Webdesign

Unique Ideas for Web design

Web designing is a creative field which refers to the process of designing websites. There are many steps involved in web designing including webpage, graphic design, and creating and publishing relevant content. Markup language used in this process is HTML. It is used to build webpages by utilizing “tags” which define content and “metadata” which explain the web page. Webpage layout is described by CSS (cascading style sheets). Graphic designers create the images for use on these webpages. HTML and CSS create the design and images are created by using programs like Adobe Photoshop. In order to provide a unique and exciting user experience, there is constant need for interesting and unique ideas for web design. The resources available to facilitate this process include Smashing Magazine and Web Designer Depot. There are many different resources or methods available to help in this process. Brainstorming and using online resources are one of them.

Brainstorming

This is a process of randomly suggesting new ideas without giving much thought to them. It is important to give as many suggestions as possible for this process to be successful. In the end of brainstorming, there is usually a big list of ideas available to choose from. It is important to start with a blank canvas and keep building ideas on it. This facilitates unrestricted thinking process. It is very important to get timing right for brainstorming. The team working on a particular idea needs to figure out best time for them to work together and use it for brainstorming. It can be early in the morning, late afternoon after lunch or in the evening. Just make sure it is comfortable for all the members involved.

This can help in yielding better results in limited time frame. All the team members involved in the process of idea generation should know everything about the project. This helps in getting them involved and increasing productivity. It is important to encourage questions from the team members. This step can help in ruling out any misunderstanding about the project, lack of information, possible road blocks or obstacles beforehand and can ensure smoother process at web designing phase.

Inspiration sources

Ideas can come any source. It is important to start looking outside the box and keep an open mind. Simply observing everything in great detail can help and social media can also be used to get inspiration ideas. It is not important to restrict ideas to a particular field but expand research dimensions to get amazing results. Different sites to look for creative ideas include Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, and design galleries. There are many online resources available like Galleries (Site Inspire, Crayon.co, BetaList, and The Best Designs), Award Websites (Awwwards, CSS Design Awards, Webby Awards, and Favorite Website Awards), Artist Galleries (Dribbble, Behance, and 365 Awesome Designers) , and other resources (Pinterest Boards, Little Big Details and UI Parade). These resources can help in finding inspiration when required. Trying new apps like MindNode, Moodboard, OmniGraffle, myPANTONE, and iDesign can also help in getting new ideas.

Discussion

Bringing out new ideas can be very difficult. However, if we decide to go with fresh start, putting everything we know to test and try to find alternate solutions to established problems, we may just be able to do that and get unique ideas for Web designing. It is important to encourage free discussion process among team members and giving them all the information they need for project completion. Also, using online resources can help in stimulating creativity and bringing out unique ideas.

Basic Rules for Web Design

Web Design is a process of creating websites which can be used through internet via a web browser to present any required content. It has many steps like thinking about idea, analyzing different methods available to arrange it on a webpage and finally implementing it by publishing it online. There are few vital requirements for a basic Web Design, layout, color, graphics, fonts and content. In order to create a user friendly Web Design, there are few important factors that need consideration in designing phase. These include navigation, multimedia, compatibility, technology and interactivity. Few basic rules can help in designing a great website.

These are…

1. Content
Every website needs good informative content along with good design. So, it is important to pay attention to details as well as provide good content on all the pages. Also, there should be some consistency in posting new content on the website. It can be daily, weekly or monthly depending on the user expectations and client requirements.

2. Code
Being able to write own code for the website can be a great skill which can help in solving problems related to website design. It is better to write your own code from scratch instead of using a template. This will help in building the essential skill and you will be able to get the pages exactly the way you want.

3. Quality Check
Errors can very easily appear on webpages in form of typing mistakes, broken links, and content that refuses to load in time or correctly. This can seriously hamper the image of website and ruin user experience. It is very important to keep regular checks for such errors and rectify them at the earliest.

4. Compatibility
It is important to check the website in multiple browsers to ensure it is loading in acceptable manner in all the browsers. Website should be designed to ensure mobile friendliness. Nowadays, many user access websites on smartphones and website display needs to be correct for different screen sizes. CSS media queries can help in this regard.

5. Colors
Careful selection of appealing, consistent and soothing colors can help in improving user experience and prevent any bad experiences. Also, having good contrast between background and written content can help.

6. Consistency
Website design should be consistent from one page to another. It can cause confusion among customers or visitors if web design changes significantly from one page to another. So, try to get best design for your requirements and stick with it for all pages.

7. Comfortable navigation
Navigation should be simple and straightforward. Also, standard position for navigation is in header portion at the top of every page of the website. The horizontal navigation is considered standard for website design.

8. Creative design
It is very important to have a good impressive design for the website in order to increase number of repeat visitors.

9. Simplicity
Keeping the website simple will make it easy to use.

10. Position of Logo
The standard position for company logo is left upper corner on every page of the website. This logo should be clickable which means visitor should be able to click on it, opening a new webpage with more information about the company and products.

11. Contact
Common position for contact information is upper right corner. It can be in the form of clickable logo or link.

12. Home page slideshow
It is good idea to have a slideshow with multiple pictures and messages showcasing company information or salient features on the homepage.

13. Value proposition
Information about value for the visitors can be beneficial for the company and having this readily available on the upper portion of the page can make a big difference.

14. Call to action
Prominent and easily visible call to action prompts can be a big supporting feature for a good website.

15. Search Feature
Providing search feature in the header can help in easy navigation. However, if the website is carefully organized and have limited content, this feature is not required.

16. Signup box
Having a signup box in the footer can help in collecting email addresses of the visitors which can further facilitate in sending emails regarding updates.

17. Footer
This section can be used for social media icons, copyright, privacy, legal, sitemap and contact links depending on client requirements and preferences.

Discussion
Web Design is a creative field which brings science, art and technology together to create a wonderful virtual world. It is important to follow some basic rules in this process to make it successful and provide unforgettable user experience and get the desired results.

Calgary: A developing Creative Web designing Hub

Calgary is developing as a creative web designing hub and is one of the fastest growing city of Canada. It is located in the center of booming oil industry. This is bringing lot of people together in Calgary for job opportunities. Also, Calgary provides many diverse internship and job opportunities to students and graduates of University of Alberta. Calgary is developing into a place where many artists find themselves expressing themselves. There has been some huge developments in creativity in field of art, music, architecture and in Calgary marketing. The artistic inputs in field of marketing can be seen in graphic design, web design, photography, video production and printing.

In Calgary, UAS (Untitled Artists Society) help budding artists by providing them all the support they need to transition from art world to professional world. Graphic designers get help from such establishment and provide unique products which help in making marketing projects a huge success. Web designing refers to process of creating and maintaining websites which can be further used for marketing, sales, product development, content share, etc. In this process, content is presented on electronic web pages which in turn can be accessed by the users through internet. The user need some kind of web browser in order to get access to required website.

Creative Marketing Companies

There are many successful creative marketing companies in Calgary which include…

1. Arc Reactions
They distinguish themselves as being efficient, effective and adaptive. Arc Reactions is involved with marketing as well as art scene in Calgary. They work on understanding the project and putting forward unique masterpiece of art in marketing. They provide many services including web development, brand development, graphic design, copywriting, photography, video production and printing. They help in audience engagement through online marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, email marketing, lead generation, outdoor ads and print ads. They are positioning themselves as a company excelling in incorporating art in creative marketing projects.

They providing marketing solutions which help in improving business. Their few notable projects include ASCI, AFS (Apple Fitness Store), CATCH, G3 (Green Grid Generation), KUFF (Kids Up Front), MEDIVEST, APL (Advanced Paramedics Ltd.), Progressive and ISGREEN. They have been helpful in providing businesses with increased sales, improved user experience, distinguished branding and recognition in their field of work. First step with any client is understanding their business and their problems. Designers step in after full careful consideration has been given to client need and once they hace a clear goal they follow a path to resolve those issues and meet client needs.

2. Full Blast Creative
Full Blast Creative has many years of experience in Calgary web design and web development. They are capable of developing engaging, responsive and profitable websites. This Company offers many services related to creative web designing, branding, social media and digital marketing. They help with digital marketing strategy development, web development, photo and video production, and maintenance and hosting. They specialize in launching big ideas. According to them, it needs science and art to create excellent marketing presence. They offer proven results in web design & development, market research and online consumer behavior, communication, creative visual expression and user experience, ad targeting and media buying for web, mobile social advertising and printing services and best technologies for message delivery. They can help in improving awareness or increased sales, whichever is the requirement of their client.

3. Creative Coco’nuts
They specialize in creating mobile friendly websites. It has offices in Edmonton and Calgary. The company helps in connecting businesses to the customers by providing creative branding solutions according to their requirements. This company provides creative graphic and web designing services. Their products include branding, illustrations, website design, signage and banners, print design, product packaging, promotional products and decals and vehicle wraps. The services provided by them include advertising, web development and internet marketing. To help with branding and identity, they provide logo creation and design service, brand strategy development, brand guidelines, business cards, letterhead, envelopes and professional presentations.

For advertising they provide support with print services, banners and displays, decals, promotional products, vehicle wraps and trade show booths. Services provided for web design and development include SEO, WordPress Customization, CMS, PHP Web Development, E-commerce, Codelgniter Web development, Laravel Web Development, iPhone Application Development, and Android Application Development.

4. BioWare
It specialize in video games. This company was founded by University of Alberta graduates Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip in 1995. Their projects include Shattered Steel, Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights, and Star wars: Knights of the old republic. The headquarters are along Edmonton’s Calgary Trail. In 2008, it was acquired by Electron Arts (EA). Another headquarter of the company is in Austin, Texas. The company develops video games projects that have extensive narratives, lot of possibilities for characters and expansive world for gamers to escape in. The company gives opportunities to students, interns as well as junior team members to learn and work on the projects. BioWare has co-op jobs in art, design and programming. This company provides unique opportunity to students of University of Alberta to express themselves and get real life experience of what they are learning at University.

5. Stealth Interactive Media
Their products include web design and apps, commercials and videos, photography, logo design, print and signage and social media and SEO. The company has business relationships with many companies and has two offices in the United States, seven offices in Canada and two offices in Australia.

6. RFX Brand + Communications
This company specialize in marketing and brand development. The company was founded in 1999 and provides B2B marketing services to local, national as well as international clients.

7. MRC SEO Consulting
This Company provides support in search engine optimization to small businesses.

8. Jaw Drop Marketing
It provides services in marketing and communication.

9. Red Cherry
Web Development company with services offered regarding Website Design.

10. Codesign Technology
It is Web Design and Digital Marketing Agency which has won many awards for their work.

Other companies in Calgary: Few other notable companies in Calgary include talonX Creative Agency, Sparrow Studios, Design24 Web Design and Marketing, Emethod, Build Studio Inc., StyleLabs, Storm Division, Blue Ocean Interactive Marketing, Gratisites, Tiller Digital and Redline Interactive. These companies are providing creative designing services in Calgary. They tend to provide similar products but each have their own unique strengths. These companies represent themselves online as web designers but may differ in user experience or social media presence. However, they offer multiple Web Designing choices in Calgary which is making the city stand out and shine like a hidden gem.

The Scrapheap Challenge Is an Inspiration to Designers

Everyone who is looking for inspiration for their building needs to be sure that they have watched some of the Scrapheap Challenge which became Junkyard Wars in the States. This was a show that pitted people against junk that they had to use to make their project. This is a show that people need to get behind because it would teach them to be creative, and it would help them when they were trying to figure out how they could make something out of nothing. That is what businesses have to do a lot, and that is why it is important for them to be sure that they are really looking at what was done on the show. The show is a good metaphor for work, and it is something that people need to be sure they have figured out before they lead a team.

The Premise Is Good in The Office

Every office that wants to have more creative people in it should make sure that they are telling people they can be more creative. It is very easy to encourage people to be creative when they are looking at their work like the process of going through the Scrapheap Challenge. They will see everything as a chance to learn, and they will find out that it is a lot easier to do this than it is to sit around and hope for better resources to come in. The people who are complaining about this all the time will have problems that they cannot resolved because they are not being creative. Taking inspiration from the Scrapheap Challenge will make it so that every person in the office is going to get more work in a day because they are simply more creative with what they have.

Teaching a while office of people to think outside the box is pretty easy when they are looking at it like a TV show. That is why the Scrapheap Challenge is something that people need to really look at for inspiration. They can learn a lot of things, and they can find out that they have more chances to do good instead of just wondering how they will get done with the project that is sitting in front of them. They will see everything as a material, and they will do their best work every time they come into the office and there is a problem to solve.