About a month ago, we received a free $100 credit for Google Ads. We deposited our free coupon, and in return, have landed a client on the other side of the world.
These Google Ads are the ‘Sponsored Results’ that appear when you see search results, on the right side of the page. The way it works is quite simple. You decide what search phrases pertain to your business, and decide how much per day you would like to spend. The more you spend, the more visibility you have.
In our scenario, we decided to just try it out, and spend only $1.50 per day. So after about 60 days, our credit will have been spent. So far, we have only spend $45 out of the $100, and we have had some great results.
Pocket change in the world of advertising. We are planning to ramp up or daily allowances for Google Ads, to increase our visibility. Even if we deposit $1,000, it is still considerably more cost effective and efficient than taking out an ad in the newspaper or printed media.
The other upside to Gooogle vs. Printed Ads is the turnaround. It takes time to create and publish printed media, and the ads that live there. With Google, your ads are up in minuets, and tracking happens in less than 12 hours, with millions of potential clients to see your ad.
This method landed us an India based client, that found us via Google, and loved what they saw. We are currently working on a new website design / development, and a re-working of their branding elements.
This type of advertising is manageable and accessible from small to large businesses, placing many competitive businesses on the same playing field.
We recently completed a new website and branding for Speed Club Inc. Speed Club Inc. is a Minnesota bases chopper motorcycle website, forum, store and blog. The website’s focus is on Yamaha chopper (custom built) motorcycles, and chopper culture.
Dirk+Weiss created both the Graphics, layout and programming for this site, and included some great add-on’s for increased Search Engine Optimization.
“Manufactured in the Midwest, Speed Club Inc. is dedicated to all things speed. We’re talkin’ about that blow your hair back, demon on wheels kinda speed, man. We’re talkin’ about gettin out and choppin it up. You get it? Speed Clubs’ for people like that… people like us. See, It dont have to be pretty but it’s gotta be fast. Bob it, chop it, cut it, twist it. Your job is to live it. Speed Club Inc. is here to document it.”
The site and brand is fresh, updated daily, and receives about 100 views a day, and is growing each week. If you are into motorcycles, or speed, visit Speed Club Inc.
We’re Back! When websites get hacked–
Above Graphic: How are phishing sites created? – Symatec
This is mostly and update to let you all know we have officially eradicated our Dirk+Weiss website hackers. They did quite a number on us. Besides leaving files everywhere on our server, they also deleted folders and created new ones. So, some content from our site had gone missing! But now it is back.
So, on that note, here is some information about what hackers like to do with your web server and websites –
Most people now-a-days know two main things about websites. First, websites are designed on the front end and run by some sort of code on the back end. Well, theres the back end, and the way back end.
The way back end, is your server. Your server, or web hosting, is where all your files live that make up all the bits of your website. Basically, a web hosting server, is just another computer like what you are reading this on now. While servers are pretty secure, there are always vulnerabilities.
Last week, the Dirk+Weiss hosting server was hacked by a South African phishing scam. Phishing scams are usually fake emails or social media messages. The messages will tell you that your bank, or some other secure site, needs to verify your personal information. Theses fake sites look just like real sites, except they are collecting your personal information to steal your money, or identity. The scam that hit our server, was a bank scam.
How did we know we were hacked? Website Analytics. Our analytics engine tracks every page view and visitor to the site, and the unique internet address of the visitor. I noticed an increase of site hits to a certain folder on our sever. Then one folder location turned into many folder locations. All from the same internet address. I then took that internet address, and plugged it into a trace program that tracks the signal back to it’s source. In this case South Africa.
The first and most important step in eradicating hackers, is to change your web hosting passwords. Make them difficult to guess, and use lots of numbers and symbols. Then, go through and clean up all the files left behind by the hackers. The last step to do, is to add the internet addresses from your analytics, to the Blacklist or Blocked List on your hosting account. This prevents them from getting in from that internet address again.
Most of the time, hackers are not stealing data from you, but from others by taking over functions of your hosting account.The best advice we can give, is to keep a keen eye on your website traffic, and make note of any odd behavior. Also, it’s in your best interest to keep all your installed files and services up to date.
The project to be presented is a digital lab, used in professor Scott Benjamin’s science classes at BHCC. The lab’s subject matter is understanding Evolution by Natural Selection. Matthew worked directly with Scott to translate a previously analog lab, comprised of seeds, paperclips and bits of paper, to a Flash driven, interactive experience.
The process of creating this lab involved collaborating with Scott on every step, from graphic design to Flash Actionscripting.
The results of translating the lab to digital media, has proven to be quite successful. Scott has collected statistical data from his students, including pre and post lab usage. Based on his testing, Scott sees a definite increase in concept retainment after students have used the software. Matt and Scott will split the presentation between the design and development process (Matt), and the statistical data and impact of this digital lab in the classroom (Scott).
The 13th Annual Massachusetts Community College Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development happens on April 9th, 2010 at Bunker Hill Community College.
The site contains a collection of ideas and projects, and is loaded with lots of information and connections.
This new site is built in Flash, and contains information graphics, video, marketing, web development and graphic design.
The new graphic design Street Cred
Forget about posters in museums, and covers of Rolling Stone(age)… Dreaming is ok, but fantases can be dangerous.
In January, Wordpress, the famous Open Source blogging and web publishing software maker, announced a new inititatve to get designers involved in improving the overall user interface and user expereice with Wordpress.
Dirk+Weiss loves Wordpress. It enables our clients to have full control over their content, thus keeping their site relevant and fresh. This is great for customers and search engines. We have seen many iterations of Wordpress over the years, and love the improvments made each time.
This initiative also points out that for designers, web publishing is not the same horse has old, static, HTML type sites. In our experience, traditional Graphic Designers always have a bit of hesitation towards the web. Part of this is due to the cumbersome thought of learning programming. In reality, its programming is quite logical. And straight HTML code is so 15 years ago. Standalone HTML has been replaced by newer, server side technologies such as PHP and MySQL. And honestly, these solutions make life easier for clients, designers and programmers, and take less time to develop.
Speaking of development time, lets chat quickly about the value of design in 2010. Remember when designers had hourly rates of $100/hr or more? Good luck getting jobs when telling a client that your rate is that pricey. We believe that value of design has shifted dramatically. Clients favor speed and efficiency over pretty graphics. Now, that does not mean ugly graphics are ok (even though they sell), it simply means that if the design of graphics is necessary, they must be smart and efficient, rather than decorative and fluffy.
So how can graphic designers, that for so long dreaded programming, step up their service offering in 2010? Simple. Offer solutions that require zero code for clients, and damn near minimal code for you, the designer. Wordpress is a great example. And when we say minimal code for the designer, we mean CSS only. Don’t know CSS, check out and learn at W3Schools. Its Free.
Designers: Please do not go out and buy a $60 book on making websites, and designing for web. Just ask Google, and watch You Tube. It’s all out there, for free.
Take some time, and learn whats new out there with web technologies. Maybe even take part in the Wordpress UI / UX inititative. Make bold steps towards learning about the current world of design.
As designers, we need fast, efficient access to our client’s websites. Content management is without a doubt, a must have.
As web developers, and as graphic designers, we understand the need for great looking and working web. Any solutions we provide, need to work firstly for the client, and secondly for the client’s consumers.
From the graphic designer’s stand point, thinking of programming or web tech in any form can be daunting. The thought of having to understand the under-the-hood nuances of servers, databases, and code can even seem overwhelming. With the options and accessibility of open source web technologies, the task no longer has to be a headache.
We are developing brand new content management system for designers to use for their clients web projects. This system separates itself from other options in open source world, because the project is also aimed at teaching designers how to utilize and talk to their clients about the usefulness of content management systems, and how to maximize a client’s return on investment.
Basically, we are providing the class, textbook, and software…all for free! And if you are a designer, you can take advantage of our project to help increase your overall output value. The days of static HTML websites are over. Clients demand control of their content.
Our PHP / MySQL based content management system and community will be available soon. Stay tuned to Dirk+Weiss for more updates.
Mobile tech, not a distraction, but a vital connector for students
It seems in the last few weeks, the topic of mobile devices and college students has come to my attention frequently. There has been quite a bit of discussion online and on college campuses about the distraction factor of student cell phone usage (i.e. texting, instead of listening to the instructor).
The first wave came from an email I received from the department chair at The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. His email was proposing a design wide faculty meeting based on the feedback he received from instructors about “technology distractions”. Observations were made that students are missing key points, due to laptop and cell phone usage during class.
The second wave came from an article on Wired about the very same issue. In this case, the private college took part in a research study that introduces iPhones and iPod touches into the curriculum. The study was a two-fold experiment. The students could choose a device to utilize in their studies, and the instructors must integrate the devices into their curriculum’s. The goal here being to reach the students with the tools that they already are accustomed to. The college had fantastic results. The experiment was a success.
The third wave, and connector for me, is my experience teaching design to 16-17 year old pre-college students. Also known as the future undergraduate design students of the world.
I noticed at the beginning of my class in September, the abundant texting going on with my students. The first thought in my mind was, ‘wait, this could be a distraction problem’. As I began to think about this situation, I decided not to bring up the topic of their phone usage during class, and took the opportunity to observe their behavior. There are some interesting results from my observations.
I found out of all the students (ten total) that one or two may have had a distraction issue when texting. The other students could very easily multi-task and take part in discussion. I also polled the class about their experiences in their high school about their texting. The consensus was in each high school, there was some sort of reprimand for (getting caught) texting during class. These reprimands ranged from withholding of the device, or contacting parents, or detention. They also gave me some great insight on how to text message friends while keeping the phone concealed.
Also, most students could text without even looking at the phone.
So, what does this say? Are students distracted by texting? Or is it time for a fundamental shift in pedagogies. The students in my class answered questions with fast response times, and we’re able to take direction with ease. The model featured in the Wired article above, is just one of many examples of colleges and professors asking critical questions about their teaching model.
What is the answer to mobile tech in the classroom? Maybe a good start, is to ask the students about what they know.
2010, and the process of design evolution
Graphic: Hugh Dubberly
What do designers do? I ask this question to may folks, and the answer is never the same. Some people say “designers make logos.” and some say “designers make websites”. I would answer ‘yes’ to all these responses, and then ask myself what happened to good old print?
Point here is, the first decade of the 21st century is over, and the term “designer” has migrated from a paper-centric profession, to ‘a creative type that makes things that make things happen’.
Let me elaborate. Design thinking and strategy typically had a more narrow field of view. It was the scenario that if you went to school to become a graphic designer, you looked for a job doing layout, logos, and posters. It would be your job to design that advertisement or cd package for a company or band.
Now, the playing field has changed dramatically. A designers value as a professional is not solely based on the “perfectly designed portfolio”. You can have a set of fabulous designs in your portfolio, but that does not guarantee you a job. You need to sell yourself as a cutting edge, competent, knowledgeable, and indispensable professional first, then show that you have visual design skills. How valuable is ‘fabulous design’ if nobody wants it? A five minute conversation can make or break the hiring factor. Cut the fluff, and make them want it.
Now, lets get hired.
This leads to how we at Dirk+Weiss approach and strategize our projects. Each time we are asked to work for a client, a specific set of steps is planned that revolve around a specific goal.
Brainstorm / Info Session
Research
Visual Sketching
Prototype (Working Demo / Programming)
Presentation
Visual Refinement
Development
Delivery
This combination of research, visual sketching / barnstorming, and real-time prototyping make for a most efficient workflow. Typically, wireframes would be created for web projects. These wireframes would be a printed document of many, many pages. As informative as they may be, there is still an abstraction between form and content in presentation. In place of wireframing, we create web based prototypes that show information architecture, and features in context. (More on this…)
The caveat of any preliminary presentation, wireframing or prototyping, is the misconception that the project is “close to done”, or somehow the visual design of the final product is reflected. The prototype advantage is not immune to this, it just decreases the abstraction variable, and makes the whole project seem more real.
The heart of any process is a goal. Our goal is to make the design and development experience as clear, and efficient as possible, while maximizing our clients return on investment.
iPhone App for Bunker Hill Community College, Now Available!
This app was created specifically for the online / distance education department for Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, MA. The target audience for this app is current students and faculty, with some emphasis also placed on new enrollments.
Our approach to design and technology allows us to cross the boundaries of design, business, technology, promotion, education and culture. See Some Clients>>
