Content creators, don’t write those angry emails just yet. Because website design doesn’t follow content, either.

If you really want to do it right, content creation and website design should be done at the same time, in collaboration.

For a (ubiquitous) example, let’s look at Apple. Jony Ive has been designing gorgeous, minimalistic devices for decades, all while (until recently) Scott Forstall was adding skeuomorphic, gradient-ladened software elements inside of it.

On the one hand, the function of the software and device are nearly seamless – swiping is intuitive and having the software and hardware designed by the same company helps create a highly user-friendly experience.

But on the other hand, having a solid piece of hardware seemingly forged from one piece of metal coupled with visually complex software gives a jarring experience. Content and design are not in-sync.

Your website is no different. Having fun, whimsical content inside of a cold, technical design is akin to watching a beautiful little girl sing in a baritone voice. It just doesn’t fit.

And fit is what you’re looking for with a website design. A design that fits your brand. And the voice (content) that is already has.

Designers need to be on the same page with their content creators just as much as they do with their developers. After all, you wouldn’t design a website without knowing what its function was going to be, so why design it without knowing how it will speak to customers or what type of content it will house?

At Reversed Out, we take a holistic approach to your website, making its function and its design link together in perfect harmony. After all, your website should be more than an online brochure.

We’ll see what Jony Ive does to the iOS software next month now that he’s in charge of both elements. But it was a hard lesson to learn. Don’t make the same mistake for your website – get your designers and content creators on the same page.

The post Why Design and Content Should Be Created Together appeared first on Reversed Out.

Your brand works the same way. It’s tempting to focus on the big, splashy pages when doing a website design, but your website goes beyond your home page. And often, it’s the smaller details of the lesser pages that can give your brand that polished edge, and – like just the right amount of perfume – endear you to them.

Consider the following:

Your Blog

Especially if you’re creating inbound marketing links from your posts, your blog is likely the first page people see when they visit your website. You should take advantage of the eyeballs. Add a small About Us section to the right, links to your portfolio or services, or maybe even a testimonial from an impressed customer. Above all, create some great blog posts that really reflect your brand and build your company’s integrity.

Your 404 Page

A lost visitor is a frustrated visitor. Why not give them a bit more than a simple “Oops”? A 404 Page is the perfect opportunity to win back lost visitors all while adding your own brand’s personality and charm. Here’s a hint: A visitor can’t stay frustrated too long if you make them laugh and give them directions to where they want to go. Check out these examples for some inspiration.

Your Footer

If you’ve created enough interest to have someone scroll down this far, give them a nice reward. Sure, who designed your website is good to know, but you can add so much more – a testimonial, a contact form, a list of links to other important pages. It’s a great place to humble-brag to get that second look. Here are 25 great examples to consider.

Your Grammar

No, it’s not a page per se, but misspelled words or misplaced apostrophes can really hurt your brand’s credibility. Comb through every page, and check to make sure that not only what you’re saying makes sense, but it wouldn’t embarrass your 8th grade English teacher. When making a great first impression, good grammar – just like clean fingernails – goes a long way.

Home pages are important, but design needs to be consistently beautiful and functional across your entire site – if you want that second date, make sure you’re at your best everywhere. After all, you never know who will be looking where you least expect it. And while not everyone may notice your brand new shoelaces, for the one who does, the extra effort may mean the difference between one date and a lifetime of loyalty.

The post Is Your Website’s Content Matching Its Beauty? appeared first on Reversed Out.

What will stick around versus what will fade into a Wedding Singer costume design seems hit and miss. But if you look closely, and answer just two questions, you’ll start to see why blue jeans stuck around while shoulder pads got shrugged off.

Is it easy to wear, and does it flatter the figure? Blue jeans do both, and shoulder pads do neither.

The same questions can be applied to any website, albeit with a slight twist: Does it make the website easy to use, and does it flatter the brand?

As the web has grown and evolved over the last decade, we’re starting to see which fashions have withstood the test of time (top navigation), and which ones have joined the ranks of parachute pants and slap bracelets (Flash, anyone?). Top navigation is easy to use. Flash can be cumbersome to navigate.

In this vein, the website goodui.org caught our attention right away, if only because it had a good mix of what UI choices make a website easy to use. Ultimately, it’s a combination of what’s new and what’s tried and true – think a pair of new chinos meets a pair of classic brown shoes.

On the flattering side of the question, we look at a recent example of the newest design fads becoming so ubiquitous, it’s creating an epidemic. As Smashing Magazine pointed out this past March, the new design surge has become the DIY craft looks, including stitching, ribbons, and 19th-century illustrations.

There’s nothing wrong with the latest design trends, but it’s important to make sure the design choice you’re making is because it’s best for your brand, and not just because it’s the newest of the new. Vintage elements in and of themselves aren’t bad, but when you’re trying to sell the latest technology, an antique look may not be the best design choice. It’s not flattering for the brand.

It’s all about context.

At Reversed Out, we know that contemporary and classic can live side-by-side in harmony – we see it all around us here in Cincinnati. The classic styling of the Roebling Bridge against the backdrop of the slick and modernistic Queen City Tower help give this city a fashion all its own. But we also know that functional buildings make the best buildings and that no one has ever complimented a pretty bridge that didn’t help them get across a river. Form and function need to work closely together.

So when thinking about redesigning your website (or creating your first one), make sure that the design choices both help the customer and flatter your brand.

Because good web design – like a good pair of blue jeans – never goes out of style.

The post Fashionable or Functional? Why Your Website Needs Both appeared first on Reversed Out.

1. expertise
2. the ability to think flexibly and imaginatively
3. motivation

Expertise – creative people thrive when their skill sets are in line with project requirements. Their energy can be spent developing a creative end-result instead of struggling to learn new skills.

The ability to think flexibly and imaginatively – the creative process takes time, and suffers when rushed or placed on a strict deadline. Creative ideas expand when allowed to marinate.

Motivation – the creative process needs the proper motivation in order to fully develop. Positive feedback fosters greater creative thinking.

Once managers are aware of how the creative process works, they can utilize the following five key tools to help creativity blossom:

1. challenge: assign creative tasks that challenge appropriately, without overwhelming
2. allow some freedom: the creative process should have the ability to be organic as needed – not statically defined
3. match work groups: based on skill level and project type
4. encouragement: an accurate level of positive encouragement increases creativity
5. support: ensure that the proper tools and resources are readily available

The post How to increase your company’s creative strength appeared first on Reversed Out.

Example #1: Reversed Out worked with a trucking company who was hiring new drivers for several locations in the U.S.  They had an online application process and were getting resumes in – lots of resumes.  The problem was that hundreds of resumes were going to one woman in their Cincinnati office for review.  This woman was spending all of her time fielding resumes – many from drivers that weren’t even qualified for the job.

Reversed Out added filters to the trucking company’s online application process to eliminate under-qualified applicants, freeing up valuable time for the woman in the Cincinnati office who was now able to schedule interviews with qualified applicants.

To further increase efficiency, Reversed Out recommended including a drop down menu during the application process to pinpoint geographic location.  Now the woman in Cincinnati is able to focus solely on the qualified applicants that will be working in her region; qualified applicants for other regions are directed to their local H.R. department.

Example #2: A custom car building company hired Reversed Out because they knew they needed to use social media on their website.   A strategy session with Reversed Out revealed a social media platform that goes above and beyond merely linking to a company facebook page – one that facilitates customer-driven sales and networking.  Here’s how it works…

As the company works on a customer’s car (Let’s say, “Bob’s car”), they take video and photos of the upgrades and changes made to the car.  Once customization is complete, Bob’s car is given it’s own page on the company website.  Bob can go to this page to show his friends the photo and video of his car’s transformation.  Bob also travels around the country, showcasing his cars at auto shows, and arrives armed with a box of free business cards (given to him by the custom car company) that include the url for Bob’s car’s page on the company website.

People who use Bob’s cards to navigate to the company website are likely future customers for the car company, and guess what?  When these future customers are on Bob’s car’s page, they can see exactly which parts the company used to upgrade Bob’s car, and they can click on each part to place an order from the custom car company.

Is your website working for you or just telling about you?  Let us help you discover how to get the most out of your site.  Schedule your strategy session today.

When you work with Reversed Out, you’re not just building a website, you’re building a communication platform.

The post Put your website to work for you! appeared first on Reversed Out.

An infographic by the team at CouponAudit

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Here are five tips to help your site puts its freshest face forward:

Tip #1:   Make sure your site is aligned with your business strategy – make it more of an interactive tool and less of a brochure.*

Think of this as the difference between a simple, template-based site design listing your company information, services or products offered, etc. vs. a site design that allows for feedback, provides links to valuable resources, and facilitates online communication.
*More on this tip next week.

Tip #2:   Know how your clients are interacting with your brand online and via mobile devices…research, research, research! Make any necessary adjustments and improvements based on your findings.

How often have you tried to access a site from your phone, only to find that you can’t click on all of the buttons or navigate to the page you want to be on?  Imagine this happening to one of your clients who is particularly busy and cannot wait to get to an actual computer to access your site.  Maintain your clients’ loyalty by ensuring they can easily access your site from any platform, anywhere, anytime.

 
Tip #3:  Check to ensure that your site is integrating the most current technologies.

Is your site design responsive – adapting to and looking sharp no matter which platform it is being viewed in?  Doyou have app-style interfaces?  Check out 10 Web Design Trends for 2013

Tip #4:  Does your website have great design that is unique to your brand equity?  Make sure your design is fresh and communicates and strengthens your brand.

Sometimes it is helpful to take a quick poll – ask family, friends, and clients what they think of your website design on a scale of 1-5.  If anyone responds with a number lower than 5, ask them what it would take for the design to become a 5 for them.  Chances are, your accumulated responses will reveal where improvements can be made.

 
Tip #5:  Get the highest traffic flow possible with expert SEO/SEM.  Tie in social media for an added search strategy boost.

These days, everyone concurs that businesses need to have an online presence, but simply having a great website is not enough to grow your business.  Your website needs traffic!  Before the internet, people opened storefronts and used window displays to attract and engage customers.  Customers had to know where the storefront was, though…and the most intriguing window display wouldn’t help attract business if it were located on a side street that no one could find.

Spring is a great time to check in with your website design and make sure it is working as efficiently as possible for your business.  Too busy for Spring cleaning?  The team at Reversed Out can do the dirty work for you.  Drop us a line here.

Next week we will roll up our sleeves and take a closer look at Tip #1 and how it can increase your business.

The post Is your website ready for spring? appeared first on Reversed Out.

Reversed Out loves using WordPress for our Cincinnati web design clients. Our developers are considered experts in the area and often teach classes to other developers and our clients on how to best leverage the features in WordPress. Recently we have been working on the redesign of a technology forum blog site and happened across a great post listing the top 10 WordPress plugins and thought it was worth sharing.

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Read more here!

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