01 · 12

Guest Article - "You Can Do It - a Designer Can Do It More Efficiently"

All businesses need to be efficient - that is how they make money. So, why is it that so many businesses try to do everything themselves instead of hiring someone who already knows how to do it - and can do it more efficiently? Yes, you may spend a bit more money on the front end, but the money that you make while focusing on the business side of your business almost always evens it out. That’s why we go to a shoe store to buy shoes instead of buying leather and a cobbler’s bench and trying to make shoes ourselves. Yes, you probably could with enough time and practice, but would that really be the best use of your time? Web designing is the same way. Anyone can walk into borders and pick up a book on css and html, buy Dreamweaver and start coding. But, that doesn’t mean you should.  We all have fallen victim to the ‘I can do it’ syndrome and taken on a project that we think we can do but a professional can do better (and faster). In fact, that is precisely what I did when I first started learning how to design websites. What I learned very quickly is I would much prefer to design the idea behind it, create a mockup in Photoshop (after all, the graphics is what I love) and hire a designer (like Kyle Reddoch) to do the coding part of it. Yes, I can do the coding on my own, but I could also be spending that time doing something more efficient, like marketing my business or writing blog posts (my true passion). At the end of the day, time is money and if you are spending all your time trying to learn how to code, you may end up spending more than you thought.
I want to thank Kirsten Wright from Wright Creativity for writing this wonderful article!
01 · 12

coda.fm - Site of the Week - January 12, 2009

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If you are a fan of music like myself, this Site of the Week is for you! Coda.fm is a brand new website that has a huge database of music that you can download. And it is FREE! You can also download an entire CD of your favorite artist(s).

Here is how it works:

First, this site is a BitTorrent site. Meaning that you need a torrent program to download that music. Don't worry, I will suggest you downloading uTorrent (also FREE), I have had great experience with this program. After you have downloaded the torrent program, you will then go to coda.fm and begin searching for your favorite artists, music, etc. From there you can download what you want and it will automatically use the torrent program to download. After you have downloaded the music, you can then organize how you see fit and enjoy. So what are you waiting for, start your music journey today! ~ Kyle Reddoch
01 · 12

iHandy Level - iTunes App of the Week - January 12, 2009

iHandy Level (one of the 5 tools in iHandy Carpenter toolkit) is now for free! Take this chance to download now! This might be the most beautiful level you can get in hand. Unlike some other levels in app store, this one is fully functional with calibration capability. It's accurate after calibrated. Enjoy!
Because the sensor inside every individual iPhone/iPod touch could be built slightly differently, to make the level more accurate for your device, you need to calibrate before use.

To calibrate:

  1. Find a flat surface,
  2. Hold your device upright (in portrait mode and home button at the bottom), put the bottom edge of the device on the flat surface, then press Calibrate button (the one with a target image on it) to calibrate the portrait mode.
  3. Turn your device 90 degree clockwise (now it should be in landscape mode and home button on the left hand side), again keep it upright, and put the current bottom edge (long edge) on the flat surface, then press Calibrate button to calibrate the landscape mode.
  4. You are ready to go!
~ Kyle Reddoch
01 · 07

Guest Post - "How I learned how to choose color for websites from a 10yr old"

Color is your friend. It can also be your enemy. Color is what makes a site pop and what gives it that special touch. But, too many colors (or the wrong colors) on a website can overpower it – make it look cheesy. I have always been a bit ‘Type A’ and always had to double and triple check on color wheels, and with everyone I know whether or not color combo’s work. Not only was it time consuming, but it was frustrating. But, this story isn’t about me and my color issues; this is a story about the greatest color advice I have ever received. The advice wasn’t from a designer, or a marketing expert, or even someone with experience. The greatest color advice I ever got was from my 10 year old niece.

Here’s the story:

Last Christmas, we were all together and she asked me if I wanted to color with her, of course I said yes, so I went to grab her crayon box. Before I could, she told me to wait and she would get it. Rather than taking the whole box of 196 crayons with her, she grabbed about 8 and left the box on the counter to come sit down next to me. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her how she picked the colors she was using. She looked at me, a little confused, and said, “I like them. And they match.” Now, I am staring at a burnt orange, a pastel yellow, a couple tones of red, a deep green, black, indigo and a teal/turquoise. Problem? As creative as I am, I cannot see any world in which these colors ‘match’. I should add, we were coloring pictures of flowers, so I was especially confused by the color choice. But, she was adamant, so I didn’t argue. About an hour of coloring flowers, I actually took a look at what she and I had created and was shocked. The picture looked fabulous! It was not the colors I would have thought for flowers, but they worked. They didn’t work because of a color wheel that told her so, they didn’t work because of some formula that told her they were ‘pleasing colors’. They worked because she went with colors that she liked, that fit together for what she wanted. She made the colors work.

So, the moral of the story:

Next time you are stuck trying to pick colors for a website, take a step out of the ‘crayon’ box and pick colors that you like, that work for YOU. You’d be surprised at what your own eyes and creativity can choose.
I would like to thank Kirsten Wright for writing this wonderful article.
01 · 06

Guest Article - "Educate The Client"

I am sure that many of us have come across situation where we have had clients or employers that don’t “get it” when it comes to the projects that we are working on for them. Sometimes they don’t understand the design process, or what the marketing plan will accomplish, and most of them usually get the deer in the headlights look when we mention social media. Now by no means is this a client/employer bashing festival, but if we are all honest we have experienced one or all of these frustrations in the past, and possibly on a regular basis. There are a number of responses that I am sure we have thought of or even tried in these situations (some good, some bad). In my experience it seems to work out for both parties when we take the approach of educating the client. Does this mean we crumble under client demands, or put on the handcuffs of misunderstanding? By no means! Figure out what the client is missing (this means communicating with them, and yes even listening). Once we have listened to their concerns, or what they are having a hard time grasping, we can then go on offense, and work on a plan to educate them about the design process, realistic deadlines, or whatever it is that is causing them to be unsure. This will require us to step down off of our designer high horses, be relatable, re-assuring, and patient. This isn’t always easy, but it can go a long way with the client, and more times than not will lead to future referrals. Good design, and great client relations make for a great way to secure return clients, and solid referrals. With that said here are a couple of approaches to educating our clients/employers effectively.
  1. Be Bi-lingual Don’t just speak nerd speak… help them understand in their terms what you are trying to convey about the project. They will feel a lot more comfortable about the relationship when they understand you.
  2. Show them the value I have always found it valuable to not just explain what is going on, but to explain how it will benefit them in accordance with their business plan or vision for the project. You can talk until you are blue in the face about the value of good design, but until it converts to dollars or exposure for them, it usually doesn’t hold as much weight.
These are just a couple of ways that I have found to be useful in educating those we work for/with. What has worked for you?
I would like to thank Aaron Irizarry for this wonderful and informational article.
Kyle Reddoch

I am an aspiring Web Developer, Android Fanatic, Family Man, and all around Web Geek! I also do Freelance Development work.

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My Journey through the Interwebs!