Five Top Marketing Tips for Small Business

After the challenges of 2020, this year is shaping up to be much more promising for small businesses. The economy is in better shape than many expected, and there is growing consumer confidence. It is by no means ‘business as usual’ though, and company owners need to keep on top of their marketing efforts to ensure they maintain visibility with their customer base.

One of the sobering lessons from last year’s lockdowns was the need to be nimble in your business so that you can react quickly to changing market conditions. We saw how restaurants and food outlets with e-commerce enabled websites could keep trading by offering online click and collect orders, while those with no internet presence suffered. Even the hardware giant Bunnings had to quickly upgrade their online shopping capability to meet this new normal.

So what can you do to make sure your business continues to thrive? We’ve identified our five top marketing tips for small businesses, based on our experience in the online and traditional marketing space. These tips will help you grow sales and build more resilience into your business.

1. Upgrade your Website 

Our number one online marketing tip is to make sure your website is ready to do business. Can customers get to your products and services easily? Can they book online? Can returning customers log in and avoid time-consuming data entry? Websites are no longer just an online brochure for your business - they should be the front end of your sales and ordering system. 

2. Local Internet Marketing

If your business has a distinctly local client base, then local internet marketing is a no-brainer. Whether it's digital ads or boosted posts on social media, online marketing allows you to focus your advertising spend on a specific geographic location, minimising expense and targeting relevant customers only. Traditional marketing can take a local approach too, with strategies such as:

• Billboards in prominent traffic locations
• Sponsorship of local events or sports teams
• Letterbox mail drops

3. Connect with Your Customers

It might seem like a cliché to say it’s essential to communicate with your clients, but many businesses don’t have an adequate presence in the world where their customers live. Social media provides huge opportunities to make those connections, but it’s important to choose the right platform to reach your audience. Whether its Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok or another channel, you need to be active and ready to respond to enquiries.

4. Build Authority

One of the best ways to improve your company’s search ranking is to build your reputation as a source of quality information. You can do this by:

• Creating helpful blog posts with relevant keywords that answer specific questions
• Registering your company in industry databases and sites like Google My Business
• Contributing to other websites and getting them to link back to your site.

5. Inform your Customers

Email newsletters are still a highly effective marketing tool that you can use to convey new product information, run competitions and promote special offers. Platforms such as Mailchimp make the whole process easy and provide you with useful data on views and click-throughs so that you can refine your marketing content.

We hope these small business marketing tips have given you some ideas on generating more leads and ultimately, more sales. While online marketing can offer incredible efficiencies, we still believe traditional marketing has a role to play in a company’s overall strategy, whether it be print brochures, business cards or promotional items. 

Talk to the team at Activate Design, and we can develop a marketing plan for you that incorporates website optimisation, SEO, email marketing and print solutions. Contact us today!

If you’re working with a web design company, it’s important to know the most common terminologies. This way, you can effectively communicate with your chosen provider to build the best website for your business.

Do note that some terms may be a little confusing due to overlapping disciplines and principles. Understanding the distinctions will help you make better decisions with regards to the creation of your company’s web presence.

That said, here are the most common and important terms in web design and development you need to be familiar with:

Web Design

A reliable website design company will tell you that web design and web development are two different fields. Web design deals with the aesthetics of a website: its layout, its colour scheme, its fonts. In essence, a web designer creates what you will see on a web page.

This means that a web designer should have a good grasp of design principles. They should also be able to communicate well so that they can transform the client’s vision into reality.

Web Development

Web development, on the other hand, refers to the process of making the above-mentioned design into an actual functioning website. If an icon of an envelope is meant to bring you to the website’s contact page, a web developer ensures that that happens. In addition, a web developer ensures that the design looks good on every platform.

Web developers use programming languages such as CSS, HTML, and PHP to do their job. This is opposed to web designers who use design software as tools of the trade.

Graphic Artist

A graphic artist usually handles the creation of one or two design elements. For example, they can create the icons on a website but not its entire layout. Other work outputs that can be expected from graphic artists include fonts, illustrations, or even mascot designs.

Graphic Designer

A graphic designer combines different design elements (usually made by a graphic artist) in a pleasing manner and to convey a message. In this regard, a graphic designer may also be a web designer and vice versa.

Aside from websites, you may also find graphic designers creating business cards, logos, and posters. Their primary goal is to communicate rather than entertain.

Frontend Coding or Programming

Frontend coding refers to the code that runs on your computer browser, defining how a web page looks and functions. Essentially, frontend coders handle all the user-facing development of a website. Usually, a website developer is a frontend developer.

Backend Coding or Programming

Backend web developers handle the server side of coding and maintenance. They integrate the work of frontend developers and ensure that the website works all the time. They ensure that the server and database are running smoothly so that the website can function properly.

Backend developers use programming languages such as PHP, Python, Ruby, and .Net. They also use tools such as MySQL and Oracle to help manage data.

User Interface or UI

The user interface is what the user sees and can interact with on their computer, tablet, or mobile phone. If you’re talking about a website, then the UI will be everything visible on the page. These include buttons, text boxes, and images.

User Experience or UX

A website might look good, but it can be frustrating if it’s difficult to use or doesn’t function correctly. This is where user experience or UX comes in. This aspect of web design and development ensures that the product (in this case, the website) is easy to use and provides meaningful experiences.

Responsive Design

Websites with responsive designs change or adjust their appearance of a website depending on the screen size. This is a crucial part of web design because more and more users are accessing websites through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Domain Name

Your domain name or simply domain is your website’s address, such as yourcompany.com. It’s unique to every website, although you can buy other domain names and direct those to your website. You can buy a domain name from any domain name company or registrar.

There are three different types of domain names: TLD or top-level domain (e.g., “.com”); country code TLD (e.g., “.co.nz”); and sponsored TLD (e.g. “.edu” or “.org”)

URL

The URL or uniform resource locator is the address of individual pages. If the domain name is the house, then the URLs are the different rooms. For example, https://www.yourcompany.com/about. The URL is composed of three parts: the protocol (http or https), the domain name, and the uniform resource identifier or URI (the part that comes after the TLD).

API

API stands for application programming interface. Essentially, it tells you what you can and can’t do within a website. APIs are used to integrate one website with another (for example, a social media site) or a software (for example, a payment gateway).

SSL

You’ll often hear SSL when discussing website security. It stands for secure sockets layer, which encrypts any information that passes through a network so third parties can’t “see” it. If you see a padlock icon on the address bar beside the URL, then that website is secure. The protocol part of the URL also indicates if the website uses SSL (it should be https).

When you understand common web jargon, building a website will be more pleasant rather than stressful. Hopefully, this guide has helped you achieve that goal. 

While some might argue that business cards are no longer relevant in our increasingly digital world, the same argument has been made about brochures and print magazines, which continue to be popular amongst consumers and business people. In this article, we look at why business cards remain a valuable tool for marketing and communication.

Here’s a typical scenario—you meet a potential customer at a trade show and agree to exchange contact information. You open your contacts app and ask for their name, mobile number, and email. It’s a noisy hall, and you’re not sure you’ve entered their name correctly. Did you get their email address right? Did you remember to save the contact in your app? The whole exchange is clumsy and time-consuming. Sure, you could share your contact details over Bluetooth, but many people are wary of receiving files on their phone from someone they’ve likely just met.

By contrast, the mutual exchange of business cards takes seconds and guarantees both you and they have the correct contact information in an attractive, wallet-friendly format. When someone presents you with their business card, being able to reciprocate with your own card undoubtedly helps the business relationship get off to the best possible start.

Also, having printed business cards doesn’t mean you can’t embrace digital technology. A QR code printed on the back can be easily scanned (something we’ve all gotten used to over the past year!), directing users to your online profile, company homepage, or e-commerce site.

What a business card says about your business

Business cards help reinforce your brand, displaying your logo, company byline, or tagline. By handing out a professionally designed and printed business card, you demonstrate that your company is established and credible. A memorable slogan on your card can be a real conversation starter too, allowing you to explain your business to a potential customer.

Another undeniable benefit of a printed business card is the opportunity to add extra information on the back, such as an appointment time, a thank you note, or even a quick quote. Business cards can be slipped in with gifts or left as a calling card.

Modern digital printing techniques allow for short print runs, so business cards can be produced in smaller batches and adapted to suit any changes to your business. You may wish to have special cards created for a large event or promotion, complete with a discount code. So your business card not only delivers your company’s information, it has a tangible value that will encourage the receiver to keep the card for longer.

What are the correct business card dimensions?

While business card dimensions are not as critical as they used to be, many people still use Filofax sleeves or desktop Rolodexes to store their important contacts. It’s worth sticking to a standard business card size such as 90 x 55 millimetres or 86 x 55 millimetres.  This new, smaller size fits better into wallets and has become a print standard.

Business card size might be fairly standard, but there are many ways to add impact through good design, quality print materials, and colour choice. Ensure your card design is consistent with your brand by using the same artwork, colour palette and typefaces.

Business cards remain a vital first point of contact with potential customers—this small printed card may be the first exposure they have to your company! So it pays to make a good first impression. Here at Activate Design, we can help you put together a complete brand portfolio, including print and digital assets.

Contact our team to start designing your business cards now!

Every website owner dreams of having a first-page ranking in Google. 

However, good content alone won’t bring you there. With thousands of competitors on the internet, no matter how good your content is, it won’t matter if your target audience can’t find it. 

Therefore, applying Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) practices are essential. Through strategic planning, and proper implementation your website rank will improve over time.

There are SEO writing services you can access online. However, if you’re looking for more ways to improve content yourself and reach that sweet first-page spot, here are a few SEO tips to help you:

Always Remember The FAT rule, to Create Discoverable Content

Keep in mind that not all keywords fit the type of content you want to create. For example, you want to write a food blog article about the history of spaghetti. 

While the keyword “spaghetti” might be well-searched, the first things that will appear on the search engine will most likely be recipes—not informative history blogs. 

From this example, you can see how important it is to write the corresponding content specific keywords demand. This concept is also called search intent. 

To help you get a better grasp of how it works, consider the FAT rule:

• F - Content Format. Commonly used in informational content, knowing the right content format can help you in structuring your article. Some of the common examples include how-to lists, news articles, and opinion pieces. For example, any blog post which aims to rank products will most likely be a listicle with reviews.
• A - Content Angle. The content angle refers to how your content is framed. For example, if you want to make a how-to article about programming, you can tag it as “beginner-friendly” or “introductory.” Considering this can help you zone in your target audience and help them find your work.
• T - Content Type. Content usually falls under five types: product pages, category, blog posts, landing pages, and videos. Before creating content, make sure to look up the keyword first and see what kind of content search engines rank high.
  Overall, knowing what kind of article to make and how to frame it will significantly help you make the right content. Make sure to keep the FAT rule in mind for your next work.

Use the Inverted Pyramid Method

If you’re familiar with journalism or marketing concepts, you’ve most probably heard of the term “inverted pyramid method.” 

The main idea behind this method is to lay down all the principal ideas and information first before the non-essential details. From an SEO perspective, this means giving your reader an immediate answer or a rundown of information the article provides. 

With a well-crafted intro, you can immediately engage with your readers and convince them to stay for the rest of the article, thus increasing ‘dwell’ time. 

To use this method, make sure to mention all the preferred keywords within the first paragraph. Readers often skim over the first few paragraphs, looking for keywords, before ascertaining that they want to read the article entirely. 

Lay down the principal ideas clearly and concisely, then grab their attention by convincing them that your blog, review, or list offers the information they seek. 

Having established all the principal ideas, you can now move on to laying out the details.

Break Down the Information

Structure is a crucial element in creating good content. Oftentimes, when website visitors see a long block of text, they don’t bother reading it. The same goes for writing. 

If your language is not accessible, they just tap the back button and check other sites. To avoid this problem, you need to break down the information you’re offering—both literally and visually. 

Here are some tips to help you achieve that:

Add Content Breaks

The importance of breaks cannot be stressed enough. 

Similar to the act of breathing, your work needs to exhale at some points as well. The main idea behind them is to help and give time for the reader to process the information.

Breaks comes in different forms, including:

• Proper spacing between paragraphs and sections
• Multimedia (i.e. images, videos, GIF)
• Annotations (i.e. quotes, sidenotes)
• Change in structure (i.e. bullet points, numbered items)

All in all, breaks help keep your readers engaged throughout your work. The internet is a fast-paced world. 

To help ensure that your readers stay throughout the whole article or video, give them breaks for a breather.

Avoid Complicated Sentences and Words

Even if your article is properly structured and visually readable, it doesn’t matter if readers can’t understand what you’re trying to say. 

Some of the bad habits writers tend to fall into include:

• Complicated or archaic words
• Wandering train of thought
• Exceedingly long sentences
• Over-explained concepts or ideas

Of course, it also depends on the specific niche you’re targeting. 

Generally, however, people prefer to get the information as quickly as possible. Hence, keep your sentences brief and to-the-point. 

To conclude, there are a lot of things you need to consider when writing content, and perhaps SEO does make it more complicated. However, it is also a rewarding practice. Several websites utilise SEO to improve their rankings, and that is possible with your website as well. 

Utilise these tips and start your website’s journey to the first page.

Creating a successful app is a dream for brands everywhere. With more users depending on their smartphones to accomplish daily tasks, the apps market has become an increasingly competitive arena. 

To rise above the competition, invest time in the planning stage. After all, behind every successful app is a tremendous amount of research, prototyping, and consideration.

To ensure the app’s functionality and polish, hire software development experts. In addition, make sure to consider the key points below to make the process easier for both you and your chosen developer:  

Concept Proofing

Before anything else, you need to explore the idea behind your app. A concrete concept will serve as a guide when you make decisions later on in the app’s development. 

For a clearer concept, ask the following questions:

1. What challenges does your app want to solve? And how does your app address them?

People seek solutions to overcome a particular challenge (e.g., budgeting, connecting with friends, avoiding traffic). Once you zero in on that challenge, ask yourself if your app is a viable and smart solution for it.

2. Are there any other apps similar to yours?

As mentioned earlier, the apps market is highly competitive. Check the market for similar apps and think of how you can differentiate yours. This can help you in your marketing strategies and may help attract more users.

3. What are your main goals for the app?

Do you want to be seen as an innovator? Do you wish to build customer loyalty to an existing business? Are you looking for other platforms to drive revenue? Knowing your goals will help you set priorities in decision-making. Consequently, these will guide the app’s overall design. 

Marketing

Just like any other product or service, you need to consider marketing when making an app. In the planning and development stages, this includes identifying your target audience, creating a focus group to test the app’s viability, and setting up quantifiable markers of success. 

Accomplishing all of the above requires a lot of research on the latest trends in gadget use, internet usage, and several other factors to help predict user response upon release.

Aside from app development, marketing is vital in attracting users and driving revenue as well. After all, customers won’t use an app that they’re not aware of.

Thus, marketing strategies pre- and post-release are crucial in ensuring the app’s long-term success and growth. 

User Technology

The app is bound by the technology a customer uses. This means that you need to design an app to work within the limits of a gadget’s software and hardware. Consider the three things below:

Platforms

Modern gadgets in the market have varying operating systems. For example, Android and iOS remain as two of the most popularly used platforms among mobile phones. As for desktops and laptops, Windows, macOS, and Linux are widely used.

These operating systems use different programming languages. If you want an app to work in a particular platform, you need to use the language native to it. Thus, it’s not uncommon to create multiple versions of the same app to properly work in different gadgets. 

To increase efficiency, tech experts came up with cross-platform frameworks that allow developers to create only one app for different operating systems. Keep in mind that each language has its pros and cons. 

Consult the developer to help weigh your options and decide which language suits your app’s purposes and design best.

Software Limits

Newer software is often incompatible with older tech. At the same time, you can’t assume that all of your audience have the latest phones and computers. 

It’s always best to consider how far back you want your app to be compatible. Make sure to discuss with your development team and consider flexible features. 

Design 

A crucial factor in an app’s success is a seamless and professional-looking design. A great design always considers its target audience and finds ways to make the app easier to use. 

Aside from the app’s overall look, make sure to consider the following: 

User Interface

An app’s design is more than the colours and visual graphics it employs. It also refers to its elements, its layout, and how it interacts with the user. 

In a user-friendly interface, a customer should have no trouble looking for specific functions and elements to accomplish their task. If navigating the app is difficult or if there are too many elements to look at, users may simply find it too hard to use and uninstall your app.

Device Orientation

Some apps automatically stick to one orientation. Others, however, can freely change orientation depending on the user. 

The device’s orientation—that is, landscape or portrait—can affect how a user interacts with the app. Whether an app’s orientation is flexible or not should be weighed in carefully to make sure that it aligns with the app’s overall purpose and goals.

Keep in mind that these are only some of the things you need to consider when developing an app. Take the time to research, plan, and consult with other professionals. With the right help, you can surely develop a successful app.

Pandemic or no pandemic, keeping your digital content curated and relevant remains essential for business success. 

In fact, it can even be argued that it’s even more important to pay attention to what you post online during difficult times. You can’t just “trendjack” for the sake of likes, shares, and comments.

While it can boost your traffic and engagement, it can also harm your long-term credibility. That being said, here are a few suggestions on how to adapt your online content, keeping it sensitive, tasteful, and relevant during the pandemic:

Be Mindful of the Design Elements

Brands with a fun, playful identity might find it difficult to create relevant content using the same vibe. However, it’s not impossible. 

Work with a reputable graphic design company so they can make creative, visually appealing graphics that are still on-brand but socially conscious. Remember: you want to increase engagement but you don’t want to be callous (or be branded as a bandwagoner).

It’s also a good idea to study the materials being released by your competitors and the response to such content. 

Pay special attention to colour schemes, typefaces, and visual elements such as icons. This way, you know what kinds of materials to create in order to get your desired results.

Strike a Balance Between Timeless And Trending

In just a few short months, the pandemic has changed everyone’s lives. Nevertheless, it will still end sometime in the future. 

With regards to the pandemic, people may even feel that they’re “over it” and are already starting to move on. As such, you need to strike a careful balance between pandemic-related content and evergreen ones. 

You can’t talk about COVID-19 on all your posts; it can get tiring, annoying, or even depressing for your followers. In addition, people will become less and less interested in such topics as things slowly get back to normal.

If you don’t have one yet, create a content marketing calendar and allocate a smaller portion of it to pandemic-related posts. The rest should be focused on creating what’s called evergreen content that could be useful and appealing to everyone (even non-followers) at all times. 

Doing this can help convert the interest and concern over COVID-19 into brand growth.

Don’t Force It

Modern consumers are smarter than you think. They can easily tell if you’re simply latching on to trending topics as a way to get more attention and sales. 

Indeed, it can help to exercise empathy and practise careful judgement when creating your content. In addition, be mindful of the way you craft your marketing materials (as discussed in the first point). 

You don’t want to suddenly become viral for all the wrong reasons.

There’s definitely something to be gained from riding the so-called trend waves, but make sure that the connection feels natural. 

Again, modern consumers are smart. Your current and potential customers may be turned off if your content is forced and comes off as insensitive. 

Pick the Aspects That Affect You Directly

Content that’s written from experience tends to offer more emotional resonance and communicate authenticity. After all, you can’t talk about what you don’t truly know. 

This can be critical for audience retention. In addition, it can also help your content stand out from other pandemic-related pieces your customers will undoubtedly see as well.

By writing about how the pandemic has affected your business and its employees, you aren’t just giving them a unique perspective into your business. 

You are also helping create a human connection that is sorely needed in these trying times.

Stay Positive

Sharing fear-based content may get you more impressions, but it can also be unsustainable. While it’s true that the pandemic is an extremely serious matter, remember that the media has been covering it extensively. 

There’s more than enough negativity and worst-case predictions going around. Thus, the interest in this kind of content can quickly dwindle out even before the pandemic ends. 

By keeping things upbeat and factual, you can create positive feelings around your brand even as the worst happens. This kind of emotional pull tends to last longer and may help your content do well beyond the pandemic. 

It will also be easier for you to transition back to positive, non-COVID-related posts if you maintain a more positive tone.

Remember that while content marketing could be heavily influenced by current events, they also aren’t the only factors that affect rankings and social impact. What matters most is that your content is relevant, helpful, and well-crafted. 

Pay attention to the sentiments of your target market and strategise accordingly. You should also keep in mind that major disasters will affect different organisations in different ways. 

Thus, there’s no cookie-cutter method of adapting. Besides, blindly following what other companies are doing can spell trouble for your brand. 

Study the trends and take account the unique position of your business to create your own opportunities.

Many newbies mistakenly think that content writing is as simple as typing up an article from scratch and publishing it immediately. However, effective content writing takes a lot of skill, patience, and determination.

If you’d like to master the art of writing great content, read on to learn some essential steps of the process you should pay extra attention to.

Study Your Target Audience

Writing content without a target audience is like writing a letter without a recipient in mind. Without a deep understanding of who you’re writing for, you’ll likely end up with haphazard and disjointed work that will miss the mark.

Study your ideal reader’s demographics, psychographics, and other characteristics. You can even go one step further and invite some of them for an interview. That way, you’ll be able to ask them directly for their thoughts on your subject matter, as well as any pain points that they may have.

With this, you can craft a content strategy that will appeal to them. This will also let you know what keywords you should incorporate into your content.

Pick the Right Tone

Many experts agree that writing in a friendly, conversational tone works best. By using simple and accessible language, you can make your content less intimidating to consume. This helps readers feel more like they’re talking to a friend rather than getting lectured by a teacher.

However, writing in a style that’s too casual may cause readers to not take you seriously. Certain audiences may also be more receptive to formal writing styles than others.

Trying to sound professional yet approachable can be difficult. But ultimately, the tone you choose will all depend on the type of language your audience uses. For instance, do they use particularly technical terms in their line of work? By using the same words as they do, you’ll instantly bridge the gap between yourself and your readers.

Brainstorm Topic Ideas

Once you know who you’re writing for, it’ll be easier to think of relevant topics. You can start off by using word association exercises such as mind maps to draw from your existing knowledge. This will help you come up with ideas by breaking broader concepts down into narrow topics.

Another effective way to generate ideas is to do some keyword research. This can give you insights on what topics people are interested in and what queries they’re searching for.

If you’re still out of ideas, you can always try repurposing older content that performed well in the past. You can even take it one step further by employing the Skyscraper Technique. This method works by researching existing well-received content and creating a new and improved version of it (making it ‘tower over’ the content it competes against).

Research Your Chosen Topic

Now that you know what to write about, make sure to thoroughly research your topic. This will not only help you build the foundations for your article, but it will also boost the validity of your content. 

Remember: your target audience likely already knows a thing or two about your subject matter. So they’ll immediately be able to tell if you’re making anything up.

That said, the quality of your research also matters. Look at the data, statistics, and other information you gather with a critical eye and determine whether the source is credible or not. That’s because flimsy citations can negatively impact people’s perception of your brand.

Outline Your Article

Have you ever stared at a blank document and struggled to get the words out onto the page?

If so, you’ve experienced writer’s block, wherein you find yourself unable to write for any reason. Often, content writers feel stuck because they aren’t sure how to start their article. Others feel paralyzed by fear that their output won’t be of good quality.

To overcome writer’s block, start by breaking the article down into manageable chunks. You can do this by crafting a simple outline. This will help you organise your thoughts so you can connect one idea to another.

Outlining will also allow you to identify potential gaps in your article that may require further research.

Edit and Proofread

After you’re done drafting your article, don’t publish it just yet as the first draft is often far from perfect. Instead, set the draft aside for some time first. By stepping away from the article, you’ll be able to come back to it later with a fresh and more objective perspective.

When you’re ready to edit, pay close attention to the general structure of your article. See if any sections need to be rearranged for a better flow from one idea to the next. You should also take note of any sentences that are either off-topic or don’t add any valuable information for the reader.

Finally, do a final skim of your article to correct any spelling and grammar mistakes.

These are just some of the most important parts of the content writing process to keep in mind. By taking the time to execute each step, you’ll be one step closer to creating engaging content that can hook your audience in.

Thinking of what unites big brands like Apple, Windows, Android, Nike, or McDonald’s? It’s that you’ll be able to recognise any of these brands, wherever you are in the world, because of their iconic logos. They’re the modern success stories of how a company can use their logo to do the following: make a strong impression on customers, communicate distinctive brand identity, and demonstrate what the company’s vision is with just one visual idea. 

A well-designed company logo is a functional investment. It will attract customers to your business, help them distinguish you among your competitors, and uplift your reputation within your chosen industry. You’ll want to partner with someone who provides high-quality graphic design and print services in order to realise these goals.

The following design tips may also help when you’re in the brainstorming phase with your creative team.

1. Study the logos of your competitors or other companies in your industry. If you want a better idea of how a similar business uses their logo, do some research on either your competitors or companies related to your industry. Not only will this give you a better idea of what visuals you want for your own logo, but you’ll also be able to tell whether certain colours, graphic elements, or catchphrases are overused.

2. Be simple and clean in your design approach. Yes, your company logo should be pleasing to the eye, but that doesn’t mean you should cram as many visual elements into it as possible. Most great logos make use of clean lines, simple shapes, negative space, and symmetry.

3. If you want your brand identity to be memorable, aim for something clever. There are several ways to get a customer to remember your brand, and one of them is treating them to a clever inside joke in your logo. One example is the curved bite mark in the Apple logo—without so many words, people understand it to be a pun on computer “bytes.” If you and your creative team can come up with something similar for your logo, all the better it will be!

4. Incorporate something that has to do with the nature of your business. This will serve as a visual cue for your target customers as to what service your business offers. For example, the logo can include a graphic of a spark plug if you offer electrical repairs or the silhouette of a bridal veil if your company organises wedding events. 

5. Integrate your brand colours. Colour gives life and texture to any visual work, but to a company logo, it’s essential in communicating what your brand is all about. There’s already a shorthand as to what people associate with colours. For instance, green evokes nature and is therefore suited to health and environmental brands. Alternatively, gold and silver evoke power and exclusivity and are therefore good for luxury brand logos. Do explore different hues for the colours you’ll use in your logo, and make sure that the finished product looks good in greyscale for use in black-and-white documents.

6. Be particular about your choice of typography. Don’t neglect the textual element of your logo, either. The font you use for your brand name, as well as a catchphrase, should be readable. It should also seem like the natural choice given the logo’s other visual elements: for a premium business-related brand, the font should look crisp and professional, while a brand that has to do with selling artisan products can afford to use similarly artsy custom-type text in their logo.

7. Be open to something other than your initial idea. Lastly, do remember that it may take time to arrive at the perfect logo. You might be set on your first idea, but the first draft might not be bold, communicative, or original enough. Ask your graphic artist to help you come up with at least three studies before you pick one out. You’ll be surprised at how creative you can all be once your initial ideas on the logo are challenged!

Out of the many bland, overly complicated, or confusing logos out there, yours should be able to stand out. May you and your design partner come to a creative, original understanding of what your brand is trying to do—because, in the end, that’s what will elevate a company logo from amateur to amazing.

What is typography?

Simply put, typography is the style or appearance of text. And though you may not believe it, good typography can make or break a user experience.

But before the internet age, it was known as the art of logically arranging and designing the text of any printed matter to make it logical and easy to read while also having a pleasing and attractive look.

Good typography was considered essential when it came to the publishing of books, manuscripts, newspapers, and other types of print media.

Nowadays, this form of art is still held to a high standard. But with digital media and the internet becoming more popular over print media, some of typography’s finer points are being forgotten in place of flashy animations, high-resolution images, and stylised backgrounds.

This is especially evident in website development, where many website designers often rely on attractive graphics, auto-playing videos, and other distracting features to attract visitors and compel them to stay on the page.

Unfortunately, this particular trend can have a detrimental effect on a website’s ability to keep their visitors around, especially when such features have become commonplace.

As such, it is up to web developers to employ best practices for typography to ensure that their websites remain effective in attracting visitors.

Best Practices for Typography

Good typography immediately communicates the website’s purpose to the visitor. Once landing on a webpage, a user will immediately begin scanning for information.

This information needs to be easily found, otherwise the user will exit the website and you’ll lose a potential customer.

Font Choice

A clear, easy to read font that is appropriately sized will make their experience a more positive one, increasing the likelihood of them returning to your website in the future.

Typeface can make or break a website. Sure, the playful, calligraphic fonts are fun to look at, but they’re not very easy to read.

Instead, choose from a popular font family such as Helvetica, Calibri, or Arial, to make sure users can easily read the on-page text.

Headlines

Consider the last time you looked at a website. Did you read every single word on the page or did you scan for text that was bigger and bolder?

You may not have realized it, but you subconsciously scanned for headlines as soon as you landed on the page. 

As such, it’s important to make sure that headlines stand out on a website.

Web designers can quickly convey to a visitor that they are looking at news articles by having the “News” subheadings displayed with bolder and larger typefaces than the rest of its content.

These article headlines would then draw the visitor’s eye to the smaller blurb paragraphs below them, prompting them to read further.

Proper headlines can help direct users exactly where you want them to go.

Evoke Emotion

Another reason why typography is important in web design is that it can help evoke specific emotions and mindsets within the visitor.

Just like the previous news website example, the larger size of the headlines among the other text immediately grabs the viewer’s attention and establishes a sense of urgency, as well as a desire to know more. As such, they stay on the website for longer as they satisfy their curiosity through reading the articles in full. 

In the case of an eCommerce store however, typography serves a different purpose. 

Though you want to provide sufficient information in the product description, a more effective use of typography in eCommerce is a minimal use of text, combined with attractive brand & product photos. 

The minimal amount of reading they have to do also ensures that they can find and spot the specific product or product line they’re looking for.

Spacing

Just as headlines drag your attention to a certain spot on the page, the use of white space often helps make larger volumes of content easier to read.

Reading large volumes of text, especially from a computer monitor or smartphone screen, can easily cause eye strain and eye fatigue. This can make it difficult for a website, especially one that conveys information through large blocks of text, to retain visitors.

However, a text-heavy website can avoid tiring out its visitors and encourage long periods of enjoyable binge, simply by breaking up the content with white space. 

If you’ve been paying attention, that’s what we’ve been doing in this blog.

It’s easy to overlook typography when it comes to building and designing a website.

However, to do so is to risk making your website look confusing or difficult to engage with, which can drive off its potential visitors and users.

Recognise how good typography can shape the perception of your website and take to heart its importance in web design for the reasons listed above, and you’ll see why this fine art is still essential even today.

The header is the first thing visitors see on your website. And unless they're on a landing page, it's present on every page of your site.

And because it contains your brand name, logo, and navigation options, the header has to make a great first impression. It has to be simple yet beautiful and functional. 

But don't worry, we're here to help you out. Here's the complete guide to design your next website header.

5 tips to design your next website header

1. Highlight the important elements

The header should contain the most important information about your business. That way, users can quickly decide if the website will satisfy their search query.

Your company's name and logo have to be present,  obviously. And depending on the type of business you own and your business goals, you'll have to consider adding a few of these elements:

• Navigation Links
• Search Button
• Call to Action - Shop, Get a Quote, Make a Reservation, Call Us etc. 
• Contact Information
• Social Media Icons (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
• Multi-language toggle (if necessary)
• Headline

Take note that these elements will vary depending on the type website.

For example, if you run an eCommerce store, your header should include a shopping cart icon. If you own a restaurant, you should have a Menu option available to users. 

2. Make it readable

Although using dramatic fonts may look unique, a lot of users may find those fonts hard to read. Keep it simple and use a popular font family such as Helvetica, Calibri, or Arial.

Just as important as font style is font size. Too small and users will be forced to zoom in or squint at their device. Too large, and it will disrupt their browsing. 

Finally, keep your sentences short and simple. If a user cannot quickly read and scan for the information they're looking for, they're going to leave. 

3. Make it look great

A good-looking header should have a balance of color, navigation items, and space. You don't have to fit every icon, image, and navigation link into the header..

In fact, the simplest and cleanest options are the best-looking headers. Popular headers often include: 

• A simple, easy to understand main menu
• Sticky header that "sticks" to the top of the screen even as you scroll
• Common design features such as layering and color contrast

4. Choose a practical design that's aligns with your company

There are several menu styles that can be incorporated into well-designed headers.

However, two of the most efficient options are expandable and double menus.

Expandable menus provide plenty of space for images while double menus present users with two layers of navigation. 

One of the most common menu styles seen on headers today is the hamburger menu. This expandable menu gets its name from its design, which consists of horizontal lines that make it look like a hamburger. Popular on mobile sites, the hamburger menu is easier to access and contains the website’s core pages.

However you choose to design the header, make sure it aligns with your company's personality. 

5. Design it with mobile users in mind

Your header may look beautiful on a desktop device, but how about a mobile device?

With more mobile users than desktop users (and Google's mobile-first indexing), your header needs to be designed with mobile users in mind. 

Again, think simply here. Less is more.

When users scroll down on their phone, they don't want to be distracted by a huge menu taking up half the screen. Design the header so that as users scroll, it shrinks and sticks to the top of their device. That way it still remains functional without distracting users from the content on your website.

And as with every feature of your website, test it out. See which designs & features are working and which ones are not. With enough tests, you'll eventually have the perfect header for your website. 

The header is an integral part of a website, so businesses should take the time to design a header that’s attractive and practical for users. To learn more about the importance of great header design and ideas, contact Activate Design today.