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I just-just-just received this from David t Jones - a cartoon greeting from Cannes. (You can visit my 3 Questions for David t Jones here.)
Enjoy, enjoy!
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As my friends will tell you, I hate seeing dreamcatchers as a rear-view mirror car decoration. They drive me mad because they're so stupendously illogical. A bad dream is the least of your worries if you are asleep at the wheel.
Which brings me to my point…
Writing any sales collateral without a strategy in mind is equally illogical…and it's like being asleep at the wheel. Here are six questions that act as a good start to the process:
- What is the purpose of this piece? (Is it intended to be informative, build brand awareness, generate leads, sell, etc.?)
- What is the ultimate aim of this collateral? Specifically: What do I want the reader to do?
- Who is my target audience?
- What's the authentic voice of the reader? What language, words and phrases are meaningful to your reader?
- What is it about your products or services that make them better than the competition's?
- What "pain points" do the products or services solve? (What are the reader's emotional reasons for buying?)
Oh, and after you've written your piece ask yourself this:
Is the collateral interesting and engaging...does it tell a good story?
If not, start again.
When the new logo designed by Wolff Olins for the London 2012 Olympic Games was revealed this past Monday, organizing committee chairman Seb Coe said, "This is the vision at the very heart of our brand".
He went on to say: "It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world…. It is an invitation to take part and be involved."
Since that time, the logo has been called "a puerile mess", "an artistic flop" and "a commercial scandal." There's been widespread public criticism of the logo with most people agreeing that it is hideous. (Organizers are sticking to the party line of "modern" and "powerful.")
But now, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, comes a warning from a British charity, Epilepsy Health Action, that the animated version of the logo seen on television could trigger epileptic seizures. It said it had even triggered breakthrough seizures where people have a relapse after being seizure-free for a long time.
A spokesman for the charity said: "The brand incorporates both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is ironic as the latter is a showcase for athletes with disabilities. People can strive for years to gain seizure control and it is important that nothing puts this at risk."
Lesson to be learned here for any business? Brand isn't what you dictate it to be. It's what the public perceives it to be. (And P.S., don't animate your logo in a way that triggers photosensitive epilepsy.)
Kathryn Presner is the talent behind Zoonini Web Services, a Montreal-based professional Web design company. My company, A.C. Riley Communications, often teams up with Zoonini on projects to deliver complete Web site development solutions (content creation + Web site design) customized to clients' needs.
Several times a week we discuss topics like information architecture as well as new methods and ideas for making sites not just search-engine friendly, but ultimately "people friendly." Her knowledge and zest for Web site design and everything that entails is a constant source of inspiration. Here are my Five Questions for Kathryn Presner.
What is it about web design that interests you?
I find Web design so enjoyable and rewarding because it lets me make use of both the left and right sides of my brain. I get to be creative and play with shapes, colours and images – while the logical, organized side of my brain gets a workout when it comes to arranging the site's information in a manner that makes it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for.
If you could reach out to companies thinking about creating a new corporate site, and tell them one thing, what would it be?
Don't forget who the site is really for! It's not for you, it's for your potential customers, your target audience. Be really sure you know who that audience is, how they will search for you – and most importantly, what they'll be looking for once they get to your site. Then make sure your site delivers what your potential customers want, in a user-friendly way.
Zoonini Web Services talks about "design with intent" - what does that mean?
The old chestnut about "form following function" is truer than ever in the Web context. I see so many sites where I feel completely disrespected as a visitor. Why should I be forced to wait while your logo swirls around pointlessly and music blares from my speakers? Why should I have to guess at what four unidentified blobs in your navigation bar are supposed to mean? Why should I be coerced into using the specific Web browser you've decided your site is "meant to be viewed with"?
Any one of these things causes me to take my business elsewhere – and since I never want that to happen with my own clients, I make sure their sites work well in all the major browsers, on Macs and PCs. I stay far away from "mystery meat navigation," and never, ever use a technology just because it's the latest cool toy – but because it's the best possible way to deliver the client's message to their target audience.
When you are designing a site for a client, what is the design aspect that you give the most priority to?
Keeping things clean, fresh and simple. This is what clients most often request right from the start – they want their site to be uncluttered and easy to navigate. Since that's what people seem to like about my designs, that's what I try to deliver.
What are some of the trends we are seeing in Web design today?
Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technologies that facilitate jazzy photo galleries and the like. Ajax is the DHTML of today – a way of combining already existing technologies to create new effects.
The Web 2.0 look – logos, badges, and buttons using colours like turquoise, lime green and orange; rounded, sans-serif fonts; and shiny-bulbous effects. There are even tools that allow designers to create this look more easily. I think the Web 2.0 look is the "bevel and emboss" of today; beware, as it too will undoubtedly start to seem dated. And besides, do you really want to look like everyone else?
Take a look at your Web site. A hard look. The question you need to be able to answer isn't "Do I think my site is pretty good?" but rather, "Do my clients and prospective customers think my site is great?"
If you are designing a new site, or overhauling an existing one, customer satisfaction and a positive user experience should be at the very root of Web design and online content - because nothing says brand loyalty like a happy customer.
What's the Motivation?
Who are your clients and what do they want? It sounds so simple, but often companies can overlook this initial step in the rush to position their product or service as the best or to spout off about years of expertise. For the most part, customers don't care as much about you as you think they do.
Read more of my article here... It's from the June edition of Enterprise Magazine.
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