If It Ain’t Broke, Fix It Anyway
Saturday, September 19th, 2009 | graphic design, search engine optimization (SEO), web design, web site consulting, web site development | No Comments
Noodle Design was born out of a time of unemployment, following 9/11. One of the first web sites that was done under the Noodle name was Artistic Photography by Sara Adamski. Sara photographed my wedding and in 2004 when our baby was a couple of months old we contacted Sara about photos of our new family. We had made a web site about our pregnancy that then turned in to a web site about our baby, which I shared with Sara. When she learned that I designed web sites a wonderful trading relationship began. A web site for her, photos for us.
The web site we developed was true to coding and usability standards of 2004 and fortunately it was classic enough in design that it did not quickly become outdated.
Still, five years later technology had changed so dramatically that this classic web site needed an overhaul. Most notably today’s computer monitors are much larger and the resolutions higher, internet connections speedier. Wonderful news for a photographer who needs their photos to be large and beautiful.
Sara also likes to edit her site so the new site was built with simplicity in mind. All of the menus are straight html and embedded using PHP includes. Editing just one file will add a new page to the entire site.
The code is cleaner (validates as XHTML Strict) and search engine optimized. Will the site last her forever? Nope, because in a few years technology will have changed our web site standards again, but Sara’s site has what she needs to grow her business: big, beautiful photos.
Has it been several years since you had your site designed? If so then it’s time to invest some time in having a new site done. Noodle Design would love to help you. Contact us to find out how we can help you!
Also, check out Sara’s photos if you’re in the market and in the Greater Seattle area.
Noodle Design Now Offers ‘No-Brainer’ Web Sites
Sunday, June 7th, 2009 | graphic design, web design | No Comments
We mentioned it was coming, and now it has! Now you have the power to choose between getting a custom web site or choosing among many quality-pre-designed web sites (some people might call these web site templates). You can choose which level of customization you need, putting the control of cost in to your hands.
Why didn’t we think of this sooner?
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | graphic design, web design | No Comments
We know times are tough and we know people are doing what they can to stay afloat. We’ve noticed people without jobs attempt to try a dream that they were never before brave enough to quit that secure job to try. We also know financing that dream can be tricky. Noodle Design has always prided itself on custom design work. It’s your identity, your web site, not also that guy’s down the street. Now is the time to try something new and we’re nearly ready to unveil “get-up-and-go” web sites. Basic to varying degrees of customization at varying degrees of money. No longer is a pricey web site a hindrance to your dream! Check out www.noodledesign.com in the coming weeks.
Bad Noodle, Bad, Bad, Noodle!
Monday, May 18th, 2009 | search engine optimization (SEO), web design | No Comments
I am slapping my own wrists and do you know why? I haven’t posted in this blog since February (we’re half-way through May). I could explain that Noodle Design has never been as busy as it is right now. We’re doing something right with the SEO efforts on noodledesign.com, but one of those things certainly is NOT updating this blog.
A blog is essential to your search engine optimization efforts, particularly if you’re in a highly competitive market like we are, web and graphic design in Seattle. In fact, Seattle is such a hot bed for design that if you’re in Hawaii and you do a search for “web site design” what comes up is a slew of Seattle firms. Interesting, no? We’re in good company it seems! Fortunately Noodle Design comes up pretty good for “web site design Seattle”, page 4 on Google to be exact. We’re pretty happy with that, but just imagine how we’d do if we were better at keeping this blog up?
Blog people, and blog frequently. Watch the internet respond in kind!
Learn more about Seattle web site design firm Noodle Design >
New Construction Management Site Launched by Design Firm Noodle Design
Thursday, February 26th, 2009 | business cabinet design, business card design, graphic design, identity systems, search engine optimization (SEO), web design, web site consulting, web site development | No Comments
Bockes Consulting Group (BCG), a multi-disciplined construction management and consulting firm, provides innovative solutions that deliver projects on time and within budget. From project conceptualization through closeout, BCG will assist you in achieving project success, from the ground up.
The construction management and consulting firm out of the Seattle and Greater Puget Sound areas of Washington (WA). Contact us for restaurant, industrial, hospitality and commercial projects throughout the country.
Validation: the Key to Longevity
Monday, December 8th, 2008 | web site development | No Comments
There is a lot to a web site that the usual visitor doesn’t see. This doesn’t mean however that what’s going on behind the curtain isn’t important. We’ll talk more later about designing for multiple browsers later (all browsers are NOT created equal), but there are some things you can do to make sure you’re at least writing code appropriate for multiple browsers. This is called validation. There are a fair number of rules, so in the end run your web site through a tool like Total Validator to learn what doesn’t validate with your code.
Some does or don’ts:
- target=”_blank” is out, rel=”external” is in. Here’s the javascript that makes it work:
<script type="text/javascript"> // External Links function externalLinks() { if (!document.getElementsByTagName) return; var anchors = document.getElementsByTagName("a"); for (var i=0; i<anchors.length; i++) { var anchor = anchors[i]; if (anchor.getAttribute("href") && anchor.getAttribute("rel") == "external") anchor.target = "_blank"; } } window.onload = externalLinks; </script> - do not use in-inline styles, use a CSS file. For instance: <img src=”mypic.jpg” border=”0″ /> is out. Instead, either create a img tag CSS style that says border:none or create a class that does the same and change the above to <img src=”mypic.jpg” class=”noborder” /> — “noborder” could be changed to whatever you want.
- <img src=”mypic.jpg”> is out, <img src=”mypic.jpg” /> is in. Properly close those tags! Same with <br> tags. Should be <br />
Want to learn more about validation? Learn what the W3C has to say about it. Or you can entrust your web site and it’s valid code to Seattle web design firm Noodle Design >
Some Notes About Graphic Design Contracts
Monday, December 1st, 2008 | graphic design | No Comments
Contracts are standard in the graphic design industry, and should you begin as a client to work with a graphic designer and they don’t ask you to sign one beware! A contract protects both you and the designer and ensures both parties understand how the project will progress.
There are some standard articles in a contract that you as a client might not understand. Here are some things you should know.
- Partial payment up-front and non-refundable. Why, you ask, would you give money before you’ve seen any work? Just because you haven’t seen any work doesn’t necessarily mean work hasn’t yet begun. A designer will put in hours of work prior to delivering anything to you. Should you cancel the project for any (likely valid reason) the designer is ensured they will get paid for whatever work they have done. This clause also protects a designer from delivering a rough draft and the client then taking that rough draft to a friend who will finish the work for little to no cost. This may happen any way, but at least the designer receives some compensation.
- Payment schedules. The full payment for the project may be split in to multiple payments, due at particular points in the project. Suppose a designer finishes designing a web site and has your approval. Before they begin to build the web site they may require a payment. Or they may require a payment prior to launching your web site. This not only protects the designer’s work but also helps split up for you what might be a large expense. The designer may be willing to work with you on the terms of the payments. It’s worth discussing with them.
- Rights of use. Work created by a designer is their intellectual property, and because it is art it is rather personal. A good designer will know how not to take work for a client too personally, however they will get proprietary when it comes to future work getting done to what is their creation. You will often find a clause stipulating that the designer gets first option to make changes (say to a brochure or to a web site). Another “rights of use” issue concerns how the work created can be used. It may be explicitly stated how an ad could be used (say perhaps in a single issue of a magazine, rather than re-purposed for another type of medium).
- Credits. A designer often leans heavily on referrals and the showcase of their work. Their contract may stipulate they get a credit on the web site they created for you, for instance.
Contracts can be rather lengthy with lots of jargon you may be unfamiliar with. Do not hesitate to ask the designer to clarify a point or two.
Noodle Design ReDone
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
NoodleDesign.com was revamped and launched today. Check it out!
Creating Brochures that WORK
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 | graphic design | No Comments
A piece of collateral like your brochure is critical to bringing in new customers, retaining new ones, and continuing the growth of your business. What does your current brochure say to people? Is it saying “we’re a professional organization”? Is it sending a message that people understand and connect with? Does it give people a reason to contact you RIGHT NOW?
Here are some tips to creating an effective brochure.
- Grab ‘em and don’t let ‘em go. You need to get their attention and persuade them to keep reading. Colors and graphics work well for this, as will an attention grabbing headline that speaks to a reader. Keep the front of the brochure simple, not too wordy. Keep it to just that headline so it won’t be missed. “Tired of never having enough money” might be a good headline for something having trouble handling their finances.
- That’s right, just a little but furhter. You’ve gotten them past the cover, let’s not lose them now. While you might be tempted go on and on about your company, remember that prospects will read the brochure with a “what can you do for me” mind set. Think more “you” and less “me” (or “us”, as the case may be). Make sure the prospect believes you are talking directly to them. Keep the text on the lighter side, in both tone and length. Long and confusing text is a sure-fire way to lose a prospect.
- Leave them wanting more. Don’t give away the farm with the brochure. You’ll want to leave your prospects with enough questions that they feel compelled to seek out the answers by calling or visiting yoru web site. Your brochure could never do as a good of a job at selling as your sales representatives so don’t let it try.
- Reel ‘em in. Now that you’ve got them salivating, make it as easy as possible to satisfy their hunger. Provide multiple avenues of communication, such as phone number (toll-free is even better!), web site address, or a printed form they can fill out and send in for more information (with prepaid postage of course). No need to put your contact information in more place than one. Repeating your phone number over and over just ends up feeling intrusive. If your prospect is interested enough to call they’ll find your number. Just make sure it’s not too small of a print!
Trust your brochure design needs to Seattle Design Firm Noodle Design >
Elements of an Effective Business Card
Monday, November 24th, 2008 | business cabinet design, business card design | No Comments
A business card is fairly simple, and largely because of its (usual) size there’s only so much you can do. So what do you with such precious real estate?
- Keep it simple. At its most basic a card just needs to tell some one what company you are with, what your name is, what your title is, and how to reach you. Consider how likely it is some one will need to fax you. Could that information be saved for your web site? Leave it off if you can. Space is at a premium.
- Horizontal vs. Vertical. The decision is yours (or yours and your designers). The standard is horizontal because it provides the most space, allowing for things like long web site addresses and long names. Vertical however, because it is used less will let your card stand out.
- Front and back? With services by online printing companies making printing cards front and back affordable using a card with 2 sides does allow you to provide additional information, such as a slogan or brief list of services. Possibly even call attention to something that makes you unique, such as donating proceeds to a charity. Just make sure you cluster your contact information on one side rather than splitting it between both sides.
- Font Size. Never below 9 point. You’ll be tempted, but anything below 9 point becomes illegible.
- Font Faces. I know that Papyrus font looks attractive, but if prospective clients can’t read your phone number it won’t do you any good, so save that for the logo. The fancier the font the harder it is to read at the sizes you’ll be using on that business card.
- Text Alignment. Left-aligned text because of it’s prolific use in written mediums is the easiest for the eye to read. Try to avoid center-aligned and right-aligned for this reason.
- Emphasize it. Finally, remember to make key items prominent, such as your name, your phone number, and probably your email address. Most other information, such as your address, are less often used. Make it easy for that prospect to find the info they need. So bold it, make it bigger, change its color.
Want help designing that business card? Contact Seattle Design Firm Noodle Design >