The conference kicked off on Tuesday afternoon with a thorough presentation on Digital Brands by Juan Pablo Manazza of Wunderman Argentina. His main argument was that in order to engage the new and sophisticated digital native marketers need to use new digital channels. The old media models of print, TV, and radio are slowly dying, if not already in critical condition. And new forms of marketing in the form of video games, mobile, and music channels are forging new bridges between brands and consumers. For Matias Cheistwer of Cero Negativo, an interactive agency based in Buenos Aires, paradigms are continually shifting. And it’s no longer about who has the most financial power, but who’s the most agile to adapt and learn in the face of massive and constant change. We’re at a time where David beats Goliath more often than ever. It’s the nimble little guy who makes the cut. Big structures are an impediment to change and the small companies are usually more creative and quicker in response to that change. “Many small groups are more creative than a few large groups” succinctly expresses the shift in power and democratization that the internet generates.

Social Media was the center of attention with case studies ranging from Axe, Coca-Cola, and Dove. These consisted of YouTube viral videos, winning facebook campaigns and tweets aplenty. More and more brands cannot afford to be absent in this space and social medias recognition and effectiveness is no longer questioned. The old method of pushing fake messages has gone out the window and today it’s all about being authentic, transparent, and engaging in meaningful conversation. Succesful engagement requires an empathetic approach that requires us to truly become the people we’re trying to reach.

Mobile marketing also had a strong presence through the lens of Nicolas Falcioni of Movillion.com, a site that specialieces in mobile marketing news in the region. His closing argument made a challenging point. He said there’s still a long way to go in terms of exploiting the full potential of mobile marketing, but the mobile carriers have the wrong business model, thus curtailing it’s full potential benefit for brand communication. But regardless of these hurdles, it’s power is growing, citing as a vivid example the recent acquisition of AdMob by Google. A presentation on SEO and SEM by Marketing Director Federico Barbagallo of MercadoLibre.com(Latin American E-bay) covered all the bases. And as the event’s closing statement Nico Berman, co-founder of MercadoLibre.com gave an inspiring talk about the coming trends in the Digital World.

In Q&A fashion four of the main presenters, Matias Cheistwer, Mariano Dorfmann, Martin Hazaan, and Luis Cabrera presented their free downloadable e-book, The New Agency Model. Althought each had differing views on technical matters and styles, they all agreed that the most important factor in today’s digital agency is fostering a culture of seducing the consumer. It’s a completely different approach than that of traditional media which is inherently a method of interruption. In the digital world consumers and fans are converted not by way of interruption but by attraction, in which usability is a major influence.

Throughout the whole conference the caliber of the presenters was never in question and their valuable insights were well received by a receptive and hungry audience. I particularly liked the presentation given by successful local bloggers like GiannyL.com, a sexy do-it-yourselfer, who’s video on how to make your own bikini received a ridiculous number of views on YouTube. Their example only demonstrates the growth of the medium. The only downside was the low attendance, but that’s understandable considering it’s a first. Overall the conference exceeded my expectations and I will be looking forward to the next year’s Asuncion Digital Week.

1. Licensing Model

It’s all about freedom with WordPress. This platform falls under the GPL (General Public License) which clearly states in the preamble that “The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software–to make sure the software is free for all its users.” What this boils down to is freedom and power to use this as you like and see fit. This document is making a tremendously powerful software accessible to you and all who wish to use it.

2. Versatility

One of the neat things about WordPress is that it’s highly customizable and flexible. It is more than a simple blog platform and it can be converted to function as a conventional website or modified to act as a portfolio site. It’s applications can be so diverse that some people even use it as a CMS for Flash applications. Although it’s not as robust as Joomla or Drupal for content management and community building it comes very close. But to be honest, most people and organizations will never need or want a high powered community site. WordPress is a step down, but it does the job amply well. And if you don’t like the look and feel simply google WordPress themes and choose from thousands of free themes to give it a face lift. You can also buy premium themes that cost anywhere from $15 - $200. And if you need additional functionality like forums, contact forms, and shopping carts, plug-ins are only a download and install away.

3. SEO

At WordCamp 2009 Google SEO expert Matt Cutts said: “WordPress takes care of 80-90% of (the mechanics of) Search Engine Optimization.” So if you want your articles and keywords to rank appropriately in search engines it’s hard to beat WordPress. It was designed with this end in mind. SEO is becoming more important every day. It’s the language of the search engines and you want your content to communicate well in the online space. WordPress gets this right.

4. Open Source Support

Since WordPress is an Open Source project there’s a world of developers who work on this platform and develop extensions for it. Need support? Have questions? Simply go to the forums. Support is invaluable, and this is one of the main reasons why WordPress has a promising future. It’s the difference between an obscure piece of software that’s difficult to use and one that you can get up and running in no time flat. People building on top of other people’s improvements, continually enhancing the application. It’s a movement that’s gaining momentum all around the world. And if you’re serious about WordPress development or just want to learn more about the possibilities with WordPress there are WordCamps you can attend in all continents except for Antarctica.

5. Track Record

All the big guys are using WordPress to power their blogs. Fortune500 companies like CNN, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, ZDNet, MTV, and other big media companies are jumping in the bandwagon. Get the idea? WordPress must be doing something right. It’s stable, it’s powerful, and people trust it. This is because it works very well. And this same structure is available to anyone who wants to use it.

These are just five reasons but the list goes on. They are the core values that come with the WordPress package and which I consider priceless. Not bad for a free piece of software. So why don’t you take it and run with it?

“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.”
-Niels Bohr

And what’s a web designer’s job description anyway? Lately, I’ve been asking myself this question, especially at this time when the demand for specialization gets greater and greater. In the early 2000’s when I initially got started in the web, it was easy. The prevailing identity on the Internet was that of a webmaster. If you were called a webmaster, you were like a magician; the practitioner of an esoteric and novel art form. Everyone respected that and knew what it meant, even if they knew not what it was all about. A webmaster in 2000 did what a jack of all trades does today, from designing the Photoshop template of a site to administering the database of the CMS. That, as we all know, was not a good proposition. Do you remember the first designs to surface the internet and how hideous they were? Thank god the graphic designers took an interest in the web and resuscitated visual goodness.

Today however, the playing field has shifted. True, there are still coders out there who do it all. But is it efficient? Are they happy? And most importantly, are they good? I cannot agree as the layers of complexity in web design increase. There needs to be a division of labor for truly powerful builds to come alive. And each specialist has his or her place. So in search of truth I posted a question on LinkedIn to see what other designers and developers had to say. I received a decent number or replies and with the exception of a few, most tended to say the same.

With the expansion of the web new roles have evolved which go beyond the title of web designer or web developer. That’s why I think these terms need a revamp in 2009. Today there is no person who can juggle both ends of the web industry spectrum like the webmaster of the late 90’s, because today there are a slew of new technologies that didn’t exist back then. To clear things up I did a search of employment positions in the well-respected creative job boards Krop.com and AuthenticJobs.com. I found that there are about 8 key areas most digital agencies look for and a whole assortment of names associated with each capacity, some of which you’ll find pretty amusing. I think these are more appropriate names for the web specialists of today. So here’s the round up of positions that inhabit the web industry ecosystem and their job description. Bear in mind that this is as granular as you can get. If you work in the web field you usually fall into one or two of the following categories, give or take a few skills.

1. Interactive Art Director / Creative Director

This guy is the visual designer with more than five years of web design experience. He makes the fundamental decisions that deal with aesthetics and technology. He’s balanced in his knowledge of both and knows the limitations of each. He makes things look good and finds a creative way to implement functionality and interactivity with conceptual thinking in every design. An Interactive Art Director usually works with all other personas in the web industry and leads the way by molding his grand vision into the final interactive experience.

2. Visual Designer / Kick-Ass Designer

A visual designer is a graphic designer with experience in all types of visual media. Usually a professional with a fine arts background who demonstrates outstanding design talent, creativity and sense for visual, interactive, and motion design. His weapons of choice are Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects. Sometimes if he overextends his reach he can go into 3D modeling, Flash, and video, but this is not the norm. In the strictest sense this guy is not a coder and doesn’t know a lick of HTML. He just passes the finished Photoshop files to the Front-End Developer who later crystallizes his work into code.

3. Front-End Developer / Front-End Programmer / Front-End Engineer / Front-End Badass

This guy knows his XHTML, CSS, and AJAX backwards and forward. He can also slice a mean Photoshop pie. He’s a half-breed because he has the visual understanding of a graphic designer and a coder’s point of view. He uses his jQuery library to make things functional and occasionally he’ll go into Flash if needed, but this is not his forte. He works with the visual designer and the Back-End Developer to make sure things run smoothly. In the strictest definition he doesn’t design visual mock-ups, he just converts them to XHTML and makes them functional.

4. Back-End Developer / Back-End Programmer / Web Development Engineer

This is the guy you call if your database breaks, or your server is down, or if you want to know what Ruby on Rails is all about. He talks about databases like they were girls. His core expertise lies in PHP or .NET. His vocabulary includes Ruby, Python, Cake, Code Igniter and other frameworks to make scripting faster and better. He likes to check under the hood of any CMS or web app to tinker around with code. He has a secret crush on WordPress, but is married to Joomla. He likes to develop web apps for breakfast and churns out a slick CMS for lunch.

5. Flash Designer

He’s a programmer with a fine arts background. In the early days of the web he messed around with Director before Flash went mainstream. He got started with Flash because he fell in love with the visual power it represents. He knows ActionScript well but is not as concerned with data as much as animation and visual impact. His partners in crime are Papervision, SWFobject, and SWFaddress. You’ll usually find him browsing the theFWA.com website to get his dose of Flashy treats as he harbors the secret desire to be some day listed on this award site.

6. Flash Developer / Flash Engineer / Actionscript Ninja

This guy dreams in ActionScript, his tool of choice is Flex and sometimes he’ll even use Eclipse. His modus operandi is Flash Remoting because he loves to hook up with databases since he has to coordinate data interaction between Flash and other server data entrypoints, be it in PHP, .NET, Ruby, or Python. He regularly works with XML to feed data into his work and makes sites come alive with information in multiple formats.

7. Digital Producer / Web Producer / Interactive Project Manager

A Digital Producer is responsible for coordinating the work of various designers and programmers. He gathers all the resources needed to push an interactive project forward. If he’s not on top of his game, projects fall apart. Sometimes he’s also the liaison between the client and the technicians behind a project, so he usually has to take the heat from both sides. He understands basic technological principles, and it is not unusual that he develop the wireframes and sitemap, as the starting point for a project.

8. User Experience Designer / User Interface Designer / Information Architect / Jedi UI Designer

A UI designer’s sole mission in life is to provide the best possible web experience for the end user. He usually acts as the devil’s advocate and thinks of covering all the bases in navigation and information flow, sometimes sacrificing aesthetics. He likes to impress his peers by using fancy words like heuristics, user based research, focus groups, and prototyping. He talks in flow charts, storyboards, wireframes, mockups and user interface specs. In the purist definition this guy doesn’t get his hands dirty with CSS and HTML. He’s more strategically focused on user experience and information architecture. He works with Visio if He’s a PC guy or OmniGraffle if he’s a Mac head.

Conclusion

Certainly the larger the organization you work for the more specialized the skills. The opposite is also true: the smaller the agency the more hats you wear. Most small studio outfits with three to five people are filled with jack-of-all-trades. Bear in mind, just like personality types, there are no pure breeds. Some front-end web developers do some back-end work. Some Flash developers do some graphic design work as well. Capablilites overlap and we all give each other a hand.

So hopefully after reading this article at least you know where you’re standing. And with this knowledge you can say goodbye to your old title and bring in the new year with a new found title, like say Front-End Developer instead of Web Designer. It’s a jungle out there and many people claim expertise when there is much to be debated. Oh, and if you’re looking for employment and find a job advertisement for a kick-ass graphic designer who can ActionScript in Flex, custom build a CMS in PHP, with AJAX, design in After Effects, Maya, and edit footage in Final Cut on the side just skip this ad and laugh. Laugh hard because you can be sure these people have no sense as to what they’re talking about. They want the whole package, but guess what? The whole package doesn’t exist. You’re either a phenomenal programmer, but you’re a mediocre graphic artist at best, or vice versa. If you want good quality work, hire an expert.

I think I covered all the bases in this round-up but if I forgot to mention any position please include them in the comments. And tell me, what kind of web industry animal are you and what do you do?

“If the anxiety is about the deadline, then the energy really focuses on the result. If there is not anxiety about a deadline, all of the anxiety goes right to the creative part.”
-Christoph Niemann

I just read a great Behance interview with Christoph Niemann. While being a phenomenal illustrator his tips on workflow are spot on. The above quote I extracted from the interview is such a true concept. What we need as creative professionals is to find a happy medium where there’s enough of an urgency to get things done but not so much as to stifle creativity. If I had all the time in the world to build a site I wouldn’t know where to start and then I would get finicky about every single detail finally bursting into an OCD tantrum. I find that to build a simple website working in two-week to one-month sprints works best. Having more time than this makes me want to find distractions and I end up getting less done with my time. To be productive I need to be engaged in flow, not anxious. And having too little, as well as too much time, can be detrimental.

1. Focus on 80/20

In business school the 80/20 rule is a popular concept, also known as the Pareto principle. Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist who discovered that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. The same rule in business states that 80 percent of the results come from 20 percent of the efforts. So how does this apply to your web design business? For one, it means that as a businessman you need to stop wasting your time with futile activities. Stop chasing clients and projects that don’t produce results for your business. Adopting this mindset makes you conscious of your efforts and helps you gravitate to areas where you get the greatest results. One clear example could be eliminating all distractions when working on design or development. This includes online chat, Facebook, phone calls, and designate another time to handle all communications. Meetings are also a big time waster for many people. Instead of chatting mindlessly for hours, reduce meetings to a minimum and focus more on execution. Focus on the handful of activities that actually pay off and do more of it. Reduce the time wasters to a minimum and you’ll achieve more.

2. Track Everything

Simply put if you don’t measure your efforts, you can’t improve your results. Just like an athlete who increases his endurance or speed by clocking his time, anyone can increase his output by tracking it. So for example if you know you can hand code 5 HTML pages a day, this serves you when budgeting time for your next project and also in calculating the cost for a project proposal. Tracking time is essential because it tells you how many hours you spend on a given project. And at the end of the project you’ll know if you made money, lost money, or broke even. And given the options for time tracking available on the web it’s easy to track time for any business. For this purpose I highly recommend Harvest. It has an online interface and a downloadable widget for the Mac dashboard.

3. Communicate Effectively

You won’t believe how many business opportunities fall through the cracks because of ineffective communication or lack of it. The solution is simple: be professional and clear in all communications. This means in person, via email, in phone conversations, during follow-up, and you’ll never miss a beat. All these communication channels have a time and place for their most effective use. For example when contacting clients for the first time I’ve found that it’s more effective to use the phone than to send an email. Email is important and works wonders once the relationship has already been established. When you’re first contacted by a client through email pick up the phone right away and give them a call. They’ll be impressed by your prompt response and initiative. If the next contact is a meeting, make sure to dress a little more formal than your usual attire. First impressions always count. And remember that closing a sale is a process. It doesn’t just happen in the first contact, it may take up to ten interactions for a client to hire you for their next project. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. Know the process and when to apply each approach. And always use an email signature so that your contact information is readily available at all times.

5. Use Professional Business Documents

Business documents are the pillars on which business relationships are forged. Therefore it is crucial to have professionally designed documents ready to start the next project. I use three main documents when dealing with clients. They are part of a process I found to be very effective in my business relationships. I use a Client Worksheet, a Project Proposal, and a Client Feedback Survey. The Client Worksheet is a questionnaire that the client completes with information regarding the project. It is the first document I use in the process. With a completed Client Worksheet I have a better idea of the project scope and the work they’re expecting. This document also weeds out the tire kickers because only serious inquiries will take the time to answer this document (remember the 80/20 rule). I use the completed questionnaire to draft a Project Proposal. This document contains all the regular legal babble, project scope, guidelines, and cost so that all parties are clear on the matter. And finally, once the project has been completed and all files have been handed over to the client I send a final document, which I call the Client Feedback Survey. In this document my main concern is client satisfaction. I get their feedback and politely ask for three referrals. And I later use their feedback as a glowing testimonial on my website. All these documents send a clear message to the client: professionalism, which for my business means future work.

6. Streamline your Invoicing

Creating and managing invoices used to be such a drag. But those days are long gone. Sending invoices is easier than ever with web apps such as FreshBooks. All my invoices are managed through their online interface, which allows me to send email invoices to clients. They can later download PDF’s and I don’t have to worry about licking stamps or tracking. Clients even have an option for online payment gateways such as PayPal and Google Checkout so payment is even faster for me and more convenient for my clients. I encourage you to go completely digital with your invoices and use a web app like FreshBooks. It almost makes billing fun.

7. Be on top of Finances

Managing finances is the part where most creative types get lost. The only way to know if you’re running a healthy business is by tracking your income vs. expenditures. You can do this by using a monthly profit-loss statement, which can be created using an Excel spreadsheet. But there are many programs like QuickBooks that do this painlessly for you. If you don’t control this aspect, you might as well give up. It’s imperative that you know how much money is left after all is said and done.

8. Delegate and Outsource

I learned early on that I needed to hire help if I wanted to accept more work. There’s only so much one person can do in a day. To grow as a business you must delegate and outsource. And if you think you’re throwing money out the window, think again. By outsourcing to contracted agents you’re guaranteeing your client a faster turnaround and giving yourself a better return on your investment of time. This way you can concentrate on what you do best, and let a hired specialist handle the rest. It also frees your time to look for the next project without having to worry about developing every phase of the web design process. Work with people you know and trust, but if you don’t have a programmer in the neighborhood all you have to do is go online to sites like Craigslist, E-lance, and other job boards. You can find people willing to collaborate all over the world. And collaborating with other specialists is not only profitable, but it’s also fun. It will expand your network base and grow your business by leaps and bounds. And remember, the door swings both ways.

9. Relationship Management

All businesses thrive on relationships. The better you are at building and managing your clients and contacts, the more business you’ll command. So with this goal in mind, I recommend using a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager). A CRM is nothing more than an address book on steroids. But it does more than simply save your client’s contact info. It allows you to include special notes about clients, schedule events, set periodic reminders, and plan your next meeting all with a single application. I recommend using Highrise, a web application created by 37Signals that works spectacularly well in this regard. But there are more robust applications like SalesForce that really pack a punch. The important thing is to choose an app that allows you to manage all your clients effectively.

10. Build your Network

The only reason people will hire you is if they know you and trust you. And how do you grow your business if you don’t know enough people? Simply go out and do something with other interesting folks. This is where your social skills come in really handy. Being socially active is a good way to promote your business. You do this by joining groups that are not directly related to what you do. This could mean attending social events like art gallery exhibits where people tend to flock and mingle; or joining a photography group, a local charity, local meet-ups, wine tasting events, conferences, volunteer organizations, etc. Whichever activity strikes your fancy, do it. By simply becoming more socially active your network automatically expands, and you never know where business opportunities can come from. The important thing here is to be consistent. This approach is more of a long-term strategy. But if you’re constantly putting yourself out there in a way that people look to you for advice regarding your specialty you’ll be a successful networker. I try to meet at least one new person each week. I do this by going to parties, business events, and joining organizations that are aligned with my interests. Once I find a person I’d like to foster a relationship with I invite them for coffee or lunch. We exchange ideas and we keep in touch regularly. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that my last project came through a friend I met at the gym.

Wrap Up

Apply these tips and you’ll become a more business oriented web designer, which in turn will help you turn a tidy profit. Having the shop in order will also make you feel more fulfilled by what you do and free your time to focus on doing your best work.