Here at WebWorks and Graphics, we’re currently working on a fun a project that includes exciting horizontal scrolling and navigation techniques and we can’t wait to show you the outcome. Meanwhile, let us dedicate this entry to this fun new emerging design trend that is slowly gaining ground. To be clear, horizontal scroll bars have long existed on the internet but have remained rudimentary since technology was not up to par with this different concept. Now that most mouses and computers have this capability and software such as Scrollable and jScrollHorizontalPane can convert the standard vertical scroll wheel to the desired horizontal capability, designers are taking advantage of this and creating websites that change the experience for web users. Here are some great examples that we have come across which shows the brilliance and potential of “horizontalism”.
Sign Up Today
See Results
Tomorrow
SEO & SEM
Search Engine
Notoriety
Giving Back
Helping our
Wounded
Warriors
FAQ
Questions Answered
WebWorks & Graphics Blog
Duck Duck Go : The Latest New Search Engine
May 24th, 2010There’s a new search engine on the web that is worthy of mentioning. It is called “Duck Duck Go” and it has already got the likes of Smashing Magazine and many others tweeting about its significance. I tried it out this morning and my first impression was “wow, this could actually contend with the big timers.
Here are a few reasons why:
Layout and Design:
- No clutter or distracting images/colors that will overwhelm the soon to be frequent user. On the flip side, the design and overall look is super clean and friendly. The branding is spot on. A happy white duck with a green bow-tie inside of a red circle; a great simple and memorable logo for this new search engine.
- The font is large and easy to comprehend. The search engine box is an inviting red transparent box that makes me feel hopeful in my search. Under the search engine box, there are four clean images to tailor your search options. 1. A Magnet (for searching) 2. A stack of books(for information) 3. A shopping cart ( for shopping) and 3. a “duck duck go logo(for, yes, im feeling “ducky”) To top it off, all objects snazzily magnify as the mouse scrolls over. Always a tasteful design feature.
Search Engine Effectiveness and Functionality:
- My particular search gave me everything I was hoping to find and more. Very quick, relevant and overall efficient.
- The search predicability function is extremely impressive giving you the quickest options to tailor your search.
-The search results are presented in a very neat and easy to identify manner. I particularly love how the particular website’s logo displays for each result.
-The side bar conveniently allows you to jump websites and try your search on youtube, twitter, amazon, google maps and more. Very user friendly.
In short, you simply must see for yourself what I am describing.
Here is the link to your new favorite search engine:
enjoy,
Nima
p.s Google we still love you. Just giving props where it’s best deserved.
WE ARE THE MACHINE: Web 2.0
May 14th, 2010What is Web 2.0? Or, better yet, who is Web 2.0? It is by no means a brand new concept however, it is one that many still do not fully understand. Today’s entry is dedicated to uncovering any mystery that surrounds it.. When I personally think of the nature of Web 2.0, I get overwhelmed at how today’s internet is in a sense, a self perpetuating beast that grows and molds upon each and every user’s subsequent visit . Every move we make is literally going into the machine and making it stronger and better.; and we are totally connected. It’s quite mind blowing really. Wikipedia defines web 2.0 as a term commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Indeed wiki’s definition makes perfect sense but I agree with you dear reader that in order to truly uncover the mystery and scope of web 2.0, visuals are going to have to come into play. Ask and you shall receive. This excellent you tube video created by Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology Kansas State University takes into account every angle when thinking about the very nature of this beast:
Nima
Marketing Madness
May 11th, 2010So you have a great idea for a site. You’ve created, or had created for you, a unique, clean and modern site. You have your ecommerce application loaded up and ready to go. You even had your site built so that way the pages and URL’s are search engine optimized. Now what? How do you go from being a new site with no visitors; to a site getting thousands of visitors a day? One word…. Marketing!
If you don’t market your site, no one will come! It’s that simple. But there is a catch; the marketing that you do also represents your business. Spending money and time on an ill-thought marketing “scheme” will only make your business look worse to the people your are trying to reach. This means that it’s very important (especially on the world wide web where business transactions time has been cut down to minutes; if not seconds) to have a clear plan about what you are trying to do. Can anyone say, paper and pencil?
There is no substitute for sitting down and letting your imagination go wild. Let out all of your ideas. If you work better typing them out, then do that. Do restrict yourself right now. What you want to do is start writing down thoughts, ideas and emotions that have to do with different aspects of your business and website. Here are some ideas:
- How thoughts/feeling are brought up when I am looking at my site? (Get real abstract with it; even if you don’t really FEEL anything about your site, dig deep and pin it down to an emotion or two)
- What do I want people to think/feel when they look at the site?
- What types of customers come patronize my business?
- How do I imagine people using my site?
- Does my business feel like it fulfills some need?
- How can I convey that my business fulfills needs through traditional and internet marketing (including the look and feel of the site)
You want to go through every aspect of your site and business and give it a mental and emotion audit. Your site doesn’t make you think and feel the way you would want it to; either reevaluate your expectations or redo your site/business image and branding to match that. Marketing is about convincing your prospects to feel and think about you in a certain way. You can do that without a well thought out brand and look. Once you have those, it makes marketing a walk in the park.
Now you want to think of how you will move your prospects to get more information from your site or to flat out buy. This will be reliant on the style your marketing is executed in, as well as the channels used to execute that marketing. In terms of style, do you want a serious campaign, a silly campaign, an informative campaign? If you spend time on correctly building your brand image; those things will be obvious. Also, it matters what channels you use to reach them. You wouldn’t do a young, hip and cool marketing campaign and use AM radio as your primary way of reaching your market. You would want to use an informative and serious campaign though. If you think about the majority of people who would be listening to AM radio; you can start to put yourself in their head and figure out how to speak to them. Trust me, it may seem like a bad example, but it is completely relevant. If you, for instance, want to let sports fans know about your new sports event streaming site; what better place to let your target market know than AM radio. Who listens to AM radio and why?
Different Marketing Channels include:
- Linked In
- YouTube
- TV
- Radio
- Magazines
- Etc
The list is really goes on for a long time. You can really create different channels of marketing. It’s all about figuring out what kind of people shop with you; and then use different medias and styles to talk to them in a way where they will understand what you want them to understand.
Budget is a very important part in all of this. One thing to remember though is that it isn’t necessarily how much money you spend. You can reach quite a lot of people through free marketing channels like YouTube and Facebook. With properly executed plan, you could reach more people than the Super Bowl; for a longer amount of time. Of course this is hyperbole, but is very possible. This means that if you don’t know where to start in order to PROPERLY use these marketing channels; find someone who does. Google someone who does web marketing and SEO. It is worth paying someone, if they know what they are doing.