Flosites

The world of web has truly been turned on its side; revolutionized not only by functionality, options and social media, but now mobile. The average traffic received by clients from mobiles users varies from 18-32%, usually to direct links, mainly blog posts. With this in mind, more and more people are using sites as a reference example to show past work, but even more so now as the initial interface for new clients, with the increased numbers of people using tablets for browsing over regular computers.

This begs the question: is your site optimized for mobile devices or not? To take it further, if so, which type of optimization do you have? Many do not know the differences or the benefits of what a mobile version can offer your visitors.

Whether your site is flash or fully html, your mobile version will fall into one of these four categories:

1 – Browser Friendly

This is the most common. Any browser friendly mobile site has been coded with mobiles in mind, making sure that all content, navigation is available and workable via any mobile device.

This is the most common option also for flash sites that use html interfaces other than the mobile app itself to work on non-flash devices. Whilst it is a good option and represents your sites full design, it lacks the fluidity and interaction that a fully responsive, or mobile version of your site would allow for visitors to easily navigate throughout your site with simple clicks and procedures. eg. without having to zoom in to navigate.

2 – Mobile App

This was the most common option when customization of sites, especially flash based sites was introduced. Usually these sites had a strict un styled interface, though worked as a regular mobile application to easily navigate between information, gallery or blog posts within a site. The problem with these sites was that the personality that you may have invested heavily in for a custom styled site will be lost simply because of the restrictions implemented by the mobile app template.

And of course you have to develop an application for almost every mobile platform to let allow your visitors to access your information from every platform. iOS, Android & Windows Phone are the most popular systems for mobile devices. Though there are also several others such as the Blackberry OS, Palm OS, even Symbian and so many others. To develop these kind of mobile applications also isn’t cost efficient.

The benefits are that you can present your information in any type you want. Push notifications for iOS are one of the most popular examples – you can send a message to your clients any time anywhere. Promotions are also a good way to improve potential client conversion and improve traffic. However, this is a common option for large sites, there are also many templated options that can be purchased and customized to fulfill the same option for your business.

3 – Mobile Version

Mobile versions are a beautiful option to allow very custom styled sites to have a fully automated mobile interface with a custom design. What makes these different than a mobile app site, is that they still hold the design style of the site design though act as a responsive version though with customizations to the design which would in fact make it impossible to make the design scalable due to design elements. Mobile Versions also work very well for strategically targeting content you would like your visitors to view, which allows organization and filtering of content for mobile and pad users, vs monitor visitors.

The benefits are that you can easily change the way the website would look like. For example you don’t show your mobile visitors advertisements or load smaller pictures that can save some traffic for your clients, it also allows you to simplify the navigation and direction clients and visitors to the exact places you would like clutter free. The downside is keeping the mobile version up to date, as you change content on the front end, if the mobile version is not designed with automatic content, you will have to change and update your mobile version also which will lead to making your updated information harder to present.

4 – Responsive

Takes full advantage of what html 5 and css3 can offer in todays coding. it is what makes it unique, and why many businesses market that other businesses have failed to show what html 5 can do. Whilst it is true, there are design limitations that not all boutique clients would like to yield to, simply because it restrains the layout and styling which makes the mobile version more appealing. Though on the flip side, a responsive design is the “king” of all mobile options, for full content flexibility, and it truly represents your site with fully cutting edge design and coding alike. This is in our view what the web is shaping up to be for most portfolio and brochure information based sites, as it won’t deliver the full requirements that a functioning site such as an airline registration site would require, though for content, news deliverability would be the core for the future.

You don’t hide information you control it. You make your website accessible through almost every device without any problems of resizing, small texts and so on.

As anyone who’s talked to me within the past 3 weeks can attest, I have been slammed with oceans and oceans of new clients. While this is always glorious news, it does leave me a bit feeling like a tape recorder as I try to explain the differences between a logo and a brand countless times a day.

But I don’t think anything will do it quite like this. While shopping the other day, I got stuck on a large scale “C R E”, and I was convinced I knew where I had seen this someplace else before. It took me a minute, but then it totally hit me in the face.  Victoria’s Secret and j.crew use the same logo. Mind you there are absolutely tweaks divided up between the two brands, but make no mistake- they use the same traditional serif, in a clear, crisp way– and BOTH are masters of using the surrounding elements to speak to the overall message of the two companies.

I don’t have to tell you what to think about when I say Victoria’s Secret. Bold, confident commercials, boasting dark saturations of color, bright lights and flashy sexiness.  Meanwhile, I cannot dredge to mind a single image of a j.crew commercial.

This is branding.

The choice in how you market yourself, the decisions of a color palette; and even more than that, how you apply those colors, for what purpose, and to what end?

What is the tone of your blog posts? How do you meet customers, and even more than that, how do you decide which customer’s to work with, and which ones you’d rather gently move away from?

While these decisions and questions are far less sexy than looking at delish images on pinterest, they really set the stage in terms of how to approach branding, especially when it becomes an attempt to brand something so personal.

Just some things to think about!

xo,
jne

For today’s brand board, I just could not help but collect and show off  samples of my favorite styles of illustration. Everything from vintage Mary Blair (the genius behind classic walt disney’s look) to edgy pen and ink- Illustration is seriously one of the most fabulous ways to execute expression. Ah, Expression. Seems to go hand in hand with communication, doesn’t it? Oh it does, folks. You know it does.

When I talk about using illustration to express something, I mean having a concept/idea/point of view in which to be expressed. Yeah, it may sound nit picky, but you’d be surprised! Illustration isn’t just about the look of the piece, the style or the medium, but also how the medium and style are used to further push the idea being expressed. It’s a one-two punch combo. Look at the sweet images of the deer, turtle + birds. While it’s very clear that these are more representational images of animals, rather than artistic expressions of them, what DOES stand out for me is how Mary Blair uses line to express the long, free-form elegance completely inherent in the deer. Or how she uses fun plays on color and pattern in the turtle shell. The illustration goes expressive on the elements in which the artist wants to “show off”, to make more sense of these artist’s methods.

Whenever a client comes to me with an idea for illustration, an icon, whatever the case may be, I always look to the idea and concept first– way before the style of the illustration is even talked about! Knowing what you want to say before you even start to make that message beautiful, is always going to give the starting point(AND the end point) so much more strength. Illustration without a message or a concept is honestly, just pure decoration; and if that’s the case, it would be so much better for the illustration to be replaced with a pattern, a texture, something more for look+ feel/mood purposes over expressive ones.

I am all about being (probably to a fault) solution oriented; I’m talking everything from how the kitchen is laid out to how I schedule my days and weeks– Problem solving, solution driven, efficiency meters go off in my brain, and then I attack. Breaking up my days into 30, 60, and 90 minute tasks, I make sure I save time for what I like to call “Jenny goes off the deep end” time (something my boyfriend coined when listening to me “ooh” and “aah” incessantly over some inspiration I found).

“Going off the deep end” is a way for me to explore my curious heart, and very much get back what used to be literally play time- designing for myself. Do not get me wrong, dear clients! Creating for others is exactly why I became a graphic designer instead of a fine artist, it’s absolutely true. But for me, I am not truly satisfied with my day until I’ve worked with something that’s just for me as well.

I thought I’d share a few of my tips for making any working situation a little bit more enjoyable,  be it a working-at-home mom, traveling and overbooked event planner, or even just a wedding photographer sick of taking tchotchke photos. Whatever your time frame, you can do this. Here’s how:

1) Notes are your friend!

Personal admittance time: I have a paper and notebook addiction. A notebook is left (with 2-3 pens/pencils OF COURSE!) in every room of the house- just in case I get struck with some glorious musings, and on top of this OCD-itude I got going on, I also have a series of ‘idea notebooks’. Just in case I ran out of steam, got bored and could not for the life of me fill that time with SOMETHING, I rifle through those books, and usually my problem is solved. My advice to those who are swamped with work, anytime you think of a good idea-perhaps for the current thing you’re working on, perhaps for something else, write that down. Tether a notebook to your life. Not an iphone, or an ipad. A papery book. Keeping track of even the most fleeting of ideas will definitely help you wrangle out the good ones, laugh at the bad ones, and even help you figure out the next step: making time.

2) MAKE TIME!

My iCal is filled with 19 separate calendars. I have dual alarms, I set up time limits. I even give myself a time OUT if I don’t listen. to myself. which is really my iCal. Time is your worst enemy and your best friend. So who then, is in charge? You! SO YOU!

Since I know we’re photographers here, stuck editing? take a 30 minute inspiration break. Had a really exhausting, but overall successful client meeting? Reward yourself with an enjoyable, rejuvenating break! Get the theme here? Taking time to relax in between the tasks you do is actually JUST as important as making time to complete the tasks. Trust me, I know. Sometimes I get so stuck to this screen, I just push my feet out and roll right out into the main living room. Whatever you got to do, make sure you count ‘relaxing’ and ‘refreshing’ as equally important

3) Lastly, and possibly most important! NO PRESSURE.

Remember when it was just you, your imagination, and your creative tool? Be it pencil, wacom pen, or DSLR? Thinking back, were you thinking of competitors, industry magazines, contests, twitter gossip, or insane clients that make you swear that dragons are real? NO! Do you know what you were thinking about? FUN. Playtime. Exploration. The whole world was open, waiting for you to tear it up and sail it to a viking party.  Bring this back to your forefront. This actually may be difficult because of the level of perfectionism that runs rampant in creative professions.

I also had advice for this: (of course I do!)

Make purposefully bad crap. Bad! and I mean DASTARDLY BAD. Laugh at yourself. Do it even worse! Make it EVEN UGLIER! By the time you have the worst ugliest thing ever, you’ll be crying laughing, in a great mood, and more relaxed to let yourself actually create something, without hemming and hawing it to perfection. I promise I do this. I also promise that I overthink, overworry, and overthink myself to frustration. The trick is realizing what you specifically do that gets in your own way, and then be the impish little 7 year old you used to be, and get that nonsense out of here!

Fitting in some fun, exploratory ridiculousness throughout your day isn’t just for a calmed creative mind, it can also help build your skill sets as well. Discovering anything “new”, while there is no pressure to create, will always keep your abilities stockpiled, helping you keep your clients happy and you more fulfilled with the work you spend your heart and soul creating.

Until next time!

xo,

jne

Let me be the first to announce how much the addition to pinterest has EXPONENTIALLY helped our inspiration and overall branding process. Holy Banana, Folks. Pinterest, you are amazing! If you aren’t already face first in the most fabulous and random selection of images ever on the internet, let’s discuss:

Pinterest. Get on it. Set aside some swoony time… and then rescue your productivity because it is beyond addicting. I only allow pinterest time via phone, you know, to keep me occupied while my boyfriend does the dishes. It’s what we call a “balanced relationship”.

That being said, I’ve definitely noticed a wonderful trend when clients come to me with a pinterest account set up. Already comfortable flicking through thousands of  images to find ones that really sing to them, and all without the impossibly debilitating feeling of pressure to get it PERFECT.

Showing a designer even a huge collection of seemingly random images and talking through them will undoubtedly reveal the necessary juicy tidbits that we need– in a way, pinterest is a glorious short cut to the right answers.  Covering everything from typography, to sayings and meanings, color palettes, textures, pattern, tone, everything. Can I encapsulate that enough? EVERYTHING!

It seems that since people aren’t forced to look through specific designed pieces, for instance 30 pages of logos, they’re free to explore all possibilities of everything and anything a logo COULD be– bringing more room for exploration and creativity, instead of just rehashing trend after trend.

If you’re thinking about signing up with us for a rebrand, a blog design, or even just taking stock of your current brand, I say start working on a new board (because I know you have Pinterest. You have internet don’t you??) even just to begin to loosely touch on ideas that you like. Keeping a running tab of inspiration will help show your growth, continually documenting your process (and progress!) while you carve out your vision. And before you know it, you’ll have pinned your way to an amazing, inspiring, and totally unique place- which is the perfect starting point in creating a brand.

Until next time!

xo,

jne

Lately I’ve been noticing a trend in the clients we’ve been branding. More and more clients are wanting to see how pattern could work within their brand. It seems like I create more and more patterns by the day, so I figured today a brand board was in order, and how even the tiniest bit of pattern can spiffy up even the most tired of brands.

Patterns range in style from the gorgeous Arabesque tiled patterns to the tiny repeating subtlety of Japanese prints, and some of my favorite patterns were created in the Arts+ Crafts period (No, not the period in time where everyone made bird houses out of popsicle sticks).  I’m talking about the beautiful visual art movement from the early 1900′s that brought back artistry and craft to the focal point of the conversation (Do me a favor and just google William Morris, will you?)

And if you thought the types of patterns came in a ton of categories, the uses for pattern are pretty much just as varied. Of course the obvious choice for a pattern would be as a full on background to any sort of blog, page, what have you- but I’m a huge fan of the unexpected surprise of pattern. The hey- what’s -inside -this -envelope-and -AHA! -pattern, the oh-wow -look- at -how-well-those-two-patterns-work-together-pattern, and I love love love the use of pattern as the main visual  element, like in the Mast Bros Chocolate. It’s not for everyone, no. But it’s striking, strong, elegant, all of the keywords so many people love so much.

When it comes to finding patterns that will “work” within an established brand, or even finding out which ones could work within a look that you’re trying to create, I say (of course I say this) stick to what you love. I’ve been trying to think on some absolute no-no’s when it comes to pattern + style combination, and I think any pattern can really work in any situation- what plays into it however is more along the lines of scale and color, vs. imagery within the pattern.

Let me explain: 

A client wanting a clean, and modern brand with a touch of feminine pop (sound like anyone out there?) can absolutely benefit from a pattern, and nobody’s hemmed in to just stripes and dots either.

A clean lined, geometric pattern (like a quatrefoil, or a simple trellis type pattern), can deliver the dual natured feeling of structured/ clean + feminine, while keeping the entire thing feeling super high end. It’s truly all in how it’s used in placement, the color palette, and the scale of the overall pattern that’s going to fine tune each of these connotative emotions. A larger set pattern will probably feel more funky/eclectic, while a small repeat pattern could feel very subtle + light. Some patterns are so small that when looked at 100% it creates an overall tone, as opposed to a repeating print.

So where does that leave us now?

Much like everything else that branding seems to be, the best thing to do is start with what you already like. Look to your clothes, accessories, home furnishings. What do you already surround yourself with? If there is no pattern at all (which I doubt, honestly) then pattern is 100% not for you, and I apologize for making you read all about the versatility and wonderment that is pattern. BUT! if you find any recurring visual themes, take note. Even if Flosites doesn’t provide you with a lovely custom made pattern, you can still be open to the possibility of incorporating something new to freshen up what you’ve already got going on, which pattern does beautifully!

Until next time!

xo,
jne

Way back in the dark ages of 2006, yes back when people still sent packages through the GASP! postal service, I was working on my own newly-minted-freshly-graduating-college-brand. At the time, it was extremely important that printed collateral be designed, considered, and meticulously scrutinized before sending them out to any potential employers, and when I mean meticulously scrutinized, I mean this was some literal advice I got from a professor at the time: “Everything, down to the damn postage stamp, must be ‘designed’” And truth be told, these words still haunt me to this day.

Of course now we have way more of a digital presence than a tangible one, but the weight of importance to printed material (aka things people can hold in their hands) is not to be overlooked. The power of feeling something in your hands is one designers have ooh-ed and aah-ed about for centuries. Seriously, since Gutenburg and his press in 1500 something. Books, and their business counterparts- brochures, folders, booklets, pamphlets, “leave-behinds”, whatever you call them, create an instant personal intimacy (an appropriate one) between the business and the potential client. Something physical, being considered over a pdf doc/pricelist or a website, will be something that is easier to ‘get back to’ attention wise. I know from sending hundreds of thank you cards, little posters for “gifts” (designers like to be bribed, what can I say?), in the hopes that one of those little promotional snippets will make it to the desk of so-and-so who, one day, needs the talent of an amazing designer (Me!) and then looks over at my adorable gift, or poster, and says “Wow! this designer is fantastic- I can see their awesome talent in this proof! Right now! I’ll be emailing them shortly…” And you get the picture.

Printed brand material gives you the option of planting seeds and letting them blossom in the future, at some magical unforseen time. Really, usually these things feel like happy bursts of awesome coming into your life, but I totally digress.

My real point in all of this is that you really never know what element of your marketing or overall brand strategy is going to work for every single option in attracting a potential client. Using tangible pieces within a digital brand is a classic, and now very under appreciated, method of connecting with clients, and honestly, the more ways we can connect with potential clients, customers, fan bases- whomever the object, the better.

Until next time!

xo,

jne

Rebranding takes effort. Figuring out who you are, your work, the type of market your in– ugh and color palettes? On top of handling an already bloated schedule with work, side projects- oh and also maybe a LIFE? Yeah. Oh Yeah. I get it completely.  As much as I love to individually talk to and work with clients to create spectacular brands, tailored specially for them, I definitely understand the need for templated approaches. Sometimes you just need something NOW. No muss, no fuss, and buying a theme, plugging in content and throwing it up on the web just SIGHS margaritas-at-the-beach. And for this purpose, it’s splendiforous! However, once you get into a groove of owning whatever style/bride/format you’ve carved out for yourself, it’s time to start planning for some customization.

Getting a huge branding package right off the bat is okay for some. If you’ve got the resources, the inspiration,  why not go for it? I’ll never dash someone’s design dreams, but I do find that those who’ve been in business for a few years with an already established design (custom or template) will know better questions to ask, results to expect, and be better acquainted with a sticky process called decision making with visual choices– at least to some degree.

So which is better?

I think they can both be used to your advantage. If you find yourself getting more stressed than excited when it comes to a rebrand- go for a template. Get something done and up there quicker vs PERFECTION, and then plan for the glory that will be your customized brand. It’s always better to relieve the stress with an easier fix than pressure yourself to death with making it perfect straight out of the gate. While branding may take some thought and some elbow grease, the results always speak loud & clear– and really, isn’t that true with almost anything worth doing?

Until next time!

xo,

jne

Whenever I meet with a new client, we always discuss how the individual sees the brand & business. Both where it is currently, as well as the hopes and dreams of achieving where the business could go. This is always client dependent; success could look like a specific type of bride you want to work with, being able to support a fully fledged film addiction, or even just making their small business something more stable, but whatever it is, these are the things that are seriously important when thinking about, and working towards, a brand for your business.

1. Why does it matter where my business is now?

Because you need to be realistic about the work that you’re currently doing, the type of client you’re attracting- and maybe even more importantly, what’s working in your favor, and what is just not working. Knowing how to objectively think about these important aspects of your business will not only help you be able to weed out the unecessary information within the branding process, but also keep you from any indecision you may face when thinking about a look and feel. Be aware of your current surroundings and it will only help you build up towards a better place.

Which brings me to,

2. Why should I think about the next 3-5 years?

Let me rephrase, does treading water sound successful?

So you’ve got your current situation covered, you know what your market is, and your place in it. You’ve got your competitors, and you’ve got your style down; now what? Now you dream and plan. Remember what success felt like when you were figuring this out? Okay, now you figure out how to get from where you are, to where you’d like to be; and the fairy godmother in this situation? Designing your brand.

Creating a brand with this stage, the where-to-next stage, will help springboard you to that desired outcome. You want to attract an edgier bride? Express your quirk. You want to get into that exclusive venue that only specific photographers get access to? Let’s talk about class-act, traditional southern gentility and how using texture can speak so clearly to the down-home feel, without ever feeling the cheese factor.

Thinking about how to position a business for growth within a brand will ultimately put you in a stronger position to be more in control of what kind of work you do, the kind of people you work with, and the kind of worth you command. While I’m sure everyone now knows that brands are more than just a logo, they can absolutely be more than just a beautiful facade over a variety of services. Used strategically, brands can be used to the total advantage of the owner, to communicate and connect with whomever and however they want; making branding a very powerful marketing tool. So take advantage of it!

Until next time!

xo,

jne

I felt like I needed to expand on my last post a bit- I honestly feel like talking about feedback without mentioning how to gather, and talk through, inspiration, is like trying to show people what it’s like to drink water without offering a cup first– totally helpful. Basically, without insightful inspiration backed up by clear explanations as to why it’s inspiring, the potential for disaster in terms of design- especially branding, increases ten fold. Now I know that this is difficult- even without working on branding, even DESIGNERS (yes, we glorious bunch) have a REALLY hard time with articulating feedback. My college critiques were painful, people. Laborious, draining – “Oh.. you know, like.. it’s not THERE, but it’s like.. close? I don’t know, like, you know”, and I pretty much quote and end quote there.

Working with as many different people as I could ever imagine, I strive to be as fluid and as empathetic as possible when trying to read through client’s FAQ’s and inspiration folders. I’ve probably had to evolve this part of the process what feels like a hundred times throughout my time here with Flosites, but with each round of fine tuning, the better and better the results. What started out as a quick read through from the FAQ has now been loved into a fully fledged process, involving a far more in depth questionnaire, an image inspiration hunting process, and what’s looking to be the newest addition: a conceptual word list, meant to give the designer a stronger insight to the tastes and personality of the client. But it’s still difficult, and there will inevitably be more flaws in the system. Seeing a whole folder of images, or even getting 100 words in a word list will still leave room for interpretation as to how each particular concept, direction, whatever, is applied; and it’s because every single person is 100% unique. I’ve referenced the fact that I’ve had clients at the same time, send me over some of the exact same images as reference, and yet the end result of the process is like night and day. What better way to hammer my point across, than to lay it all out here, case study style, so here goes.

And the final results; of course after a few rounds of tweaks:

These images are a pretty solid sampling of both ladies’ inspiration folders, while the color palettes may differ, the overall feel presented here is the same: clean, bold, fresh with some sort of modern and romantic flair. From a designer’s perspective, this is still pretty wide open visual wise- how we get to the end product is really not mapped out at this point. All that’s laid out, and that is tentatively laid out at best, is a clean-lined font- most likely sans serif, with a breezy, playful, casually high end element. How do I fill in those blanks? Why the client’s feedback, of course! The thing about the inspiration, visually or verbally, is that it’s all the possibilities and suggestions. Showing each look and feel with the client’s name/info/next round of feedback will help show the client if that’s the right direction, or if a new one is to be determined. None of the inspiration will be “perfect” or “exactly right” because it hasn’t been created yet. The client and designer create the perfection together.

For me, these problems really feel like mad libs, “Photography Company X needs a brand. It needs to feel (adjective), (adverb), with a dash of (adjective), communicating overall the desired feeling of (noun/adjective)”. I could spend all day and night adding in different dashes of this and that to make things different, but those aren’t really brands for clients. Those are different doodles and hypotheticals for me.. and maybe other people who want templated things, but not a solidly designed, results-yielding-I-paid-a-lot-of-money-for-this-brand, brand. And thats why I turn it around on the client. I know they put their heart and souls into their work, as anyone who is passionate should. I in turn, pour my heart and soul into my work- which as it turns out, is crafting brands and such for other companies. Which is why I will spend hours, days, months, finessing my approach and process, to not only help me create awesome brands that as a designer I can boast about all day, but help make the client’s side easier. So that when we have a meeting to discuss things, they feel prepared, understood, and that they have a team of people wanting to help them through this sticky situation of branding; and the better the client feels, the better the brand will be.

Until next time!
xo,
jne