Design Folio - Your Source for the Best Web Design Tips!

Web Design vs. Graphic Design – What’s the Difference?

November 22, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

When looking at the differences between a web designer and a graphic designer, there are multiple differences to point out. The biggest difference is the medium each use to publish their work. The roles and responsibilities of each occupation are also very unique.

It is common for those who are not familiar with design to assume that web designers and graphic designers do the same thing. While both use the same skills and abilities, there is a difference between the two distinct professions.

Let’s take a closer look at the key differences between web design and graphic design.

Branding 101: The Ultimate Guide on Creating an Amazing Brand Identity

November 15, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

When you’re starting a small company, coming up with a name and brand identity is the very first step to take. A brand identity states who and what your brand is, including the visual presentation thereof. Think of your brand identity as the spokesperson of your business.

Branding defines and describes your company. It gives your company an identity and story your potential clients can recognize and relate to. It’s not just a logo, it also includes your company’s vision, mission, core values and target audience all in one package. All this information is documented in a brand style guide.

Here is a guide on how to create a brand identity.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Making a Brand Kit

November 7, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

When you’re making a brand kit or brand identity style guide, you need to remember that it is a non-verbal communication to the people who sees and interacts with the brand. A company’s logo is always the first thing that your target audience will see.

When you build your brand identity you rely on the brand’s style guide. If your brand sends a strong message to your customers it generates loyal and new customers. When your brand is consistent, people will feel that your brand is reliable and trustworthy.

When making a brand kit or brand style guide you’ll need to consider some do’s and don’ts.

The Pros and Cons of DIY Website Builders

October 30, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

We always want to spend less, even in small things. In this digital era, a website is a tool wherein you can attract customers and audiences, and ultimately grow your business. The necessity of having one is a priority.

Luckily, there are tons of handy of tools available to create a website. They are generally easy to use, with drag-and-drop interfaces allowing some creative freedom. At the end of the day, it’ll cost you less than hiring a professional web developer. Using a DIY website builder does however have cons.

In this post we highlight the pros and cons of using a DIY website builder.

4 Reasons Why Web Designers and Developers are in Demand

October 23, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

As the age of digital technology expands, there’s a profession that is flourishing. Thanks to this expansion, web designers and developers are on the hot list right now, and very high in demand.

Companies and businesses are using websites to reach an ever-growing audience. As this demand grows, the number of aspiring web designers and web developers are growing.

Below we take a look at some of the reasons why web designers and developers are so in demand.

DIY Website Builders: Should You Even Bother?

October 13, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

Nowadays websites are turning into a marketplace on the internet. It gives entrepreneurs another opportunity to introduce their businesses to their target markets.

The need of a professional website is now a demand entrepreneurs from all walks of life are exploring. There are various DIY website builders that offer extensive services to entrepreneurs who are seeking a better way to build and manage their own websites.

But, is it even worth the time and effort? Wouldn’t it be better to hire a professional web designer? In this post we take a look at the pros and cons and come to our own conclusion.

DIY builders - DIY Website Builders: Should You Even Bother?

Pros:

Cost less than acquiring the services of a web developer.
You can launch it fairly quickly.
Web tools cost less.
There’s no need for knowledge in coding or any programming language.
It’s safe and secure.
Tools are very easy to use.
You can update it on your own.
Packed with SEO and analytic tools.
You can do it all by yourself!

Cons:

Limited functionality features.
You’ll have access to templates, which means your website won’t be unique.
Depending on which package you select, your site may feature ads or watermarks.
Limited usage of advanced SEO tools.
Your design will be limited to what the tool has to offer.
You’ll need to spend some time on it.

Conclusion

Are DIY websites really worth your time and money? If you’re starting your own business it might be worth it. You’ll save money rather than acquiring the services of a professional web designer. These pros and cons are just a bit of a guide for you.

If you own a well-established company and want your business to grow, hiring an expert might be the best way to go. A professional web developer and designer will be able to ensure that your site is user-friendly and has all the necessary SEO practices in place.

The Top 10 Web Design Fonts to Consider For Your Web Project

October 6, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

A website can’t exist with no content. Imagery and visuals are complemented with copy. Using the right font on your website is important. Not only for consistency regarding your brand identity, but also to make it pleasing and accessible to your site visitors.

Typography and typeface is one of the latest additions to art in this era. As the industry of web design and web development continues to grow, the correct usage of typographic materials on the web increases.

There are a lot of fonts that are available for web design. Below we list the most popular fonts used in web design. These fonts are chosen because they display beautifully online, and makes it easy for visitors to read.

fonts - The Top 10 Web Design Fonts to Consider For Your Web Project

Myriad Pro

This font was designed and created for Adobe by Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly. The font is very popular and large corporations like Apple Inc. uses it.

Proxima Nova

Proxima Nova is currently considered as the most popular typeface for the web. It’s best used on content-rich sites as the font is easy to read.

Cabin

This typeface was inspired by Edward Johnston and Eric Gill. It has some touch of geometric sans and it incorporates modernism.

Corbel

This typeface was designed by Jeremy Tankard for Microsoft. It has a clean and crisp on-screen appearance. This makes it best for email marketing and web designs.

Helvetica

This typeface is the most famous of all and was designed by Max Miedinger. This typeface has a modern yet simple look.

typography - The Top 10 Web Design Fonts to Consider For Your Web Project

Bebas Neue

This font is from the sans serif family. It was originally designed by Ryoichi Tsunekawa and has become very popular. It’s an elegant font with clean lines, making it ideal for web projects.

Gotham

This typeface was designed by Tobias Frere-Jones in the year 2000. The font is very popular with designers because of its clean and modern look. It was also used on Obama’s Campaign.

Georgia

This typeface was created by Matthew Carter together with Tom Ricknew in 1993. It was designed specifically for Microsoft.

Futura

This typeface was designed by Paul Renner in the 1920s. It’s a popular font that has been widely used by a lot of businesses, including Volkswagen.

Courier New

This typeface was designed by Howard Kettler and was created for IBM. It’s clean and simple design makes it easy to read online.

3 Reasons Why High-Quality Web Content is Important

September 28, 2018January 22, 2019 Laura Stern

How can you imagine a website without any pictures or words on it? It’s very hard to imagine, but if you try, you can probably see a blank space with colors. It would be empty and lifeless, with no prompt for site visitors.

It is very important to have high-quality content on your site, as this is the only way you are able to communicate with your target audience. This digital strategy is important to the visitors of the website and is one of the ways that you are promoting online.

Content is information that is used to entertain, communicate and educate site visitors. Users gather information within the website, including what it is that you are expecting of them.

In this post we take a closer look at why high-quality content is so important for your website.

good content - 3 Reasons Why High-Quality Web Content is Important

It entertains and educates your audience

When we are creating websites we have goals in mind that we want to achieve. Those can be offering services to the audience, entertaining them with your content or educate them with your videos and posts. It can also prompt site visitors to contact you or purchase a product. Sometimes the pages contain information that prompts the audience engage with you.

It contains keywords

Keywords are the life of your website. Do you know why? Because in the SEO world keywords are used to know that your website content is searchable and can have a higher ranking. Search engines look for those keywords to crawl the content of your website.

Calls to Action

Calls to action is important to let your site visitors know what you are expecting of them. These include buttons that prompt your site visitors to contact you, get a quote or purchase an item. Calls to action (CTAs) are also perfect for encouraging conversions and tracking it.

As you can see, the content of your website plays a big role in whether or not you’ll attract traffic. Make sure you’ve populated your site with high-quality content!