It is important to balance the interactive elements with the complexity of the design to better appeal to the target audience.
From our perspective however, portraying the whole user experience can be difficult to adequately convey to the client. As the designs for the site will be initially mocked up as static pages, the client may be restricted by this and find it difficult to see the big picture, with all its wooshy bits! The best method to overcome this is to produce a storyboard of the user experience to demonstrate the multimedia designers/developers ideas in as much detail as possible. Similar real-life examples can also be given to help the client visualise how the site will work.
Being both a developer and designer allows me to carefully balance visually rich sites while still anticipating any potential development issues. This process aids in a much smoother project life cycle and some great looking sites!
Richard Fenn
Multimedia Designer
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Web Design Trends for 2009...
...the ongoing challenge to stay one step ahead of the game!
Already two months into the year and we’re starting to see this year’s predicted design trends filtering their way through to the web.
Below is a list of our favourite top ten:
1. BIG Typography
Whoever said size doesn’t matter was very much mistaken! Last year saw a size explosion that is continuing through to 2009. Large typography is still being used to communicate the most important messages on the web… no longer are we restricted to using point size 11! Attention to detail – leading, kerning, choice of font and positioning, to name a few, is vital. The results: typography is an ever-growing key factor in the production of creative, modern web design.
2. White Space
Another trend that continues from 2008… the use of white space. This allows for clean, crisp and minimal web designs and improves the general flow and structure of sites, especially for text heavy designs. News and blog sites are a classic example of this. Padding of 20 to 25 pixels is becoming rule of thumb, although more is often considered acceptable.
3. Magazine Look
Going hand in hand with white space, is the traditional magazine look. Designers are bringing traditional print media to the web, using typography and illustration to replicate. Multi-column layouts (3+) are a fundamental part of this design trend, and given the increasing levels of information-rich content online, the traditional magazine look is already familiar from our offline reading experience and provides a simple way to organise large amounts of content. But beware! Careful consideration needs to be given to increasing and widening screen resolutions with this design trend.
4. Media Blocks
Advances in broadband and Internet access has meant that more media can be screened in dedicated blocks on a website – namely video streaming. Whether this be news, videos, step by step guides or presentations, the user can quickly and effectively consume information with little effort. This advance in technology ultimately allows for added creativity and the continual fight to find the next best creative solution continues.
5. Carousels
2008 saw an explosion of carousels and slideshows flying around the Internet and is continuing into this year. In summary, the carousel is a quick navigation that is very easy to use. Ultimately it allows the user to browse content without having to search through a multitude of pages for what they are looking for. However, there is a strong argument that carousels are overkill, that said, they offer a familiar user experience given their now widespread usage. We look forward to seeing more innovation around the classic carousel.
6. Web Apps
This is the year of the Web Application. These are appearing increasingly frequently and with more creative, user-friendly interfaces; gone are the days of pure techie web apps. Design trends include the use of white space (again!), padding (again!) and key is the attention paid to the presentation of functionality. Web apps are increasingly acting as a gateway page to a brand’s social media presence and with the increasing proliferation of mash-ups, are now also contributing to the design and functionality of websites themselves.
7. Social Icons
As most of you would have already seen, social icons are everywhere! These encourage the user to click through to social media sites – promoting, following and recognising web authors, especially in the blogosphere. And it seems the bigger and the more attractive, the better! A great way to spread the word on your content, social icons not only make your site look up-to-date, but contribute to increased web traffic also. Ones to watch include TweetMeMe, social shopping sites and wish lists.
8. Large, larger and larger still!
As with typography, it seems that massive, vibrant graphics are beginning to dominate web design too. More space is being dedicated to these visuals – whether it be in headers, backgrounds or basic design assets - which in turn is capturing the user’s attention (many ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ coming out from the design team I can tell you!) To add to this, large search boxes are still popular, with designers ever pushing the boundaries of what can and can’t be done with these functional web assets.
9. Graphical Approaches
So creative, vibrant graphics and illustration are big in 2009, but what styles and are actually being implemented? Well, what goes around always comes back round again sooner or later. Grunge is back, the use of organic textures, tiles and photographic backgrounds, price tags, badges, watercolour, ribbons and handwriting to name a few!
10. Lightboxes
As the ‘second generation of pop-ups’, a light box highlights key areas of a site by appearing as an independent modal window that sits on top of main content. It is incredibly user friendly and fast becoming a reoccurring feature on many sites. As always, presentation and functionality are key – with designs including transparencies, drop shadows, ‘close’ ‘next’ and ‘previous’ buttons.
So that’s it! Our faves from the emerging web design trends of 2009. We’re seeing rapid change in trends so we’ll be updating you again in a few months with the most up to date design trends – watch this space!
Natalie
Lead Designer
Already two months into the year and we’re starting to see this year’s predicted design trends filtering their way through to the web.
Below is a list of our favourite top ten:
1. BIG Typography
Whoever said size doesn’t matter was very much mistaken! Last year saw a size explosion that is continuing through to 2009. Large typography is still being used to communicate the most important messages on the web… no longer are we restricted to using point size 11! Attention to detail – leading, kerning, choice of font and positioning, to name a few, is vital. The results: typography is an ever-growing key factor in the production of creative, modern web design.
2. White Space
Another trend that continues from 2008… the use of white space. This allows for clean, crisp and minimal web designs and improves the general flow and structure of sites, especially for text heavy designs. News and blog sites are a classic example of this. Padding of 20 to 25 pixels is becoming rule of thumb, although more is often considered acceptable.
3. Magazine Look
Going hand in hand with white space, is the traditional magazine look. Designers are bringing traditional print media to the web, using typography and illustration to replicate. Multi-column layouts (3+) are a fundamental part of this design trend, and given the increasing levels of information-rich content online, the traditional magazine look is already familiar from our offline reading experience and provides a simple way to organise large amounts of content. But beware! Careful consideration needs to be given to increasing and widening screen resolutions with this design trend.
4. Media Blocks
Advances in broadband and Internet access has meant that more media can be screened in dedicated blocks on a website – namely video streaming. Whether this be news, videos, step by step guides or presentations, the user can quickly and effectively consume information with little effort. This advance in technology ultimately allows for added creativity and the continual fight to find the next best creative solution continues.
5. Carousels
2008 saw an explosion of carousels and slideshows flying around the Internet and is continuing into this year. In summary, the carousel is a quick navigation that is very easy to use. Ultimately it allows the user to browse content without having to search through a multitude of pages for what they are looking for. However, there is a strong argument that carousels are overkill, that said, they offer a familiar user experience given their now widespread usage. We look forward to seeing more innovation around the classic carousel.
6. Web Apps
This is the year of the Web Application. These are appearing increasingly frequently and with more creative, user-friendly interfaces; gone are the days of pure techie web apps. Design trends include the use of white space (again!), padding (again!) and key is the attention paid to the presentation of functionality. Web apps are increasingly acting as a gateway page to a brand’s social media presence and with the increasing proliferation of mash-ups, are now also contributing to the design and functionality of websites themselves.
7. Social Icons
As most of you would have already seen, social icons are everywhere! These encourage the user to click through to social media sites – promoting, following and recognising web authors, especially in the blogosphere. And it seems the bigger and the more attractive, the better! A great way to spread the word on your content, social icons not only make your site look up-to-date, but contribute to increased web traffic also. Ones to watch include TweetMeMe, social shopping sites and wish lists.
8. Large, larger and larger still!
As with typography, it seems that massive, vibrant graphics are beginning to dominate web design too. More space is being dedicated to these visuals – whether it be in headers, backgrounds or basic design assets - which in turn is capturing the user’s attention (many ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ coming out from the design team I can tell you!) To add to this, large search boxes are still popular, with designers ever pushing the boundaries of what can and can’t be done with these functional web assets.
9. Graphical Approaches
So creative, vibrant graphics and illustration are big in 2009, but what styles and are actually being implemented? Well, what goes around always comes back round again sooner or later. Grunge is back, the use of organic textures, tiles and photographic backgrounds, price tags, badges, watercolour, ribbons and handwriting to name a few!
10. Lightboxes
As the ‘second generation of pop-ups’, a light box highlights key areas of a site by appearing as an independent modal window that sits on top of main content. It is incredibly user friendly and fast becoming a reoccurring feature on many sites. As always, presentation and functionality are key – with designs including transparencies, drop shadows, ‘close’ ‘next’ and ‘previous’ buttons.
So that’s it! Our faves from the emerging web design trends of 2009. We’re seeing rapid change in trends so we’ll be updating you again in a few months with the most up to date design trends – watch this space!
Natalie
Lead Designer
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Web Design for Children
One of the brilliant things about the web is that it really is for everyone, and that includes people of all ages.
Most parents at some point experience the feeling of amazement when they see just how easily and well their children are able to interact with technology – this is often also accompanied by (quite valid) feelings of fear and trepidation. What makes children so good with technology is the fantastic ability to learn and that keenness to explore. Many companies want to take steps to service and interact with the youngest sections of the population – but exactly what does that entail?
Ethics
The most important thing to consider at the outset of any project involving children is the ethics of it, especially online. It is key to ensure the project can never have a negative effect on the children using the service – aside from the ethics; it wouldn’t bode well for brand reputation! Consideration has to be given across a whole range of issues, from the type of information available to any communication between the users and owners, or indeed between the users themselves. This can be achieved by ensuring that stringent checks are made at all levels, providing additional tools to administrators, creating additional information content for parents/teachers and utilizing legal teams to ensure compliance with all relevant laws. Security is an important consideration for any web site; when they involve children in some way, even more care should be implemented and certainly no shortcuts can be taken.
For older children, sites can start to include more sophisticated (in comparison to parent supported users) user features such as allowing the users to earn points and compare themselves with other users, or directly interact with each other. Ethical guidelines should of course still be applied at this user level and enhanced security must still be applied here. Older children may have more experience, but they are still vulnerable and it is critical to ensure that children of any age do not have a negative experience or get exposed to potential dangers when using the website.
User Experience (UX) - take nothing for granted
When it comes to the design, a great deal of consideration has to be given to just how children will be interacting with it, for very young children this may be the first website that they use. This means that nothing can be assumed about the user’s knowledge, when areas like navigation are considered this becomes very apparent. It can generally be assumed that with an average user, they will look for a menu system in order to navigate the site, with younger children this cannot be taken for granted, so the design and functionality of the site must ensure that the website takes the user on an easy to follow visual journey.
Engagement - don't forget the parent!
Often websites for very young children will aim not to be used by the child alone, but assisted by a parent. With these sites it is equally important to consider the engagement of adult users, and ensure that the process is interesting, not excessively repetitive, of educational value and of interest to the child, so that the adults feel happy to use the website with their child many times. Features such as repetitive music that a child may be totally happy with for hours on end, may make a parent yearn for ear plugs after just a few minutes!
Education, education, education
Websites for children also have a responsibility to be educational and even at very basic levels, it must be remembered that any information on the website might be the user’s first experience of the subject. This responsibility must always be taken seriously, and wherever there are recommended standards, the appropriate groups and organisations should be contacted for additional information.
Websites such as CEOP and Kidsmart are good places to start research. Documents such as the CEOP Charter are produced so that consistent approach and standards are used. It must also be borne in mind that the website may well become a reference for children that they will use frequently. In which case, it is important to ensure that information is accurate and kept up to date.
Ensure it's useful
Information should also be useful – both to parents and children – either for having fun or achieving practical goals. Parents will be especially keen on sites that encourage the child to be creative, communicate, learn and question. By presenting information that gives a parent a way of re-enforcing and supporting the life lessons they are trying to educate their children with, the parents will be much more receptive to the brand being presented. This information could also take the form of content that parents can download. Some great examples of this are downloadable party invitations, Christmas cards, colouring and drawing exercises. Again this interaction with both the child and the parent helps to encourage frequent use and great brand awareness.
A great many websites interact with younger users very successfully, improving their status within the community and helping to contribute in a positive way to the education and development of children all over the world.
Whilst website projects with children have to be approached with great care, they result in very positive experiences for everyone involved – being involved with a project that makes a real contribution to the happiness, education and development of children is a highly rewarding experience for all involved.
David C
Programmer
Most parents at some point experience the feeling of amazement when they see just how easily and well their children are able to interact with technology – this is often also accompanied by (quite valid) feelings of fear and trepidation. What makes children so good with technology is the fantastic ability to learn and that keenness to explore. Many companies want to take steps to service and interact with the youngest sections of the population – but exactly what does that entail?
Ethics
The most important thing to consider at the outset of any project involving children is the ethics of it, especially online. It is key to ensure the project can never have a negative effect on the children using the service – aside from the ethics; it wouldn’t bode well for brand reputation! Consideration has to be given across a whole range of issues, from the type of information available to any communication between the users and owners, or indeed between the users themselves. This can be achieved by ensuring that stringent checks are made at all levels, providing additional tools to administrators, creating additional information content for parents/teachers and utilizing legal teams to ensure compliance with all relevant laws. Security is an important consideration for any web site; when they involve children in some way, even more care should be implemented and certainly no shortcuts can be taken.
For older children, sites can start to include more sophisticated (in comparison to parent supported users) user features such as allowing the users to earn points and compare themselves with other users, or directly interact with each other. Ethical guidelines should of course still be applied at this user level and enhanced security must still be applied here. Older children may have more experience, but they are still vulnerable and it is critical to ensure that children of any age do not have a negative experience or get exposed to potential dangers when using the website.
User Experience (UX) - take nothing for granted
When it comes to the design, a great deal of consideration has to be given to just how children will be interacting with it, for very young children this may be the first website that they use. This means that nothing can be assumed about the user’s knowledge, when areas like navigation are considered this becomes very apparent. It can generally be assumed that with an average user, they will look for a menu system in order to navigate the site, with younger children this cannot be taken for granted, so the design and functionality of the site must ensure that the website takes the user on an easy to follow visual journey.
Engagement - don't forget the parent!
Often websites for very young children will aim not to be used by the child alone, but assisted by a parent. With these sites it is equally important to consider the engagement of adult users, and ensure that the process is interesting, not excessively repetitive, of educational value and of interest to the child, so that the adults feel happy to use the website with their child many times. Features such as repetitive music that a child may be totally happy with for hours on end, may make a parent yearn for ear plugs after just a few minutes!
Education, education, education
Websites for children also have a responsibility to be educational and even at very basic levels, it must be remembered that any information on the website might be the user’s first experience of the subject. This responsibility must always be taken seriously, and wherever there are recommended standards, the appropriate groups and organisations should be contacted for additional information.
Websites such as CEOP and Kidsmart are good places to start research. Documents such as the CEOP Charter are produced so that consistent approach and standards are used. It must also be borne in mind that the website may well become a reference for children that they will use frequently. In which case, it is important to ensure that information is accurate and kept up to date.
Ensure it's useful
Information should also be useful – both to parents and children – either for having fun or achieving practical goals. Parents will be especially keen on sites that encourage the child to be creative, communicate, learn and question. By presenting information that gives a parent a way of re-enforcing and supporting the life lessons they are trying to educate their children with, the parents will be much more receptive to the brand being presented. This information could also take the form of content that parents can download. Some great examples of this are downloadable party invitations, Christmas cards, colouring and drawing exercises. Again this interaction with both the child and the parent helps to encourage frequent use and great brand awareness.
A great many websites interact with younger users very successfully, improving their status within the community and helping to contribute in a positive way to the education and development of children all over the world.
Whilst website projects with children have to be approached with great care, they result in very positive experiences for everyone involved – being involved with a project that makes a real contribution to the happiness, education and development of children is a highly rewarding experience for all involved.
David C
Programmer
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
The Art of Looking Sideways
When I first joined Bluhalo, a member of the management team told me that one of the reasons I had been employed was because I knew how to think outside of the box.
Funnily enough, a week or so ago, it finally dawned on me that I’ve spent the past four years doing not just that, but also learning to master the art of looking sideways - daring to challenge the way I look at the world and my work.
This blog is thus designed to give you an insight into how I do just that. By using curious facts, useless information, and various oddities, this will hopefully challenge and inspire you to use creative processes as a visual metaphor for good working practices.
For me, design is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle choice. When I get up in the morning, I visualise an outfit that will best suit what I’m trying to achieve that day. When I go for a meal with friends, they understand I will recognise a restaurant not only because of the food they serve but also because of their branding and décor. And when I shop, I’ll get excited not only by the style and fashion, but also by the typography, interior design, and advertising. These are all examples of looking and seeing and as Tak Igarashi once said, “seeing is the equivalent to knowing, thinking, and also understanding. It is with this intuitive insight that I create.”
As a designer it’s important to be visually aware of everything… and then steal anything that inspires you! Remember, as Jean-Luc Godard quoted, “it’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to”. After all originality is pretty much non-existent in this day and age.
However, in order to visually digest everything that is going on in the world around me (and so that I can look at things from unlikely angles) I believe it’s integral to regularly reassess the way I think about it! Two of the most important design influences in my life sum this theory up beautifully. In ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’ Alan Fletcher (renowned graphic designer) points out that we are, “blinkered by habit” and only “glance around rather than look with acuity”. Paul Arden (Executive Creative Director of Saatchi and Saatchi during the late 80’s, early 90’s), wrote a book that reinforces this hypothesis - “whatever you think, think the opposite” – my design bible!
The book itself examines the art of making wrong decisions, describes how risks are the security in your life and explains how unreason is better than reason! To give you a few examples, Arden encourages you to fail, fail again and then fail better. He suggests that you should not seek praise but seek criticism. He is also an advocate of the PG Tip - “Make Tea. Influential people like it. It will give them a good opinion of you, and they will want to help you in return”.
In my mind, these theories of visual intelligence and original thinking are not only theories that I can use to influence me creatively, but can be applied in a business and life context as well.
Design for me is not just about thinking outside the box anymore. As Banksey so elegantly puts it, “Think outside the box, collapse the box and take a f**king sharp knife to it…”
Natalie, Senior Digital Designer
Funnily enough, a week or so ago, it finally dawned on me that I’ve spent the past four years doing not just that, but also learning to master the art of looking sideways - daring to challenge the way I look at the world and my work.
This blog is thus designed to give you an insight into how I do just that. By using curious facts, useless information, and various oddities, this will hopefully challenge and inspire you to use creative processes as a visual metaphor for good working practices.
For me, design is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle choice. When I get up in the morning, I visualise an outfit that will best suit what I’m trying to achieve that day. When I go for a meal with friends, they understand I will recognise a restaurant not only because of the food they serve but also because of their branding and décor. And when I shop, I’ll get excited not only by the style and fashion, but also by the typography, interior design, and advertising. These are all examples of looking and seeing and as Tak Igarashi once said, “seeing is the equivalent to knowing, thinking, and also understanding. It is with this intuitive insight that I create.”
As a designer it’s important to be visually aware of everything… and then steal anything that inspires you! Remember, as Jean-Luc Godard quoted, “it’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to”. After all originality is pretty much non-existent in this day and age.
However, in order to visually digest everything that is going on in the world around me (and so that I can look at things from unlikely angles) I believe it’s integral to regularly reassess the way I think about it! Two of the most important design influences in my life sum this theory up beautifully. In ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’ Alan Fletcher (renowned graphic designer) points out that we are, “blinkered by habit” and only “glance around rather than look with acuity”. Paul Arden (Executive Creative Director of Saatchi and Saatchi during the late 80’s, early 90’s), wrote a book that reinforces this hypothesis - “whatever you think, think the opposite” – my design bible!
The book itself examines the art of making wrong decisions, describes how risks are the security in your life and explains how unreason is better than reason! To give you a few examples, Arden encourages you to fail, fail again and then fail better. He suggests that you should not seek praise but seek criticism. He is also an advocate of the PG Tip - “Make Tea. Influential people like it. It will give them a good opinion of you, and they will want to help you in return”.
In my mind, these theories of visual intelligence and original thinking are not only theories that I can use to influence me creatively, but can be applied in a business and life context as well.
Design for me is not just about thinking outside the box anymore. As Banksey so elegantly puts it, “Think outside the box, collapse the box and take a f**king sharp knife to it…”
Natalie, Senior Digital Designer
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Highlight and Lowlights: The Importance of Looking in the Mirror.
Every company has to frequently look in on itself to work out where things are going wrong, and how it can improve. In the internet industry this has to be done with a greater frequency and with a lot more care. At Bluhalo our job changes all the time – almost weekly new technology and new examples of websites appear – every one of them something that clients will next week be asking for.
One of the biggest challenges we face is working out how we can do better next week than we did last week – and making it stick. In such a changing industry it is inevitable that mistakes are made – and equally inevitable that fantastic solutions are found. Whenever problems occur the team at Bluhalo always works quickly to fix things – but the work does not stop there. Taking these lowlight experiences, the team works out why and how things went wrong and converts this into procedures to protect clients against the same things happening again.
But what about the highlights? Not every company takes notice of these – but they are just as important as the lowlights, if not more so. The highlights on every project are treated just the same as any lowlights. The team at Bluhalo makes sure that successful ideas are noted down with every project and translated into procedures that are used and applied on new projects. It is this recognition and repetition of the good bits that some companies choose not to concentrate on. And is just one of the many things that makes Bluhalo a fantastic agency to work for and gives clients an experience based upon a wealth of experience.
David C
One of the biggest challenges we face is working out how we can do better next week than we did last week – and making it stick. In such a changing industry it is inevitable that mistakes are made – and equally inevitable that fantastic solutions are found. Whenever problems occur the team at Bluhalo always works quickly to fix things – but the work does not stop there. Taking these lowlight experiences, the team works out why and how things went wrong and converts this into procedures to protect clients against the same things happening again.
But what about the highlights? Not every company takes notice of these – but they are just as important as the lowlights, if not more so. The highlights on every project are treated just the same as any lowlights. The team at Bluhalo makes sure that successful ideas are noted down with every project and translated into procedures that are used and applied on new projects. It is this recognition and repetition of the good bits that some companies choose not to concentrate on. And is just one of the many things that makes Bluhalo a fantastic agency to work for and gives clients an experience based upon a wealth of experience.
David C
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Sports Website Design
It's all about engaging fans.
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
We don’t just design a website to how we think it should look, and we don’t just design a website that follows the crowd, we design a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, we don’t only give you a way to talk to your fans, we give you a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do we get you even more fan-love, but we also get you a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. We give them a place to belong, a place of passion and community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind the way we do a great job at engaging the fans via your website. We focus on user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; we ensure you are accessible – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; we keep it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the list of what we do is pretty long, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
You can check out some of the sports websites we've created by visiting our clients page.
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
We don’t just design a website to how we think it should look, and we don’t just design a website that follows the crowd, we design a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, we don’t only give you a way to talk to your fans, we give you a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do we get you even more fan-love, but we also get you a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. We give them a place to belong, a place of passion and community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind the way we do a great job at engaging the fans via your website. We focus on user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; we ensure you are accessible – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; we keep it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the list of what we do is pretty long, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
You can check out some of the sports websites we've created by visiting our clients page.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Use Digital to Beat the Recession
Shhh! Don’t mention the ‘R’ word! But with all of the talk of economic doom and gloom, the impending recession and our first quarter of 0% growth, what is the best way to ensure your business survives?
We only have our previous experience to go by when it comes to predicting what will happen during a recession; but there is one major element of our economy that didn’t play a part in our lives in the late eighties…. digital.
The speed of the transfer of information has increased dramatically in comparison to our non-digital years, some report contributing to the speed of our economic decline. This speed of information transfer is also predicted to cut the length of time we remain in a recession.
But how can digital be used to help your business in harder times?
For starters, anyone that is able to continue spending on promoting their business whilst their competitors cut spend is set to gain two-fold – see our article ‘Cut Spend, Damage the Brand’ for more on this topic.
So how else can digital create competitive advantage during a recession?
- Quicker reaction times
React quickly with a relevant proposition. By continually gleaning valuable customer insight from digital channels and quickly reacting to changes in consumer behaviour and the economic climate by using the flexible nature of digital, you can tailor a highly relevant offering, maximising your success.
- Stay current
Regardless of economic climate, it is important to remain up to date with current consumer trends. The increasing popularity of online shopping, price comparison and social media is unlikely to be affected by the economic climate. If anything, the financial squeeze will drive more consumers online in their quest for the most competitive prices. By staying current, you’ll ensure you stay at the top of your game when others in your market may be cutting back to try and protect their business. You’ll come out of the other side streets ahead of your competition!
- Measurability
With increasing demand on justification for your budget spend, digital is set to see an increase in spend transferred from other more traditional but less measurable marketing techniques. Digital offers full measurability and ROI across a huge variety of channels from PPC through to email marketing and banner advertising. This accountability, complimented by its flexibility and ability to react quickly to market changes, means that the already fast growth of digital marketing techniques are set to see continuing strong growth in the coming months. Don’t forget though the importance of the integration of digital with offline marketing techniques to ensure a balanced and effective communication with your audience.
So there you have it. Just some of the reasons why digital is going to prove key in ensuring your business’ success and longevity despite the approaching recession. If you’re feeling really positive, you could even approach this recession as an opportunity rather than a threat and see it not simply a case of ‘the rich get richer’ but more a case of ‘the clever get richer’!
If you want to talk to us about how we can use digital to secure your business’ online success, then give us a call on 01252 70 11 11.
Jocelyn Kirby
We only have our previous experience to go by when it comes to predicting what will happen during a recession; but there is one major element of our economy that didn’t play a part in our lives in the late eighties…. digital.
The speed of the transfer of information has increased dramatically in comparison to our non-digital years, some report contributing to the speed of our economic decline. This speed of information transfer is also predicted to cut the length of time we remain in a recession.
But how can digital be used to help your business in harder times?
For starters, anyone that is able to continue spending on promoting their business whilst their competitors cut spend is set to gain two-fold – see our article ‘Cut Spend, Damage the Brand’ for more on this topic.
So how else can digital create competitive advantage during a recession?
- Quicker reaction times
React quickly with a relevant proposition. By continually gleaning valuable customer insight from digital channels and quickly reacting to changes in consumer behaviour and the economic climate by using the flexible nature of digital, you can tailor a highly relevant offering, maximising your success.
- Stay current
Regardless of economic climate, it is important to remain up to date with current consumer trends. The increasing popularity of online shopping, price comparison and social media is unlikely to be affected by the economic climate. If anything, the financial squeeze will drive more consumers online in their quest for the most competitive prices. By staying current, you’ll ensure you stay at the top of your game when others in your market may be cutting back to try and protect their business. You’ll come out of the other side streets ahead of your competition!
- Measurability
With increasing demand on justification for your budget spend, digital is set to see an increase in spend transferred from other more traditional but less measurable marketing techniques. Digital offers full measurability and ROI across a huge variety of channels from PPC through to email marketing and banner advertising. This accountability, complimented by its flexibility and ability to react quickly to market changes, means that the already fast growth of digital marketing techniques are set to see continuing strong growth in the coming months. Don’t forget though the importance of the integration of digital with offline marketing techniques to ensure a balanced and effective communication with your audience.
So there you have it. Just some of the reasons why digital is going to prove key in ensuring your business’ success and longevity despite the approaching recession. If you’re feeling really positive, you could even approach this recession as an opportunity rather than a threat and see it not simply a case of ‘the rich get richer’ but more a case of ‘the clever get richer’!
If you want to talk to us about how we can use digital to secure your business’ online success, then give us a call on 01252 70 11 11.
Jocelyn Kirby
Monday, 28 July 2008
Mobile websites - time to get commercial
Mobile web is experiencing a new buzz, but this time brands are really acting on it.
It wasn’t so long ago that everyone was talking about the mobile web revolution, it would change the world. But then talk of the phenomenon appeared to subside and things went quiet. Was this the end of the mobile site boom before it even really began?
Certainly not. I’m more inclined to call it the lull before the storm. In recent months the pages of NMA have been full with stories of newly launched mobile sites and increasingly ingenious uses of mobile technologies in commercial applications. And it’s their commerciality that is the key. It’s not about who has the coolest looking mobile site, but it’s about actually being able to use the site to achieve a goal or satisfy a purpose.
And it’s exactly the lack of this commercial element that has held back the mobile boom until recently. The penetration of mobile internet has reached 12.9% in the UK (source NMA, July 08), now providing a significant enough audience to make mobile sites really work.
So, the excitement of the new mobile boom is now upon us. Brands are taking the leap, investing in mobile and they have a real use for their mobile sites, rather than just ‘being there’.
Some of the most recently launched / soon to be launched mobile sites include:
- Real Madrid – launched July 08 the main purpose of this site is to provide downloadable content and official club news
- Trinity Mirror – due to come this autumn - 12 new mobile sites for its brands including the Daily Mail
- Itchy Group (they do the Itchy City Guides) – a site and SMS service that will allow users to find their June 08 and includes the latest news, ticket information and features a host of downloads
- Kellogg’s – used a mobile site as part of their ‘Win a zookeeper experience’ campaign launched early 2008
These are just a few of the mobile sites that have launched recently. There are a host of sites supporting some of the UK’s best known on and offline brands including:
- BBC – http://www.bbc.co.uk/
- Google – http://www.google.co.uk/
- Flickr – m.flickr.com
- National Rail – wap.nationalrail.co.uk
- Facebook – m.facebook.com
If you’re thinking about using mobile to benefit your business, give us a call on 01252 70 11 11 to find out how we could make it work for you.
Jocelyn Kirby
It wasn’t so long ago that everyone was talking about the mobile web revolution, it would change the world. But then talk of the phenomenon appeared to subside and things went quiet. Was this the end of the mobile site boom before it even really began?
Certainly not. I’m more inclined to call it the lull before the storm. In recent months the pages of NMA have been full with stories of newly launched mobile sites and increasingly ingenious uses of mobile technologies in commercial applications. And it’s their commerciality that is the key. It’s not about who has the coolest looking mobile site, but it’s about actually being able to use the site to achieve a goal or satisfy a purpose.
And it’s exactly the lack of this commercial element that has held back the mobile boom until recently. The penetration of mobile internet has reached 12.9% in the UK (source NMA, July 08), now providing a significant enough audience to make mobile sites really work.
So, the excitement of the new mobile boom is now upon us. Brands are taking the leap, investing in mobile and they have a real use for their mobile sites, rather than just ‘being there’.
Some of the most recently launched / soon to be launched mobile sites include:
- Real Madrid – launched July 08 the main purpose of this site is to provide downloadable content and official club news
- Trinity Mirror – due to come this autumn - 12 new mobile sites for its brands including the Daily Mail
- Itchy Group (they do the Itchy City Guides) – a site and SMS service that will allow users to find their June 08 and includes the latest news, ticket information and features a host of downloads
- Kellogg’s – used a mobile site as part of their ‘Win a zookeeper experience’ campaign launched early 2008
These are just a few of the mobile sites that have launched recently. There are a host of sites supporting some of the UK’s best known on and offline brands including:
- BBC – http://www.bbc.co.uk/
- Google – http://www.google.co.uk/
- Flickr – m.flickr.com
- National Rail – wap.nationalrail.co.uk
- Facebook – m.facebook.com
If you’re thinking about using mobile to benefit your business, give us a call on 01252 70 11 11 to find out how we could make it work for you.
Jocelyn Kirby
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Web Design by Grids
Trends in 2008 for web design are still emerging. What seems to be consistent though is that the layouts are improving. Content is being presented far more clearly than ever before. As in the print world, it’s through the use of rigid grids. Yes you read that right: grids are making a comeback. Grid-oriented pages makes reading text and navigating a page much easier for the user and creates a more enjoyable experience. Designing to grids is not new and has always been a trusted tool in any traditional designers kit and improves the usability, especially on information-rich sites where delivering a large quantity of information is very important.
Another bonus of many grid designs is it can allow your content “room to breathe”. Less is more and when you are trying to create a cool and impactful design, using a minimalistic approach can do wonders for a brand. Many sites still look cluttered but by using the right elements and a simple structure you will end up with a website that communicates to the user clearly.
Ben Bush
Another bonus of many grid designs is it can allow your content “room to breathe”. Less is more and when you are trying to create a cool and impactful design, using a minimalistic approach can do wonders for a brand. Many sites still look cluttered but by using the right elements and a simple structure you will end up with a website that communicates to the user clearly.
Ben Bush
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Sports Website Design - it's all about engaging fans
We’re the largest bespoke website design and build agency for the UK sports industry. And why is that?
Because we’re good at engaging fans.
So, how do we do it?
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
It’s important to have a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, you need to be certain that you not only have a way to talk to your fans, but that you have a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do you get even more fan-love, but you also get a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. Give them a place to belong, a place of passion and a place for community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind engaging the fans via your website. Focus needs to be given to user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; accessibility – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; keeping it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the key to a successful sports site actually makes for a pretty long list, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
If you’d like to speak to us about engaging your fans, call Vimal Patel now on 07958 723427.
Because we’re good at engaging fans.
So, how do we do it?
We know sport, we’re fans ourselves. We know how fans think, what they want, why and how; and when we’re not a fan, we become one. We get inside the minds of fans and we work out exactly what makes them tick.
It’s important to have a website that sets you apart from the crowd, encapsulates the essence of your brand and most importantly, excites your fans.
Exciting your fans isn’t just about giving them a website that has that ‘wow’ factor, although that’s important too, of course. It’s also about giving them the basics that they are going to need, such as real-time results, updates and news. The ‘wow’ factor obviously helps and gives them something to talk about too. But there also needs to be more depth, things to keep them coming back, you need to be certain that you not only have a way to talk to your fans, but that you have a way to interact with your fans.
Fan interaction is great. They love you, they want to be associated with you and they really want to be listened to by you. By creating ways for the fans to interact, not only do you get even more fan-love, but you also get a great resource for research, feedback and the halo effect – they’ll spread the love. Give them a place to belong, a place of passion and a place for community.
But it’s not all about cool features, communities and the latest downloads. There’s also a bit of theory behind engaging the fans via your website. Focus needs to be given to user experience - a clear layout, intuitive navigation and compelling calls to action; accessibility – after all, up to one in five visitors to your site will have some form of disability; keeping it simple – the less clicks to where they want to go the better; the key to a successful sports site actually makes for a pretty long list, but the long and the short of it is – we help our clients engage their fans and we do a good job of it too. Which is why we are the agency of choice for the UK sporting sector.
If you’d like to speak to us about engaging your fans, call Vimal Patel now on 07958 723427.
Friday, 18 July 2008
The Escape...
The first anniversary of our escape from the barns, for which we still have fond memories of course, is fast approaching. One year ago yesterday, 17th July, work began on our offices in The Hub to create the tranquil, stylish offices that we enjoy today. You can see the first photos from the office development on our blog.
The office looks remarkably similar today to when we moved in, but for those of you that are interested in how and where we work, here are some of the latest shots from the office:
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
AndyMurray.com Launches
Bluhalo is delighted to announce the launch of a new website for world-class tennis player Andy Murray.
The new website, which will include a full content management system, a video section and a blog, will also allow Andy to update fans on what he’s up to anytime of day and night via a Twitter integration.
Bluhalo, who is also redesigning Jamie Murray’s website, has designed the new website to give an engaging fan experience as well as focusing on increasing website traffic and monetisation of the website.
The new website, will sit alongside a number of other high profile sporting websites from Bluhalo’s portfolio including Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Hi-Tec, Subaru World Rally Team, The Premier League, and Prodrive.
Vimal Patel, Business Development Director at Bluhalo comments; “It’s great to be working for one of the UK’s top sportsmen on a site that embraces the best of social media to truly engage the fans and enhance the user experience.”
Rob Stewart, Editor of Andymurray.com comments; “Because Andy's a busy guy, it was important that we found a way he could keep his fans up-to-date without needing to be tied to a laptop.
With so much based around his mobile phone, it's going to be dead simple for him to update the site wherever he is, and with the minimum amount of hassle."
For more on AndyMurray.com view the client case study or visit AndyMurray.com.
The new website, which will include a full content management system, a video section and a blog, will also allow Andy to update fans on what he’s up to anytime of day and night via a Twitter integration.
Bluhalo, who is also redesigning Jamie Murray’s website, has designed the new website to give an engaging fan experience as well as focusing on increasing website traffic and monetisation of the website.
The new website, will sit alongside a number of other high profile sporting websites from Bluhalo’s portfolio including Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Hi-Tec, Subaru World Rally Team, The Premier League, and Prodrive.
Vimal Patel, Business Development Director at Bluhalo comments; “It’s great to be working for one of the UK’s top sportsmen on a site that embraces the best of social media to truly engage the fans and enhance the user experience.”
Rob Stewart, Editor of Andymurray.com comments; “Because Andy's a busy guy, it was important that we found a way he could keep his fans up-to-date without needing to be tied to a laptop.
With so much based around his mobile phone, it's going to be dead simple for him to update the site wherever he is, and with the minimum amount of hassle."
For more on AndyMurray.com view the client case study or visit AndyMurray.com.
Thursday, 3 April 2008
The HOT 5 design trends for the year ahead
1. User Generated Content (UGC)
Fuelled by the rapid growth of web 2.0 and social media, UGC is becoming an essential part of website design, with an increasing amount of website real estate being allocated to UGC features. From blogs, videos and podcasts to comments, articles, tag clouds and much more, UGC is becoming as important in web design as calls to action and clear navigation.
2. Functional or Fat Footers
Below the fold is becoming as important as above the fold, a functional footer is often seen as just another way of increasing clicks within your website from the lower parts of your website. But it’s more than that. A functional footer improves usability, is simple to build, is very en vogue and provides a high density of key words to contribute to your SEO.
3. Rich Email Marketing Campaigns
Cited as the new DM, email marketing has grown hugely in popularity in recent years. With increasingly sophisticated broadcast software, detailed tracking and virtually limitless options for the creative, email marketing is a fantastic way to increase your top of mind awareness, encourage repeat purchase and provide a means for you to promote special offers, new products and communicate your latest news.
4. UX – User Experience
With website usability a key factor in the success of a website, clear navigation is essential in ensuring a site is a pleasure rather than a chore to explore. With UGC, web 2.0 and social media all contributing to vast amounts of content within sites, it’s all the more important to make sure you make it simple and easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for. This might be with the use of ‘speaking’ navigation or icons to add meaning to the traditional ‘one-word’ navigation, both of which have the advantage of looking pretty cool too!
5. Site Personalisation – Back with a vengeance…
Personalisation has been around for years, but as users are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet, it’s back with a vengeance. With users now used to and taking enjoyment from creating their own web pages, such as with MySpace and Facebook, the ability to personalise a site is frequently becoming a big selling point of a website. By enabling your users to personalise your website by choosing what items they see, such as topic specific news, blog articles, specific product groups or even simply the colour scheme of your website, you’ll increase the depth of brand engagement, improve repeat visits and ultimately increase conversions.
To continue with our marathon of web tips, click on one of the article titles below:
Make social media work for you
Increase your website traffic
Blog successfully
Must-have website features
Fuelled by the rapid growth of web 2.0 and social media, UGC is becoming an essential part of website design, with an increasing amount of website real estate being allocated to UGC features. From blogs, videos and podcasts to comments, articles, tag clouds and much more, UGC is becoming as important in web design as calls to action and clear navigation.
2. Functional or Fat Footers
Below the fold is becoming as important as above the fold, a functional footer is often seen as just another way of increasing clicks within your website from the lower parts of your website. But it’s more than that. A functional footer improves usability, is simple to build, is very en vogue and provides a high density of key words to contribute to your SEO.
3. Rich Email Marketing Campaigns
Cited as the new DM, email marketing has grown hugely in popularity in recent years. With increasingly sophisticated broadcast software, detailed tracking and virtually limitless options for the creative, email marketing is a fantastic way to increase your top of mind awareness, encourage repeat purchase and provide a means for you to promote special offers, new products and communicate your latest news.
4. UX – User Experience
With website usability a key factor in the success of a website, clear navigation is essential in ensuring a site is a pleasure rather than a chore to explore. With UGC, web 2.0 and social media all contributing to vast amounts of content within sites, it’s all the more important to make sure you make it simple and easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for. This might be with the use of ‘speaking’ navigation or icons to add meaning to the traditional ‘one-word’ navigation, both of which have the advantage of looking pretty cool too!
5. Site Personalisation – Back with a vengeance…
Personalisation has been around for years, but as users are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet, it’s back with a vengeance. With users now used to and taking enjoyment from creating their own web pages, such as with MySpace and Facebook, the ability to personalise a site is frequently becoming a big selling point of a website. By enabling your users to personalise your website by choosing what items they see, such as topic specific news, blog articles, specific product groups or even simply the colour scheme of your website, you’ll increase the depth of brand engagement, improve repeat visits and ultimately increase conversions.
To continue with our marathon of web tips, click on one of the article titles below:
Make social media work for you
Increase your website traffic
Blog successfully
Must-have website features
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
The 6 must-have website features for 2008
1. Blog
They’re quick and easy to update, can be informal if appropriate and can develop a large user base if the right content and appropriate sharing mechanisms are used. A blog can also be a way of encouraging two-way communications, engaging the user by giving them the ability to comment on posts and providing pre-purchase research resources for consumers. All of this of course providing sound commercial benefits which may include an increase in website transactions, more enquiries or more sign-ups – it depends upon your objectives.
2. Customer reviews
Taking the communication one step further and enabling customers to review you, your products and your service can open a valuable communications channel, whilst increasing customer confidence. Don’t be scared of bad reviews, they give you the chance to react and the opportunity to improve service, prove you are a reputable company and increase customer loyalty.
3. Regularly updated content
One key factor in SEO is frequent updates to your site’s content – search engines will love you for it and this will certainly help your overall SEO strategy and natural listings. Of course, content has to be relevant, but in turn this will build your presence as an authoritative figure in your field. Don’t worry about the time it takes to write your news everyday – Bluhalo can arrange that for you!
4. RSS and Atom feeds
Allowing users of your website to subscribe to your news and blog feeds not only helps to establish you as an authority in your area of business, but also encourages repeat visits and increased brand awareness and loyalty – all contributing to increased levels of sales.
5. Functional footer
A functional footer is often seen as just another way of increasing clicks within your website. But it’s more than that. A functional footer improves usability, is simple to build, is very en vogue and provides a high density of key words to contribute to your SEO.
6. Digital planning
Digital planning is the difference between a good website and a great website! Professional analysis of your objectives, target market and competitors will give you the perfect solution for maximising your ROI and gaining a competitive edge, providing recommendations tailored to your exact requirements and budget. Everyone needs digital planning, so speak to Bluhalo about how it can help you!
To continue with our marathon of web tips, click on one of the article titles below:
Make social media work for you
Hot 5 design trends
Blog successfully
Increase your website traffic
They’re quick and easy to update, can be informal if appropriate and can develop a large user base if the right content and appropriate sharing mechanisms are used. A blog can also be a way of encouraging two-way communications, engaging the user by giving them the ability to comment on posts and providing pre-purchase research resources for consumers. All of this of course providing sound commercial benefits which may include an increase in website transactions, more enquiries or more sign-ups – it depends upon your objectives.
2. Customer reviews
Taking the communication one step further and enabling customers to review you, your products and your service can open a valuable communications channel, whilst increasing customer confidence. Don’t be scared of bad reviews, they give you the chance to react and the opportunity to improve service, prove you are a reputable company and increase customer loyalty.
3. Regularly updated content
One key factor in SEO is frequent updates to your site’s content – search engines will love you for it and this will certainly help your overall SEO strategy and natural listings. Of course, content has to be relevant, but in turn this will build your presence as an authoritative figure in your field. Don’t worry about the time it takes to write your news everyday – Bluhalo can arrange that for you!
4. RSS and Atom feeds
Allowing users of your website to subscribe to your news and blog feeds not only helps to establish you as an authority in your area of business, but also encourages repeat visits and increased brand awareness and loyalty – all contributing to increased levels of sales.
5. Functional footer
A functional footer is often seen as just another way of increasing clicks within your website. But it’s more than that. A functional footer improves usability, is simple to build, is very en vogue and provides a high density of key words to contribute to your SEO.
6. Digital planning
Digital planning is the difference between a good website and a great website! Professional analysis of your objectives, target market and competitors will give you the perfect solution for maximising your ROI and gaining a competitive edge, providing recommendations tailored to your exact requirements and budget. Everyone needs digital planning, so speak to Bluhalo about how it can help you!
To continue with our marathon of web tips, click on one of the article titles below:
Make social media work for you
Hot 5 design trends
Blog successfully
Increase your website traffic
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Blue Halo adds Pizza co. to clients
Blue Halo has recently been awarded the contract to develop a new £200k social media website for one of the UK's largest pizza companies. The client, currently wishing to remain anonymous, selected Bluhalo from an initial choice of seven agencies. In the final pitch stage Bluhalo beat two other top UK digital agencies to win the exciting new contract.
The main focus of the new website will be to use social media to promote the company's new left-handed pizza. The new pizza, which is a revolutionary advancement in pizza technology is currently being kept tightly under wraps to preserve the company's competitive advantage. What can be revealed however is that the pizza will make a huge difference to the lives of left-handed pizza eaters around the world.
Spencer Gallagher, Managing Director of Bluhalo commented; "Being left handed shouldn’t be a reason for all major fast foods to introduce left handed options; although personally I think the left-handed Big Mac is well over due. Burger king were the first to bring out a left-handed burger as far back as 1999 with the left handed whopper." For more on the left-handed burger click here http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=39523.
Famous lefties
- Paul McCartney - he even had a left-handed guitar made especially for him
- Melinda Messenger
- Legendary guitarist Jimmy Hendrix
- Supermodel Sophie Dahl
- Former England cricketer David Gower
- TV presenter Sarah Green
- Former MP Roy Jenkins
Lefty Facts
1965 left-handed scissors introduced into the UK
1995 the first left handed cheque-book with the stubs on the right was launched by Lloyds 1998 launch of the left handed ergonomic computer mouse brought Lefties into the Nineties!
About Bluhalo
Bluhalo is one of the UK's top website design and build agencies, the largest digital agency in Hampshire and the largest provider of bespoke sports websites. Incorporated in 1999, Bluhalo has experienced rapid organic growth which has been recognised by Media Momentum, Deloitte, New Media Age and Marketing Magazine.
The main focus of the new website will be to use social media to promote the company's new left-handed pizza. The new pizza, which is a revolutionary advancement in pizza technology is currently being kept tightly under wraps to preserve the company's competitive advantage. What can be revealed however is that the pizza will make a huge difference to the lives of left-handed pizza eaters around the world.
Spencer Gallagher, Managing Director of Bluhalo commented; "Being left handed shouldn’t be a reason for all major fast foods to introduce left handed options; although personally I think the left-handed Big Mac is well over due. Burger king were the first to bring out a left-handed burger as far back as 1999 with the left handed whopper." For more on the left-handed burger click here http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=39523.
Famous lefties
- Paul McCartney - he even had a left-handed guitar made especially for him
- Melinda Messenger
- Legendary guitarist Jimmy Hendrix
- Supermodel Sophie Dahl
- Former England cricketer David Gower
- TV presenter Sarah Green
- Former MP Roy Jenkins
Lefty Facts
1965 left-handed scissors introduced into the UK
1995 the first left handed cheque-book with the stubs on the right was launched by Lloyds 1998 launch of the left handed ergonomic computer mouse brought Lefties into the Nineties!
About Bluhalo
Bluhalo is one of the UK's top website design and build agencies, the largest digital agency in Hampshire and the largest provider of bespoke sports websites. Incorporated in 1999, Bluhalo has experienced rapid organic growth which has been recognised by Media Momentum, Deloitte, New Media Age and Marketing Magazine.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Cut Spend - Damage the Brand
It's one of the most talked about areas in the marketing world this week - the debate about whether cutting marketing spend during an economic slowdown can damage the brand. Fuelling the debate is a recently released report from the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) which warned that cutting budgets during a downturn could damage the brand in a number of ways including loss of market share, a long term effect on sales and a decline in brand image.
So, how does this apply to your website? At a time when budgets are being carefully monitored, if not reduced, there arises an opportunity to gain some ground on your competitors and even extend your lead in your marketplace. When the majority cut budgets, keep on spending, even increase spending if you can get away with it! Invest in a **** hot website, take two leaps ahead in terms of style and technology - then use it!
It's all part of the bigger picture, but with internet usage continuing to grow and the social media phenomenon making even the most tech-shy marketers sit up and take note, a time when your competitors are being over-cautious is the perfect time to stand out from the crowd!
A great website can create increased brand loyalty, encourage interaction between your brand and its public and most importantly help to drive sales - whether they're online or offline. Strengthening your offering at a time when caution is the norm will give you the stability to ride out the hard times and more importantly, will give you a long term competitive advantage. In addition to these marketing benefits, clever use of technology within your website can also help to streamline internal processes, actually saving you money!
Whether you are B2B or B2C, if you want to find out more about how a new / updated website can help your business get ahead of the game, start by speaking to Bluhalo.
So, how does this apply to your website? At a time when budgets are being carefully monitored, if not reduced, there arises an opportunity to gain some ground on your competitors and even extend your lead in your marketplace. When the majority cut budgets, keep on spending, even increase spending if you can get away with it! Invest in a **** hot website, take two leaps ahead in terms of style and technology - then use it!
It's all part of the bigger picture, but with internet usage continuing to grow and the social media phenomenon making even the most tech-shy marketers sit up and take note, a time when your competitors are being over-cautious is the perfect time to stand out from the crowd!
A great website can create increased brand loyalty, encourage interaction between your brand and its public and most importantly help to drive sales - whether they're online or offline. Strengthening your offering at a time when caution is the norm will give you the stability to ride out the hard times and more importantly, will give you a long term competitive advantage. In addition to these marketing benefits, clever use of technology within your website can also help to streamline internal processes, actually saving you money!
Whether you are B2B or B2C, if you want to find out more about how a new / updated website can help your business get ahead of the game, start by speaking to Bluhalo.
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
My Top 10 Firefox Developer Add-Ons
Like many Web Developers I use Firefox everyday of my working life.
The ability to customise my browsing experience has been key to how I integrate my browsing experience with the internet. Firefox has revolutionised the way in which I can use my browser as a tool to build richer web applications.
The following extensions have been invaluable in saving time and effort when building websites. For those of you that already use Firefox I am sure that you are already aware of some if not all of these extensions, but if you are just setting out as a developer or are new to Firefox then I strongly recommend that you try these out.
Web Developer
A menu with various web developer tools.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60
FireShot
A great extension that allows you to not only take a screenshot of a web page but also allows you to edit and annotate the image. This image can then be uploaded, saved, copied to clipboard or emailed.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5648
The ability to customise my browsing experience has been key to how I integrate my browsing experience with the internet. Firefox has revolutionised the way in which I can use my browser as a tool to build richer web applications.
The following extensions have been invaluable in saving time and effort when building websites. For those of you that already use Firefox I am sure that you are already aware of some if not all of these extensions, but if you are just setting out as a developer or are new to Firefox then I strongly recommend that you try these out.
Web Developer
A menu with various web developer tools.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60
IE Tab
Easily swap between browsers to ensure that page structure is maintained in both Firefox and IE
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
Easily swap between browsers to ensure that page structure is maintained in both Firefox and IE
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
FireShot
A great extension that allows you to not only take a screenshot of a web page but also allows you to edit and annotate the image. This image can then be uploaded, saved, copied to clipboard or emailed.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5648
Firebug
By far my favourite Firefox extension. A true wealth of development tools have been integrated into this add-on. You can edit, debug and monitor CSS, HTML and JavaScript live on any webpage.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843
By far my favourite Firefox extension. A true wealth of development tools have been integrated into this add-on. You can edit, debug and monitor CSS, HTML and JavaScript live on any webpage.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843
PicLens
A tool not just for developers, piclens turns your browser into a “3D Wall” which allows you to easily browse through images on the web. A fast and easy tool when you are searching for the right image for your site.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5579
A tool not just for developers, piclens turns your browser into a “3D Wall” which allows you to easily browse through images on the web. A fast and easy tool when you are searching for the right image for your site.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5579
Pallette Grabber
A simple tool that grabs the colours on a web page and exports a palette for PhotoShop or your own image editing software.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2290
A simple tool that grabs the colours on a web page and exports a palette for PhotoShop or your own image editing software.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2290
HTML Validator
Quickly displays HTML errors and warnings on a page that allows you to identify issues on a page and effectively fix any bugs.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/249
Quickly displays HTML errors and warnings on a page that allows you to identify issues on a page and effectively fix any bugs.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/249
CSSMate
Displays individual CSS files in separate tabs and allows you to edit the files live on the page.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4187
Displays individual CSS files in separate tabs and allows you to edit the files live on the page.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4187
YSlow
YSlow is used with FireBug that allows you to analyse individual elements on a page and identify which elements are loading in slowly and can be optimised.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5369
YSlow is used with FireBug that allows you to analyse individual elements on a page and identify which elements are loading in slowly and can be optimised.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5369
ColorZilla
An advanced eyedropper tool that allows you to point your mouse at a pixel on your screen and find the Red, Green and Blue values applied to that pixel.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/271
An advanced eyedropper tool that allows you to point your mouse at a pixel on your screen and find the Red, Green and Blue values applied to that pixel.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/271
Mark
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Are you a Web Developer or Programmer?
or.....
are YOU a talented Digital Specialist?
If yes, then why not consider working for Bluhalo?
Bluhalo is the largest digital design and build agency in Hampshire, located at Farnborough Airport.
Farnborough Main Station is just 30 minutes from Waterloo and 15 minutes from Basingstoke. There are also good transport links from Farnborough to Reading and Guildford, with great parking facilities as well as good road access to the M3, M4 and A3.
Our team members typically live in South London, Woking, Reading, Guildford, Camberley, Basingstoke, Farnham, Farnborough and Andover, but we have people from as far away as Portsmouth and Southampton,
We are award winning and have a fabulous team and culture! Bluhalo is a Top 20 UK design and build agency and we are the largest developer of bespoke sports websites in the UK. We are also a Deloitte Tech Fast 50 company which means we are ambitious and have some of the best clients to showcase your work on!
Click here for a shaky tour of the offices as well as our showreels!
Interested? Please send your CV, portfolio and a covering letter to andy@pasturesnew.eu.
Please note we only recruit through Pastures New, so please ensure any communication goes directly to them!
Finally, be quick! We have immediate vacancies and interviews are starting next week!
are YOU a talented Digital Specialist?
If yes, then why not consider working for Bluhalo?
Bluhalo is the largest digital design and build agency in Hampshire, located at Farnborough Airport.
Farnborough Main Station is just 30 minutes from Waterloo and 15 minutes from Basingstoke. There are also good transport links from Farnborough to Reading and Guildford, with great parking facilities as well as good road access to the M3, M4 and A3.
Our team members typically live in South London, Woking, Reading, Guildford, Camberley, Basingstoke, Farnham, Farnborough and Andover, but we have people from as far away as Portsmouth and Southampton,
We are award winning and have a fabulous team and culture! Bluhalo is a Top 20 UK design and build agency and we are the largest developer of bespoke sports websites in the UK. We are also a Deloitte Tech Fast 50 company which means we are ambitious and have some of the best clients to showcase your work on!
Click here for a shaky tour of the offices as well as our showreels!
Interested? Please send your CV, portfolio and a covering letter to andy@pasturesnew.eu.
Please note we only recruit through Pastures New, so please ensure any communication goes directly to them!
Finally, be quick! We have immediate vacancies and interviews are starting next week!
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Top 10 design trends for 2008 (and not just for the web either!)
Another year brings another set of trends in the world of design and all things cool. Often, the web and the offline fashion trends show a lot of similarity, so we've put together our top ten design trends (on and offline) for 2008 - come back and check how accurate our predictions are at the end of the year!
The Top Ten
1. Illustration
In 2007 we saw elegant flowers and swirls, 2008 will bring geometric shapes. Graphic design will be more organic and strong in colour.
2. Web Design
Out with shiny buttons and gradients. Big fonts and simple graphic elements are the way forward.
3. Wall Art
Everywhere you go you will see wall art, my advice is to go for something that looks edgy and hand drawn.
4. Music
Pop is making a comeback! Out with Indie and Rock & Roll and in with Take That, although personally I think I’m gonna stick with what was cool last year ;-)
5. Colour
Whether it's the clothes you wear, the paint you put on your walls or the colour of your website - be brave, go with something bright and energetic - red, green or purple are good.
6. Typography
Once again go for something hand drawn, things don’t have to be neat and perfectly aligned like days of old.
7. Iconography
Simple, abstract shapes are the way forward. Try drawing them by hand and scanning them in, it will be a welcomed move from web 2.0 speech bubbles!
8. Get an iPod shuffle
If you don’t have one already then you may need to go and get one, they are small, easy to wear and look great.
9. Trainers
Retro is in and Gola is making a comeback! Canvas pumps are also cool although they do remind me of the plimsolls that we used to where for P.E as kids (cringe).
10. Accessories
Girls: Get a new bag - the bigger the better. Go for something bright too, yellow is cool.
Boys: Get a studded belt, hopefully 2008 will bring the return of wearing your jeans around your waist and not having them hanging below your boxers.
So, there you have it. Stick with these tips and you won't go far wrong - plus, you'll be one step ahead! If you don't mind not keeping one step ahead, then feel free to forward this article onto a friend!
Brett
The Top Ten
1. Illustration
In 2007 we saw elegant flowers and swirls, 2008 will bring geometric shapes. Graphic design will be more organic and strong in colour.
2. Web Design
Out with shiny buttons and gradients. Big fonts and simple graphic elements are the way forward.
3. Wall Art
Everywhere you go you will see wall art, my advice is to go for something that looks edgy and hand drawn.
4. Music
Pop is making a comeback! Out with Indie and Rock & Roll and in with Take That, although personally I think I’m gonna stick with what was cool last year ;-)
5. Colour
Whether it's the clothes you wear, the paint you put on your walls or the colour of your website - be brave, go with something bright and energetic - red, green or purple are good.
6. Typography
Once again go for something hand drawn, things don’t have to be neat and perfectly aligned like days of old.
7. Iconography
Simple, abstract shapes are the way forward. Try drawing them by hand and scanning them in, it will be a welcomed move from web 2.0 speech bubbles!
8. Get an iPod shuffle
If you don’t have one already then you may need to go and get one, they are small, easy to wear and look great.
9. Trainers
Retro is in and Gola is making a comeback! Canvas pumps are also cool although they do remind me of the plimsolls that we used to where for P.E as kids (cringe).
10. Accessories
Girls: Get a new bag - the bigger the better. Go for something bright too, yellow is cool.
Boys: Get a studded belt, hopefully 2008 will bring the return of wearing your jeans around your waist and not having them hanging below your boxers.
So, there you have it. Stick with these tips and you won't go far wrong - plus, you'll be one step ahead! If you don't mind not keeping one step ahead, then feel free to forward this article onto a friend!
Brett
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