The Evolution of a Website

On the left is a stock image that the designer used to create the final image on the right

Website design is a long process. It starts with the clients, who have some ideas at hand, but more often than not depend on the designer to produce something that resembles their ideas.

The beginning is truly intuitive, starting with ideas, then going onto more concrete things like colours, fonts, graphics, photos, and of course the text or content of the site.

The designer from Thinkvitamin.com had two days to design an events website with simply the briefing: "To design and build a site to promote [the] new Stack Overflow DevDays event that’s happening this October." Stack Overflow is a programming Q & A site.

It doesn't really matter who or what Stack Overflow is, the interesting part is how the designer worked with:

- Stock image of a globe
- Unique way to display event cities on the globe
- Change of direction from pastel-coloured images and icons to a more line and colour design
- Adding photos instead of just graphics
- Borrowing ideas for elongated fonts from another graphic designer
- Changing the colour scheme to bold grays and reds

The designer spends about half the time thinking and experimenting with his ideas. He pools from his own creative resources, as well as using samples and examples from other web and graphic designers.

Finally, he consults with his client to get their feed back.

Go through a simple visual journey of the design process here.

The Stack Overflow DevDays Event website is now up and running.

Job well done.

Advertising Your Website With Original Business Cards

From Another Blooming Designer. Business card as houseplant.

A website is part of your advertisement. It is a place where people can learn about your business, who you are, what you sell, what your specials of the month are, and any other information that can get them to use your services. 

But just because you have an online presence doesn't mean that people are automatically going to come to your website. Your website, which is an advertisement for your services, also needs it own publicity! Yes, we have to advertise our websites so that people can access them to see what our services are.

There are many unusual and original ways for you to get people to pay attention to your website based on a loose concept of business cards. Ordinary business cards are 3.5"x2" cards with a 15pt thickness, where you put your pertinent information. But now they have become much more imaginative and interesting. I have blogged about this, and written an article on it (please refer to my main website for information about my articles).

Below are some examples of business cards taken to another level. You can wear, hand out, send these "cards", or find any number of ways to get them out to your potential customers. You can put them at the counter in your store (and even sell some of them), you can leave them in other stores or community centers, you can get your kids to wear them around town (t-shirts would be a good one), and the rest is up to your imagination!

Here are some imaginative examples:

- Stickers and fridge magnets

- Small pins

- Matches

- Holiday ornaments 

- Small toys

- Functional things like pens, pencils, key chains, coasters

- Fun shapes and objects

- Games such as playing cards

- Mimic your store - if yours is a bakery, make some shapes that resemble breads or pies

- Make something crafty - like a hand-sewn sachet

- And more...

You can read more at this site. The great thing is that once you start using your imagination, all kinds of ideas start popping up.