(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) This article is for three primary audiences. It's for the business owner who does his own programming and development. It's for the business owner who has hired or contracted a developer to work for him. It's for the developer doing the work. I will be discussing the single piece of software that can increase your efficiency more than any other investment. Yes, it is an investment in your business... Continue Reading

Whether you are just starting out in learning the web / mobile app development ropes, or are looking to hire someone to do your development for you, it can be useful to know what basic developer tools there are out there. For the purpose of this article, we define a developer as the following: Someone who writes code for launching a PTA offer, develops an app, or writes software. Developers know the different programming or... Continue Reading

How do you get people to want what you're selling? Sure you have a quality product or service, but most of the time people buy things for other, more intangible reasons. If a certain company is all class and professionalism, then people might buy because they want to appear classy and professional themselves. This, in a nutshell, is branding. It is cultivating consistency in the message you put out to the world about who you... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Fletcher Groeneman) It can be said that consumers are persuaded to purchase by their perception of the product and not by the actual product itself. What promotes the idea that every need can be satisfied with the goods or services from a given company? Effective and creative advertising is a skill that every corporation desires yet few succeed in mastering. What makes some ads so successful and others just pathetic? A... Continue Reading

With all the distractions of modern life, it can seem as though there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that you want to do. In reality, you just need to use your time better and learn how to work more effectively. The old adage that time is money is true only up to a point. The truth is that you can always find ways to get back money that you've... Continue Reading

Perhaps it is the way creatives are wired or the difficulties of collaborative projects, but too often creatives have a file management system that is.....well, "creative." Organization is often not one of our strengths. Yet keeping advertisements, stock photography, designs, proofs, versions, illustrations, and production files organized will maximize your efficiency and your ability to collaborate with all the members of your team. Continue Reading

A 2006 study found that viewers made subconscious decisions about the quality and credibility of web pages in just 1/20th of a second. In this blink of an eye, viewers did not have enough time to read text or even recognize photos, but instead were reacting only to the site's layout. Even when the participants had more time to look at the site, the research found that they only attempted to reinforce this initial conclusion. Continue Reading

Last week we talked about the importance of typography and some things to think about when choosing and using type on the Web. This week we'll talk about various aspects of using type for print pieces. Continue Reading

There is nothing that undermines a company's image and recognition faster than the distorted or inconsistent use of an identity. Whether you are part of an established business or launching a new enterprise, defining your company's graphic image now will save you both time and money in the future. Continue Reading

In the age of broadband Internet speeds, it is often easy to let optimization get shoved to the back burner. But the fact is that a large portion of people surfing the Internet are still using dial-up. More and more people are also browsing the Web on mobile networks, which should be taken into account. If you can speed up the load times of your website, you'll have much happier guests, and they will be... Continue Reading

Get your idea noticed by using this clean design principle. Advances in media have created the most ad-resistant breed of consumer to date. Recent studies have found that consumers are, on average, exposed to 3,000 commercial messages per day in one form or another, from the boring copy-laden radio commercials to the flashing skyscraper ads on my favorite websites, from the cluttered newspaper coupons to illegible billboards on the side of the bus and... Continue Reading

You know that I am a huge fan of creating online video. We are most definitely a visual people and video is the natural way to communicate your message on the web, especially since broadband is now widely accepted. My friend, Jim Kukral, is quickly becoming an expert in video blogging. He does a video series called "The Daily Flip", filmed entirely with his Flip Video camera. I recently heard from him and he has... Continue Reading

I'm at Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City, getting ready to make the trek home to Colorado after a week of visiting with family and friends. I've had some time to reflect on the year and would like to take a stroll down memory lane. The year started with a crazy idea. I knew that others had dabbled with the idea of doing an Internet reality show, but no one had really taken the concept... Continue Reading

You are invited to a one-of-a-kind webinar that you are going to love! On Tuesday, July 17th, you have the opportunity to listen in and watch as I interview Sheila Simkin, a seasoned world traveler who has been just about everywhere and knows how to travel the world on a budget. There is no one quite like Sheila. Not only does she blog her adventures on her site, but she provides tips that even the... Continue Reading