The Ocean Agency

Last week, SEOBook pointed out, to our great pleasure, that you can learn a lot about SEO from Bob Dylan. Using the lyrics of “Like A Rolling Stone” to illustrate their point– “When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose/You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal”– they pointed out that young and unestablished websites have a bit of an advantage when it comes to link-building, since they have no associations, good or bad.

Well, that got us thinking about Bob and how he relates to our industry, online marketing, how great it would have been to live in the 60s, facepaint, album covers, ticket stubs, justice in America, and other things… but mostly, it gave us a great example of how old dogs can learn new tricks in creative web design and online business development.

Bob Dylan has one of the best web presences in the music business, if you ask us. His website is an amazing combination of information (for instance, the lyrics to his entire discography in alphabetical order by song title) and viral fun– the collapsible music player at the top of the site allows you to play any of his tracks, and the “complete unknown” button in the top left corner takes a fan to a random page of the site. You can see everywhere that Bob has ever played a show, and you used to be able to personalize the “Subterranean Homesick Blues” music video to send a message of your own to a friend. You can buy fine art inspired by Dylan, or join the Dylan community. Additionally, his community links out to the many fan sites and interesting projects created by Dylan fans to preserve his appeal. At 67 years old, Dylan is kicking the pants of most young music stars in the online field. 

So perhaps the lesson is, if you’re cool, you’re just cool– on the stage, on the web, wherever. We think a more apt lesson might be that, with a developed web presence like Dylan’s, you can extend your appeal to new markets while expertly entertaining old fans. You can’t put a price on an engaging web experience and what it can do for your image. 

Plus, we just wanted an excuse to finally embed this video on our blog. Thanks, Bobby!

You will hear from many web designers, including some of ours, that “eye candy” websites– or visually appealing ones– aren’t practical for businesses. The argument stands that websites should be immediately usable and functional; you almost shouldn’t even notice the design, but instead navigate through it without stopping to think about it. But there’s definitely an argument for beautiful websites, too.  We recognize that creative web design should sometimes include daring visual designs that are more than “mere styling”.

The relationship between aesthetics and usability is more closely linked than some may realize. The way users perceive a website is almost entirely visual, so of course, the visual design of a website can govern the way it is used and influence functionality.  An aesthetically pleasing website is necessary, therefore, as far as it positively affects your users. A graphic that is good looking and well designed, but merits no helpful repsonse from your user, must be reevaluated. Similarly, the photographs and images you use on your website, though they may have special significance to you, may not inspire any particular emotions in your visitors.  Allowing your designer to help you choose the graphics that will be most moving for your users is usually a safe bet.

Part of attracting users to convert on your website is providing them with attractive features– enticing contact forms, buttons and copy. If a button is functional, but not attractive, no one will be tempted to use it. If the content is there, but is layed out in an unattractive way, it will not get read. And if your contact form has no allure, you won’t be capturing anyone’s data. Visual designs are more than mere styling in these cases.  Attractive designs add to the functionality of your website; they function to attract more users to complete your desired conversion.

Flowery visual design isn’t always necessary on a website, but used properly, it accentuates the usability. A web design firm that employs beautiful aesthetics when beneficial to a new site can enhance your site, in visual enjoyability and in true functionality.

Creative web design means more than just a beautiful, functional website; it means a beautiful, functional website that suits your needs. For real estate agents or companies, your website of course needs to be informative, displaying your listings in a logical way and providing facts and benefits about the areas you sell in. But listings and facts don’t win over every customer– real estate agents all rely on interpersonal skills to gain the trust of their clients. So whether you’re a designer creating a website for a real estate client, or real estate agent buying a new website, make sure you don’t neglect your community.

Ideally, your website will have an easy and effective way to search your available properties. The first thing clients or potential clients usually want to do is browse your properties by the attributes that matter to them. A usable search function will gain you points with your users, and accelerate their conversion.

Capturing your personality on your site is never a bad thing, unless it comes at the cost of your professionalism. For real estate agents, you will need to find a happy medium of conveying your personal touch and staying within the conventions of professional web design, which your design can help you achieve. Similarly, your trustworthiness needs to be established. A website that has too much personal flair, and not enough information on you or your listings may prove ineffective. 

Characterizing your locale on your site is important as well– with a blog or news section on your site, you can publicize events in the areas you target for sales. By promoting the areas where you have listings, you can obviously extoll the benefits of living there to your clients. Avoid cliche ways to catch the spirit of your city on your website though– while cityscapes are beautiful and can be used in original ways, they often come across as cliche. When individual personality is important, cliched imagery can ruin the feel of your real estate web site.

Keeping these things in mind, a real estate client and a web designer can find the best way to portray your practice or company. Through creative web design, a cohesive strategy and some personal flair, your real estate web presence can echo and enhance your presence in the business world.

With a little sun at the end of this week, our Chicago web design firm is feeling hopeful about the real arrival of Spring. And about time, too–it’s the middle of April! Here are some of the best links of the week that we’ll we taking with us into the new season. 

Smashing Magazine gave us 8 tips to convert more users, then 7 more, for a total of 15 tips to convert more users!

My coworker suggested I include this article as useful link this week. I don’t totally understand it, but I’m sure coders will relate to it.

Websites that are too flash-heavy drive us crazy. Here are some strategies to integrate flash in a useful way.

Want to know what’s really important to web designers and users? Check this survey out.

WSJ talks about typefaces and throws out some good jokes. Comic Sans walks into a bar, bartender says, ‘We don’t serve your type.” We love it.

That’s it for this week!

At the risk of sounding immodest, we make some great websites here at The Ocean Agency. But it’s one thing for a company to claim they’re great. Every web design firm will say they do the best work in the industry. However, looking at this article  regarding successful web designs, you can see that comparing the writer’s exacting criteria to our own web design firm’s portfolio, that The Ocean Group produces websites that are both effective and aesthetically pleasing.

Good Spacing

When websites are too cluttered and lack enough space, the end result is a website that is disorientating and causes potential clients to navigate elsewhere. Well-made websites allow the eyes to “breathe” and let the brain process the web content that is vital to keeping a visitor’s attention. See the use of space on Marketing Werks and note that the amount of empty area balances out the website nicely.

Pixel Perfect Detail

Details, details, details. Attention to detail is the hallmark of a quality product. For a web design firm, the details on the pixel level can make a so-so website really jump out and get someone’s attention. Note A&L Remodeling and how the pixels on the edge of the photographs and business card add a real depth to the site, making something that could look flat and boring pop out right off the page.

Well Thought Out Typography

Typography enhances websites in ways that probably aren’t apparent to the untrained eye. Typography must convey a mood, it must be tastefully sized, balanced, well spaced. In other words, the text must gracefully blend into the site’s motif and content. See IncWorx Consulting and notice how the typography is straightforward and business like, yet still has a polished edge to it, a certain flair. This balance between professionalism and panache perfectly mirrors the site’s intended marketing strategy.

Organization of Elements

Keeping your website organized and logical is one of the most important elements a web design firm can focus on. If a user can’t figure out where to navigate, or is confused by the site, you aren’t going to have an effective marketing tool. Our site for The Medicare Supplement Shop has an easily navigated layout, designed specifically for a clientele that may or may not be computer savvy.

Restraint and Subtlety

Subtlety divides great web design firms from good ones. A small graphic, a delicate shading, an added touch of flair here or there… these subtleties have a subconscious effect on a visitor to your site and can really impress. Take a look at our fantastic work for Majestic Star Casinos and notice the symmetry between the five uniquely branded websites, each having their own individual color schemes and graphics, which are similar in style but different in content.

Using Color to its Full Potential

Just because something is colorful and vibrant doesn’t mean it has to be tacky or unprofessional. Colors please the eye and grab attention and keep potential clients intrigued. Our work for Dr. Aoife Lyons is playful, vibrant and fun, which seems to be a strange choice for a clinical psychologist. But instead of being sterile and medical, the site conveys a comfortable feeling of healthiness. What could be more suiting for someone whose goal in life is the happiness of children?

It really speaks to the quality of a firm when an industry specialist writes such an in-depth article, and you can examine your own web design firm’s work and see all the outlined principles being fulfilled through natural talent and taste alone.

Regular readers of this creative web design blog will know that we give a lot of advice. We recommend many “dos” and admonish many “don’ts”, but here is the most important advice of all: Once you know the rules, break the rules. Our web design company believes that progress is created by knowing what makes a website a traditional success, and then by smashing expectations and providing the consumer with something new, different, but above all better.

We don’t discard traditions for any reason. We use strategies that are proven successes and integrate them with innovative experiences to make a memorable and useful tool for your users.

You must know the basics to be able to innovate. Assessing how people communicate, what design elements they respond to, and what ultimately converts them from users to customers gives our innovation a foundation in success. While exactly following an already successful template can give you a reliable site, the marketing prospects for an inventive site are unlimited. We want to portray your brand message articulately and intuitively, but more importantly, we want to portray it individually.

The Ocean Agency creates; we don’t copy. Your strategy and design should be unique, and through innovation, we’ll give you a distinct web presence that functions with all the usability of tradition.

Is your website tainted by one of the seven most cliched images used by web design firms? See the list to make sure your web presence represents your company and no one else’s.

The Seven Most Overused Graphics:

1. Sun rays/rays of light/rising sun. Ever since it made its appearance on the Japanese flag, we can’t seem to get away from sun coming up over the horizon.

2. Colored or darkened human silhouettes. iPod commercials are all anyone thinks when you see these faceless people.

3. Ink blots or splatters. If you still think this is innovative, you are living in the 80s.

4. Flourishes/Swirls/Ornaments. Fanciful? Sometimes. Silly? Often.

5. Flowing lines. Great for showing motion, but how many companies really need to depict motion on their website?

6. Concentric, funky circles. Retro and “funky,” but also overused. If your company needs to maintain an image of trustworthiness, formality or security, geometric psychedelics are probably not for you.

7. Smoke textures. Again, if your company needs to maintain an image of trustworthiness, formality or security, sultry-smoky imagery is probably not for you.

Whether one of these images is your logo or just comes into play in the background of your site, it could be doing better branding for another company than for your own.  A distinct color, print, texture or object can distinguish your business and your brand, but only if it’s truly original! A web design company will help you research to find an identifier that suits you, and only you.

Read more from a designer’s perspective on these overused images.

The most successful businesses have distinctive brands and the ability to communicate their marketing messages in such a way that people remember it.  After all, it doesn’t matter how clever or creative your logo or corporate identity is if it is not memorable – if it doesn’t stick in people’s minds.

You want your company’s message to inspire, excite, and appeal to your visitor’s emotions – that is what will make it memorable.  If your message is unclear or bland, it is unlikely that your brand will stick in your reader’s minds, and it is even more unlikely that they will end up becoming your customers.

We’ve written about this quote on our blog before, but it’s essential to remember that people might forget what you said or did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.  You should remember this when you craft your brand’s message – consider how you make your customers and prospective clients feel about working with your company first and foremost.

According to The Blog Herald, one of the biggest trends in blogging currently and in the coming year will be authors blogging to sell their book. We’ve noticed this on sites like KyleBeachy.com, where Chicago-based writer Kyle Beachy blogs and compiles his social media presence (he’s good– Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, Last.fm and Flickr to boot). 

While it may seem like published authors might look down on the unedited, unregulated form that is blogging, they are overwhelmingly taking to it for business reasons. For the promotion of their published materials, writers are tapping into their market through social media and a developed web presence. British writer Kate Hardy explains, “Blogging means that readers get a glimpse into the ideas behind my work — whether it’s an awards do, a research trip or random musing. It also updates my website frequently to bring readers back; I use it to interact with my readers and my publishers can use it on their website as a publicity tool.”

Similarly, although it may not seem like most intuitive venue to promote your business, blogging may be a valuable resource for your company. Almost every industry has a niche audience on the web. You can enhance your customer service and relationships with your users, while also tapping into new markets that have eluded you until now. Blogging is a key element to online business development– well written, long form content proves your authority and builds confidence in your readers.

This article about value came across our desk today, and it got us thinking about what we value, and how to portray value, in creative web design. For our web design company, value is best communicated in simplicity and ease of use. And of course, we value our ability to help you communicate your message. What does your company value, and is it being portrayed correctly in the forefront of your web presence?

Value, like the article points out, “is not just price. Valuable-ness comes from relevance to the consumer’s needs.” It is not simply a number. And creating a website that accurately portrays your company’s values isn’t an expense– it’s an investment. We help you choose how to communicate with your visitors, through design, messaging and copy; the tone of your website, once decided, is embodied in each aspect of your online representation.   

What message of value will your users respond to best, and what is the proper way to get it across to them through a website? Since your website is often the first experience a user can have with your brand or company, your website should deliver your company’s message and create the right expectations for your users from the get go. From the perfect typeface to an intuitive structure, your users should understand your offerings without even realizing that they are learning about them.

In this economy, when consumers aren’t looking for the next trend but rather for a good investment, demonstations of value encourage your web visitors to convert into customers. A well-designed website is often your first impression. Investing in a web design company that understands and can execute an accurate vision of your company can be your first step toward enhancing your company’s value.