Avalon Communications, a leading Austin-based PR agency, approached HMG with a problem they had been looking to solve for some time: create an online presence for Avalon that is representative of their brand and of its recent exponential growth. In the last year and a half Avalon has acquired a multitude of high-level clients that have each been propelled to the forefront of their respective fields through Avalon’s savvy and industry-refined PR tactics. Knowing this, we embarked on a journey to pair Avalon’s longstanding professional legacy and its industry-changing solutions with a newly revamped online presence.

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The world of web design can seem pretty intimidating at times. After all, the success of your business rises and falls on whether your website successfully engages your site visitors and conveniences them to take the next step. We know you’re kickin’ it with awesome web page design, but just in case you need some inspiration, take a look at these big business web design disasters and take some notes on what NOT to do:

Zulily

Plenty of “deal-of-the-day” websites require you to register before you can see the actual deals, but Zulily’s home page gives you next to no information about what the site does. Here are the biggest design problems:

• You can find a bit of information about how the site works, but it’s buried at the bottom of the page under a banner that looks like advertising, making the viewer ignore everything below it.
• Links to “How Zulily Works,” “Brands We Love,” and “FAQ” appear in tiny type that doesn’t stand out from surrounding content.
• No secondary call to action if the visitor isn’t ready to register.

Bottom Line:  It’s too hard for non-registered users to learn about the site.

Carol House Furniture

Carol House makes visitors jump through multiple hoops in order to view their website—a surefire way to send customers scrambling for the back button. For starters:

• Gray type on white background = hard to read.
• After reaching the home page, you have to click an additional button to see any actual content.
• The home page has a long list of obsolete requirements you must meet before you can see their content (high speed internet, Flash player, disable pop-up blocker). Really? Who has to remind people they need high speed internet these days?

After clicking the Enter button, a new page opens where all browser controls have been disabled, a cheesy Flash video plays, music automatically starts, and the talking heads at the top of the page point out interesting links we might want to click (wait, I thought we were here to look at furniture…).

We also see lots of wasted space on either side with no clear call to action anywhere on the page.

Bottom Line: After making your visitors enter an alternate universe in order to see your site, don’t handcuff them in a desperate attempt to make them stick around.

Pure Ecommerce

I’ll keep this one short and sweet (which is opposite of Pure Ecommerce’s site).

We have to read through lengthy blocks of copy just to find out what the company offers. Once we click on the call to action, we’re directed to more copy. Not exactly a one-click, ready-to-go experience as promised.

Bottom Line: Too much copy and weak call to actions.

So, what’s the point?

Big business web design disasters keep us all humble.  If they can experience huge marketing fails, so can we.  Keep testing, keep tweaking, and keep converting!  Would you consider your online web presence a “disaster”?   If so, we’d love to chat with you… after all we’re only a phone call away.

Think WordPress is just for blogs? Think again! WordPress is a great option for small businesses looking for an easy, professional way to create great designs for their website content. Let’s take a quick look at four easy WordPress design techniques for creating a killer site.

1.     Choose a Theme
The sky is the limit when it comes to WordPress themes, but keep a couple of points in mind:

• Choose a theme that meets your needs—The theme should reflect the personality of your company. It should also include any essential elements you need to present the type of content you have. Spend some time researching available theme options before you just pick one that strikes your fancy.
• Consider your willingness to dabble in the code—If you are familiar with coding and enjoy tweaking things, you can choose a theme you love even if it has a few elements you’re not really happy with. If you’re the type of person who gets nervous just looking at a block of code, stick with a theme that meets your needs as is.

2.     Customize Your Theme
Do a quick Google search and you’ll come up with thousands of widgets and plug-ins for your WordPress site. They’re the best way to customize your theme, incorporating special capabilities such as social media buttons and other common website elements. Just about any WordPress web design goal can be accomplished with the right plug-in or widget, so take some time to familiarize yourself with what’s out there and how to make it work for you.

3.     Include Well-Chosen Images
We’ve all seen those mind-numbing, generic stock photos of people shaking hands or sitting at a computer in an office. Don’t be boring with your images. Choose something that directly supports the message you’re trying to communicate. If you can’t find something already out there, design your own graphic or snap some photos yourself.

4.     Consider a Blog
If your business lends itself to a blog, WordPress offers a great platform for including one on your website. WordPress web design makes blogging easy. Regular updates are the key to a great blog, so don’t commit to one if you’re only going to post every six months.

Like any new platform, WordPress web design takes some experimentation and research to learn. However, it’s also one of the easiest ways to quickly design and format content for a small website. Need more help creating a killer WordPress website? HMG Creative can help you make the most of the latest plug-ins, widgets, and themes to create the website of your dreams.

As the month of March rolls around, Austinites (and now, people from across the globe) are preparing themselves for the one festival that brings together over 50,000 locals, techies, musicians, hipsters, film makers, producers, celebrities and many more. Yes, South By Southwest or “South By” for those of you in tune with the local lingo has quickly become the go-to festival in North America. Boasting musical acts from over a thousand artists, countless indie movie premieres and hundreds of technology start-ups, SXSW feeds the souls of those in attendance.

In addition to the many fun-filled events, there’s a lot of business that goes down during the nine days that make up SXSW. And as a creative agency that specializes in working with startups, we take this time seriously, both as a networking opportunity and as a chance to help these young entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

Over the years, SXSW has been the launch pad for many major players in the tech and web-based industries. So much so that the third largest social network, Twitter, launched at SXSW back in 2007. The launch of the micro-blogging platform was so successful that Twitter’s servers became overloaded with users during the event. But not every story is as big as Twitter’s, there are hundreds of smaller companies making a name for themselves each year during the festival- and we’re excited to be part of that growth.

As a progressive digital agency with over nine years in the biz, we know how much hard work goes into building a reputable brand and a dominant online presence from the ground up.We can help get you to the next level through proven marketing techniques, creative web design/development and a plan of action that works.

Are you planning on visiting Austin for South By Southwest. If so, make sure you give us a call, Follow us on Twitter, or come say hi when you see us front row at The Flaming Lips and Green Day concerts!

If you’re anything like me, when I sit down at a restaurant it takes a good 15 minutes for me to look at the menu and finally decide what special item I’m going to choose for my oh-so-important meal.

Entrée decision-making has now become much easier thanks to our awesome client, PrimoDish.  Based out of Austin, Texas, PrimoDish is an online company that provides information and ratings of the best, and worst, dishes at various restaurants and bars around the nation.

As a web-based company, PrimoDish came to us with extremely complex tasks that needed to be tackled.  In the kickoff meeting, we teamed up with our client to identify a list of critical factors and determined the desired target market to keep in mind throughout the re-development of the website.  By using storyboards, we were able to focus our attention on refining the overall user experience from the standpoint of an end-user.  From there, we constructed wireframe mock-ups that went through a series of revisions and additional enhancements.  Once the wireframes were solidified, we were able to build-out the GUI, or as I like to say, the “gooey.”  This is a graphical user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices using images rather than text commands.  Once our work was finalized, we handed over the front-end design (HTML, CSS and Javascript) to PrimoDish, where their dev team completed the implementation and successful launch of their new site!

Their website now provides visitors with a clean layout, accessible information and the these functional features:

• Restaurant / Dish Rating System
• Form Search using Google Maps (Auto Detect Location)
• Social Sharing
• Membership (Create Profile)
• Social Networking (Friend-ing, Bookmarking, Sharing, etc)
• Tagging
• Blog

Signing up is super easy– so if you’re already wondering what you’re next meal will be, I’d suggest taking a look at their new and improved website.  Just provide an email, password and username and you’re set to search for the best dish in town!

Hungry for more?  Give us a call today and we’d love to chat about your next website!

Wireframes

Design Mockups

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HMG Creative is thrilled to announce the launch of Quick Fix Stock Charts, a financial site that educates members on the market about pay day loans and stocks by providing daily stock charts, complete with analysis and comparisons.

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SmithBros Maintenance came to HMG Creative with only a splash page.  With their vision in mind, we were able to build out a full website that provided them with the functionality they were looking for.  The new site features their various services in an easy-to-navigate setting.  But what was most important to Smith Bros was the ability to provide their potential customers with the accessibility to easily request a quote.

About SmithBros Maintenance
Since 1970, SmithBros has been a company with a focus on quality workmanship, attention to detail and quality results.  They like to be known as the “home town” janitorial service that offers down to earth, old-fashioned labor for a competitive price.  Operated locally in San Diego and Southern Riverside counties, SmithBros provides services such as:

• Commercial Cleaning
• Floor Care
• Window Cleaning
• Floor/Mold
• Power Washing

Check out their new website at www.smithbrossd.com.  If you like what you see, give us a call at 888.744.0464 and we can help your website dreams come true!

Screenshots of the NEW website

HMG Creative is excited to announce the launch of City Values For Women, a site which offers fantastic shopping options with built-in savings. The new website allows visitors to tour home improvement stores, restaurants, health and beauty providers and much more through custom videos and offers.

Working closely with the City Values For Women executive team on all elements of the project was very crucial, which is true for any client project here at HMG Creative.  Our team identified the following tactics in order to ensure a successful launch of the website:

• Discover the goals, ideal target market and functionality the company desires to launch
• Develop an in-depth framework for the site
• Create software that would allow for browsing of numerous directories
• Further brand image and ensure consistency of the brand by designing business cards and a marketing print piece

City Values For Women launched this week at cityvaluesforwomen.com.

Screenshots of the new website

 Print Materials

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We recently completed a website Flat roofing London redesign project for Reel Picture Productions, the Video Production Companies Singapore headquartered in Singapore.  Our efforts were aimed at creating a more functional and appealing website while keeping the overall theme intact.  The new website provided a quick link to the client portal, a rotating image display on the home page and a new layout for the main tabs.

Click here to view the redesigned website.

About Reel Picture

Established in 1997, Reel Picture Productions supplies DVD replication, DVD packaging, CD replication, CD packaging, and OEM packaging to software companies, Hollywood movie studios, video game companies, music companies, and various businesses.  Reel Picture began in a small 1,000 square foot space.  After quickly expanded, they are currently housed in their 50,000 square foot facility in Eastgate Mall.  They are proud to announce that their current initiative has been aimed towards creating a new and innovative Eco-friendly packaging product.

Screenshot of the OLD website

Screenshot of the NEW website

The OneStar Foundation, a preeminent state-wide organization based in Austin, TX providing resources for the entire nonprofit sector recently abandoned old, cumbersome technology to better serve its public.  The shift is one that sets an ambitious tone for outreach and opens up increased opportunities for all nonprofits in the state.

This week OneStar announced the launch of an updated, redesigned website and a refreshed brand image through a partnership with Austin-based HMG Creative to further initiatives for nonprofits in Texas.

OneStar Foundation connects faith-based and community organizations,one of the best car accident solicitor businesses, government and foundations to resources and information about the nonprofit sector as well as facilitating public-private partnerships to drive community solutions and ultimately, build a better Texas.

In efforts to stay ahead of toll free numbers technology and better serve its audience, OneStar Foundation and HMG Creative partnered for the robust rebranding and web development project.

“We conducted several interviews but selected HMG Creative because we wanted the best end-product possible; we believe that their services will result in a long-term advantage,” said Elizabeth Darling, President and CEO of OneStar Foundation.  “Among many requirements and expectations that are necessary to be a leader in our sector, the most important are an easy-to-manage web platform and an impressive brand image, HMG gave us exactly that.”

HMG Creative increased site functionality, accessibility to information and updated the overall look and feel of the brand to connect with OneStar Foundation’s central audience.  With a refreshed online image and updated technology, OneStar Foundation can further their mission of educating, connecting and providing resources to build a stronger nonprofit sector in Texas.

Check out OneStar Foundation’s new website at www.onestarfoundation.org.

OneStar Foundation’s thrive for innovation continues with the launch of the Texas Connector, an online nonprofit mapping tool which boasts the most comprehensive nonprofit statewide database of any state in the country. Texasconnects.org goes live today after its debut at the Texas Nonprofit Summit in Austin.

To learn more about this project or how we can develop solutions for your company email: [email protected]