On March 2 we launched CPAReviewMaterials.com, a website devoted to helping people pass the CPA exam. Help is offered through articles, a forum and a store that offers discounted study materials.

This was an especially fun project because the owner of CPAReviewMaterials.com is my brother, Andrew. This was the first time working with a family member on a business project and despite what some people say about working with family and friends everything went smoothly.

Andrew came up with the idea for the website after studying for the CPA exam himself. While studying for the tests Andrew realized that there were no websites that offered everything he needed in one place. He wanted to create a place that people could come to find advice, discuss issues, ask questions and purchase the best review materials.

Since the launch Andrew has been very actively promoting the site though Twitter, Facebook and on other related websites. Overall it’s been a very successful launch and it will be fun to watch the site community grow over time.

I’m excited to announce that Adam Lee Design has won two ADDY Awards from the Inland Empire Ad Club. The awards were announced at the Ad Club Gala celebration on the 12th. We won a Silver award for our annual report design for Loma Linda University Medical Center. I posted a short blog post on this design a few weeks ago. We also won a Bronze award for a brochure design that we did for San Gabriel Valley Medical Center. This piece isn’t in our portfolio yet but I will try to post a few images later.

This was my first time attending the Gala and I left feeling very inspired. There is a lot of great work coming out of the Inland Empire. Congrats to all of the other winners.

A lot of us get lazy or are hesitant to upgrade our computers, and that includes our webs browsers. The problem with that is that by not keeping updated you are taking a security risk. By using an older web browser you’re making it easier for thieves and hackers to pass along viruses and steal your information. Yes, there is antivirus software that can help but you also need to keep your programs up-to-date.

There are other benefits to upgrading as well. Newer browsers tend to run faster, never a bad thing. They can also help keep your computer running faster by using less memory. On the design side of things, updated browsers will help the sites we design look the way we intend them to look.

There are lots of browsers out there, but whichever one you use I would recommend upgrading to the latest version. I’ve found a site that not only tells you what you’ll gain by upgrading your particular browser, but it also links to the download page for each of those browsers. Take a look at updateyourbrowser.net and make sure you’re up-to-date.

As much as I’d like to say that everyone should hire a graphic designer for any and all visual projects, there are times when it’s not necessary or simply not in the budget. For those times, I’ve compiled a list of basic design rules that can help anyone improve their design projects. As with most rules there are appropriate times to break them, however, most projects will be improved if these rules are followed.

Fonts — People love fonts. They love to cram as many different, unique fonts into their designs as possible. The problem is that this can overwhelm the reader. So what fonts should you choose? Believe it or not, it’s typically not the crazy, unique fonts that many are tempted to use when designing. Simple, tasteful fonts will make your design easier to read and help keep clutter to a minimum. Novelty fonts have their place but it’s typically a safer bet to stick to the classics.It’s far better to pick one or two fonts for the entire design.
*Bonus Tip — Choosing a serif font for large blocks of text will make your copy easier to read. The little “legs” on serif letters actually help guide the readers eye along and ease strain. (learn about serifs here)

Emphasis — Too often people want to emphasize everything. The problem is that if everything is emphasized then nothing is really emphasized. Picture a flyer that has all of the text in bold bright colors. What will stand out? Nothing and the reader will most likely be overwhelmed by all of the “screaming”. It’s far better to choose a headline and a few key points that stand out from the rest.
*Bonus Tip — Don’t use all caps. Words are much harder to read when written in all caps because all of the letters are the same height. Size, color and bold fonts are all ways to draw attention without hurting readability.

White Space — White space is simply an area on the page that has nothing in it. This is a tough one for a lot of people. When we see an empty space we naturally want to fill it. The problem is that our eyes need to “breathe” or else we begin to feel overwhelmed. A good way to avoid overwhelming your reader is to make sure that there are places on the page with no information. That’s right, nothing. Leave large margins inside the edge of the page, leave space between the lines of copy and don’t run your text and photos right up against each other. We’re all overwhelmed with too much information. Give your readers a little break and you’ll increase comprehension and interest.
*Bonus Tip — White space doesn’t have to be white. The term white space simply refers to areas that are devoid of information or strong design elements.

Colors — No matter what else is on the page, your color choices will set the mood. Color is often the first impression that the reader will get, even if they aren’t actually thinking about the colors. Your color palette should emphasize the message and fit the mood of the piece. For example, if you’re creating an ad for a law firm you’ll want to use colors that inspire confidence, not the same bright pastel colors you might see in an ad aimed at kids.
*Bonus Tip — There are lots of websites that can help you develop your own color palettes or use ones that others have created. My favorite is kuler from Adobe.

These tips may not make up for a design degree but hopefully they’ll help you out the next time you’re putting together a new project (or you could just call me).

This story has been covered by many already so I won’t go into great detail about it but I do want to mention it. Basically Les Otten, who is running for Governor of Maine, has put up a new website. The problem is that it looks shockingly like the website for President Obama (I also think his logo looks suspiciously like Obama’s).

Now, it’s understandable that someone would want to emulate Barack Obama’s website. Design experts agree that the Obama site has a fantastic design and the interactive aspects probably helped him win the election. The problem is that Otten and his design team didn’t just draw inspiration from the site, they completely ripped it off. From the layout to the color choices, the sites are a match. To see side-by-side images and further analysis check out this blog.

Of course politicians on both sides have begun turning this into a political issue. To me the issue is stealing a design. I’d be equally upset about a Democrat stealing from a Republican or one business stealing from another. Designers work hard to come up with a design. Yes, we sometimes draw inspiration from others, but a blatant rip-off like this is disappointing to see.

Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

There was a really interesting post by Nicholas Carr on his blog a few days ago. The post was about the influence of Google, particularly as it relates to the news media. He basically points out that Google is a “very, very large middleman” that stands between us and the information or product we’re searching for.

This got me thinking about how this relates to the rest of the online world, particularly commercial sites that sell a product or service. As Carr points out, the Internet was originally billed as an equalizer, something that put everyone on the same level. Living in a capitalistic society, I’m not sure that was ever a real possibility but it was a great promise. Now that the Internet has pervaded our everyday life (generally for the good) it’s clear that it doesn’t place everyone on a level field. Sure anyone can start up a website and start selling their wares, but without cooperating with the search engines that website will have a tough time drawing traffic.

I’m certainly not suggesting that the search engines are evil, they provide a very valuable service. There are millions of websites out there and we obviously can’t sort through them all ourselves. However, I think we often forget that they are businesses and exist to make money. Often the best way for them to make money is to provide the most valuable search tools but that isn’t what is necessarily driving them.

So what’s the point of all this? Awareness. We should be aware that search engines are not as unbiased as we may think. We should be aware that just as in the physical world it’s all to easy for the big guys to overwhelm the little ones. And, just as in the physical world, this often hurts the consumers.

There are many web-based design businesses out there that sell themselves based on their cheap work. They’ll offer logo design for $100 or a website for $250. Think about those prices for a minute. A good designer or design firm will spend 20+ hours on a logo including client consultation, research, concepting, sketching, revisions and creation of digital files. Clearly parts of that process must be cut in order to offer a $100 logo.

Which part would you want left out? Should the design firm skip the discussion with the client about their goals? Should they skip the research, ignoring what others in the market are doing and avoiding any analysis of target customers? Maybe the initial sketching should be cut and the designers should just present the first logo that comes to mind.

A good design doesn’t leave out any part of that process. It is vital, whether in a logo, a website, or a brochure, that a thorough process is followed. Design isn’t just about making something “pretty,” it’s about communication. Using budget design solutions may seem tempting at first but if they don’t open lines of communication with your customers then it’s really just wasted money.

Blog — Everyone has a blog these days and the last thing the world wide web needs is another blog that no one reads. However, if you’ve got something to say then a blog can be a great way to keep in touch and start to build a community amongst your customers. Hopefully after some work you’ll have customers posting responses to your blog and contributing content of their own.

Adding a blog to an existing website is generally a fairly quick and inexpensive process. Existing blog software can be installed on your website then it’s just a matter of setting it up to fit in with the look of your website. Popular software includes Movable Type and WordPress.(we use Wordpress)

Forums — Providing an area for discussion on your website can be seen as a great community service and will keep people coming back to your site. As mentioned in my previous post, an active community can provide support to your users, provide feedback on your company and help gain repeat customers.

There are many forum software options out there such as phpBB that allow you to quickly and easily set up a forum on your website. Again it’s important to “skin” the forum to make it fit with the design of your website but that should be a relatively simple process for your web design firm.

Peer to Peer (P2P) User support — Providing a place for peers to discuss your company and your products can save you valuable time and money. By creating a community of loyal followers, others can often play the role of tech support for your company. If someone comes to your site with a question or problem, chances are good that an active community has already encountered this problem and come up with a solution. Allowing those users to help each other out can free up valuable resources within your company.

Repeat Customers — Users that participate in UGC are 50% more likely to be repeat customers. By creating a community with attachment to your product, you’re much more likely to gain repeat business.

Feedback — An online community can be a great place to get feedback on your company and its products. Members won’t hold back on criticism and and will let you know what you’re doing right.

I look forward to learning more about how to utilize user generated content both for smaller businesses like mine as well as for the larger businesses of some of my clients. I’ll be sure to post about the sessions I’ve attended after each day of the conference and I look forward to discussing this information with you when I return.