URLs Gone Wild - 10 URL Structure Challenges to Master URL structure management is harder than it used to be. Getting proper preferred landing page URLs to rank in the search engines has become exponentially more difficult since Penguin, even for branded terms. Part of the problem is that when you build a new piece of content around specific terms (for a better user experience), you won’t see the impact of your marketing efforts until the new page outranks the current top ranking URLs. “Getting proper preferred landing page URLs to rank in the search engines has become exponentially more difficult since Penguin, even for branded terms.” Long gone are the days of watching new content scratch and fight its way to the top. Changing the URL structure of a website is something that we see happening with our clients on a daily basis. We also see sites changing their architecture to provide a more SEO-friendly URL structure. Knowing the nuances of URL structure management will help the performance of your entire business. 1. www.mydomain.com 2. 3.
Be a Better Social Media Marketer Using These Social Listening Tools Most companies feel the urge to be active across every major social network, it’s an anxiety perpetuated by other businesses, the media and users themselves. Yes, it is important to have a presence on the social networks where your target audience is present and most active, but that’s very different than being everywhere across the social media ecosystem. The biggest mistake businesses make is failing to realize each platform has its own audience, features, and user preferences, but unfortunately businesses often broadcast the same message across all their channels in effort to be active everywhere and seem like they are ahead of the curve. It doesn’t do your business any good to share the same link, text, and image on Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram. Recycle, But Don’t Be Lazy For example, JanSport posted this tweet on Twitter and this post on Facebook on the same day with the same exact photo, text, and link. The Taco Bell Approach 1. 2. 3. 4.
The 83 best infographics | Infographic Every picture tells a story, as they say, but sometimes it takes a clever combination of words and pictures to tell a story quickly, concisely and in an entertaining fashion. The best infographics may look like they were simple to create in Photoshop, but designing an effective piece of data visualization is usually anything but. There are several great tools to create infographics, but these examples of infographics from around the web will show you how you can take it a step further and add a bit of style and personality to your data. Some are older than others, but they can still provide some inspiration for those of you looking to create an infographic from scratch. If Star Wars: The Last Jedi has put you in the mood to immediately watch the original movie, hold your horses just one second. 02. 03. Are you reading this slumped at your desk? 04. Do you know your aperture from your apex? 05. 40 little things you can do to break your creative block 06. 07. 09. 15. 18 rules for using text
Branding, Identity & Logo Design Explained A logo is not your brand, nor is it your identity. Logo design, identity design and branding all have different roles, that together, form a perceived image for a business or product. There has been some recent discussion on the web about this topic, about your logo not being your brand. Although this may be true, I haven’t seen any clarification of the differences between ‘brand’, ‘identity’ and ‘logo’. What is brand? To explain this in more detail, let’s start at the top – the brand. What is branding? Branding is certainly not a light topic – whole publications & hundreds of books have been written on the topic, however to put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience. Many people believe a brand only consists of a few elements – some colours, some fonts, a logo, a slogan and maybe some music added in too. As an example, let’s look at the well known IT company, Apple.
logo color psychology wheel How to choose a colour scheme for your logo design | Branding The human mind is highly responsive to visual stimuli, and colour is one of the major defining factors in that response. On both a conscious and subconscious level, colours convey meaning – not only in the natural world but also within the artifice of our culture. Graphic designers need to harness the power of colour psychology to bring resonance to their designs – and in no field is this more important than that of logo design. The use of colour can bring multiple layers of meaning, from primitive responses based on millions of years of evolved instinct to the complex associations we make based on learned assumptions. Companies can use these responses to underline and accent their branding messages. And your success as a logo designer will be boosted if you have a thorough understanding of colour psychology. What different colours mean Every colour, including black and white, has implications for logo design. Red implies passion, energy, danger or aggression; warmth and heat.
Plagiarism website shames logo thieves | Logo design Logo design can be a tricky state of affairs, with some of the most iconic brands providing more than just inspiration for up-and-coming companies. If you've ever spotted a logo that you think you've seen before - you probably have. Website Logo Thief aims to showcase the plagiarism that happens in the logo design world. The curated cases include a comparison between the copied and the original logo design, with the resemblance to the original design clearly shown. [via You the Designer] Like this? Create a perfect mood board with these pro tips The ultimate guide to logo design Our favourite web fonts - and they don't cost a penny Have you spotted a logo thief?
Logo design: 60 pro tips | Logo design Great logo design requires a complex mixture of design skills, creative theory and skilful application. Any designer worth their salt can create a fit-for-purpose logo, but truly mastering all aspects of the craft takes time. Exclusive offer: Save 15% on Adobe Creative Cloud now Of course, logo design is just one small sub-set of branding, but the logo or brand mark remains the centrepiece of most branding schemes. We've spoken to branding professionals about the intricacies of good logo creation, and what qualifies as a great logo. Logo design research and strategy Before pen hits paper on any new logo design project, thorough research is essential. 01. Before you even start working up a logo design concept, ensure you research your target market thoroughly. Compare all the logos in their competitive set. But bear in mind that many of the world’s most recognisable logo designs stand out specifically because they eschew trends and think differently. 02. Why are we here? 03. 04. 05.
Success Strategy: Explain your design work “How to present a new idea is, perhaps, one of the designer’s most difficult tasks.” This is from graphic design luminary Paul Rand, who knew that, although never easy, explaining your work to a client is an absolutely key part of the design process. Skip it, and you’ll likely be out of step with the client from the get-go. We see a lot of designers enjoying abundant success on 99designs and, sure enough, the best of them have all internalized this basic trick: present your work with at least a brief explanation of your decisions and intentions, and the client is infinitely more likely to appreciate what you have done. Indeed, in this visually hectic world sometimes we don’t even see things until they are pointed out to us. Do you remember the first time someone revealed that sneaky arrow in the negative space of the FedEx logo? In presenting the FedEx logo to a client, it would of course be important to point out that clever negative space arrow. Don’t believe us? – fattah setiawan thanx”