Interlude

I settled down to do some work for a new client this afternoon. Unfortunately I fell at the first hurdle as their hosting company wanted them to change some details which, obvioulsy, I couldn't do. So, seeing as I had some free time I began a little project that I have been thinking about for a while, more so since chatting to a Twitter friend the other evening. 

I use Wordpress a lot, my main website is based on it and I always recommend it to clients who want more than a basic website. Sometimes a question arises over how to use it so I have started an FAQ page on my website to help people. It's only short at the moment but I am looking to add to it over time. If you have a question why not ask me and I will add it to the page. 

Here's the link to Wordpress FAQ. 

Endless love

As a follow on from the last post here's the rest of the tale of my new identity. 

After I drew the heart I then looked at fonts and colours for my business name and how I could incorporate the name & the heart.

Being a girl by the seaside I wanted the colour blue in there. Well, actually I wanted purple because that's my favourite colour but sometimes your favourite colour isn't the right one. I chose a bright mid-blue that toned well with the hot-pink and a font that looked clear and professional because that's how I want to be with my clients. When I looked at it however I realised that all blue was a little too much. Therefore, leaving the blue for the word 'bay' I used a mid-grey for 'web designs' as I was thinking of the pebbles on Morecambe's beach. This looked a lot better and I decided to position the heart above the 'i' in 'designs' because I <3 my life, family and clients. 

This is what I ended up with.

I also created a separate image with my tag line included (using the blue).

Finally I wanted to create something that I could use as a shorter/smaller logo so I took the initials of my business name, used the same colours but this time interlocked the heart with the 'D' to denote my love of designing websites.

So there you have it. The story of how I created my new business identity. You can wake up now :-)

 

A good heart

People may have noticed recently that I finally overhauled my website. Part of the work was to create an identity for myself and my business. Here is one part of the story how that happened.

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When I first started out in business I won a free half hour with Zoe Dawes to discuss business-y stuff. Zoe advised me to have something in my office to look at as a goal - I have images of the Pyramids & Pompeii because I will go to visit them one day. Another thing she asked me to do was find something that symbolised me, my business and my ethos. I went home and thought a little and then realised I had this. 

It's a rose quartz heart that my daughter had bought me.

This symbolises many things for me (in no particular order). 

• love for my family
• love for myself
• love for my work
• love for my clients

It has sat on my desk for the last two and a half years to remind me of everything I love and to give me the impetus to be a better person in both my business and personal life. 

When I came to properly create an identity for myself I knew I wanted something simple that encapsulated everything I was. Using my new graphics tablet (hello @colinshelbourn) I drew this. 

A hot-pink heart that even has a little kiss (x) in it. Yes it's simple, but it means everything that I am - and no jokes about me being simple! It's taken me a while (I know, I know) but I am finally there. 

 

What You Waiting For?

I have just got back from meeting my business mentor. It was our final meeting, she has been helping me for the last year, although we will keep in touch. I have found it beneficial to have someone to bounce ideas off and today I came away with another one. 

As a fairly new business I know how hard it is to get funding in place to start running and promoting your business. As a web designer I also know how important it is to have a web presence. Often though a website is beyond the budget of a fledgling business. However have you thought about this...

Buy your domain name (123-Reg are great). A yourdomain.co.uk only costs around £11 for two years. 

Once you have your domain name you can set up email addresses for your business which always look more professional than, say, using gmail or hotmail. 

BUT!

If you buy a domain name & start using your email address potential clients will probably visit yourdomain.co.uk to see what your website's like and all they will get is a generic holding page - not professional at all.

So what can you do?

You contact me and I will set up your hosting, create up to two emails and make you a personalised page for your business so at least there is something for your visitors to see. This page would have your business name/logo, contact information, a little bit about your business and possibly a relevant picture or two depending upon your requirements. So much more professional and helpful for your potential clients and a reasonably priced option to keep you going until you have funding for a full website.

Drop me an email or tweet me to discuss a budget option to get your business on the web.

 

 

 

Twitter makes everything better

All the small things

Just got back from Sainsbury's - I had to go as it was rather like Mother Hubbard's in our house. I like our new Sainsbury's, the staff are always pleasant and the quality of their goods is great. Today I was super-impressed though.

While perusing the soaps I started sneezing (strong smells set me off) and realised I needed some more anti-histamines. I trundled off to the pharmacy section and showed her my empty packet I wanted to replace. As an off-hand remark I mentioned that I was going to take one there and then as my allergies were playing up. The lovely assistant then offered to get me a cup of water to take it with. There was no obligation for her to offer but it was just that extra little touch that makes a customer leave with a warm, fuzzy feeling that they are cared for. 

 

 

Twitter working

I am always amazed and thankful for the people I have met and the connections I have made through Twitter. Like @markshaw I believe that the main aim on Twitter should be to be social; talk with tweeters, build relationships. Do not just do the 'hard sell'. Yesterday, however, I was totally blown away by the power and randomness (if that's the right word) of Twitter.

I was having a conversation via Twitter and was asked by an infuriated husband why we women make a phone call, leave a message and then put our phones in the bottom of our handbags so we don't hear when the call is returned. I explained that it was a clothing design fault, women's clothing has few pockets so the only place to put our phone is usually in our handbag where it is notoriously hard to hear the ringtone. I went on to add that I have solved this by purchasing a jacket from ScotteVest. 

I didn't hashtag or @ the name, just mentioned it in passing. Imagine my surprise around an hour late to receive a Tweet from @scottevest telling me that my random tweet was now on the front page of their website as the Featured Fan Tweet of the Day. Someone from the company must have set up a search for their name and then added it to their website as part of their marketing strategy. 

Here's the relevant portion of the full screenshot I took. 

This is how you use Twitter. Connect with people, listen to them, make them feel special. Go on - tweet with someone today. 

I ♥ Morecambe

It was a beautifully sunny day yesterday and there was no way I was going to spend all of it working in the office. After all, if I am my own boss then I can allow myself a little playtime can't I?

I decided to wander down the promenade for half an hour and I am glad I did. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was warm and the sea formed smooth ripples as it lapped against the shore. Children were playing in the sand while parents watched nearby. Pensioners sat on the benches gazing across the bay to the hazy hills of Grange and beyond. Couples strolled along holding hands and cyclists carefully wended their ways around the pedestrians. Everyone looked happy and I know I had a smile on my face. 

Here are some of the images I took. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

*Oh, and just FYI, to make the ♥ symbol turn on your numberlock, hold down the Alt key and press 3

 

Mad March (ish)

The beginning of March has been hectic to say the least. I had two client websites to complete plus family obligations. All is done now so here's a couple of links. 

The first website I completed was for Morecambe Gas Showroom. Tim, the owner, is a long-standing friend who had started a GBBO website but needed someone to tweak it and make it look better. I had never worked with a GBBO website before and discovered some limitations but managed to create something a little more pleasant and customised - Tim is pleased with it and that's the main thing. 

The second one was for an existing client Chris Abram. I had created the "Erics" website for him late 2009 for the video competition he arranged. He is lovely to work for and was pleased with my efforts so came back to me when he needed a website for his "Our Heritage" films. Heritage Video Productions is a place to find out about Chris and his videography work plus you can purchase DVDs online now. It's based around Wordpress so Chris can update it himself in the future rather than have to come back to me for everything. 

I am currently working with an engineering recruitment firm and a fabulous vocalist to create them websites that are as effective as they are attractive. Watch this space.

See the full gallery on Posterous

 

 

What, it's March already?

Where is the year going? Today is a lovely sunny day in Morecambe and I am contemplating a blustery walk along the promenade later as a treat for working hard all morning. I am nearing completion on two websites but sometimes the sunshine calls and I have to enjoy it.

Yesterday I found a lovely person on Twitter - @IngridAmy - who shares a mutual love of all things cake. The upshot of our tweets was the declaration that the week of 16th May 2011 is now Cake Week. Thanks to Tumblr I had a blog/website up and running within 15 minutes. Already made a couple of posts but I am hoping everyone will join in and post their own pics, recipes etc of favourite cakes. There's also a section for cake-related questions. Why not drop by and have a look?

Well, back to work I go while I chat with my Twitter friends at the #watercoolermoment

Newsletter etiquette

Some of you may know that I recently went to see My Chemical Romance in concert (it was fab by the way). One of their support acts mentioned that if we went to their website we could download their latest single for free. As I am always inbterested in new bands I thought i would take advantage of their offer. 

I went to the band's website and the first thing that pops up is directions to download their single. Great, that's easy I thought. The first problem was that I had to sign up to their mailing list to obtain the link. OK, the band has to build a list and I can always unsubscribe. 

I got the email with the link and clicked on it. This is where I started getting annoyed. To get to that link I was invited to disclose my location so more relevant news on gigs etc could be sent to me. The most worrying part was that they had pre-filled in the location based on my IP address.

Now you have to remember that this band is going to mainly appeal to teens so they are going to make up a large percentage of sign-up requests. I really do not feel it ethical that they ask for location information - or am I being too protective? 

Lastly, on the email with the link there was no way to unsubscribe at this point. So now I have to either reply to the email and hope that they unsubscribe or wait for the first newsletter and hope there's a link on that. 

Here's a few pointers I want to pass on to you.

• If you are going to ask for email or other information when offering free stuff that's fine as long as it is clearly stated.
• Do ensure that you make it easy for someone to unsubscribe if they wish to from the very start.
• Don't be creepy and insist on location information before allowing claim of free stuff.