When you think of web design terms or any computer based terms, words like HTML, coding, UI, UX, CSS, etc. probably pop into your head. Fear not, we have developed the perfect definitions to break down those scary terms into very simple words for the average Internet surfer. Whether you are looking for a web designer like HMG Creative (shameless plug) to create an awesome website for your company or you’re just a curious cat, we hope you find some solace after reading our web design series.

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In a recent interview with Clutch, HMG’s very own James Trumbly gave his professional insight on the importance of hiring an expert when creating a web design and how to choose the best one. Here is his advice on developing the perfect website for your company.

Today, websites are “must haves” for businesses of any size. Large organizations, of course, generally have the resources to invest in developing robust websites. But, on the other hand, smaller organizations and entrepreneurs are often extremely budget-conscious. With tools like WordPress, Wix and other do-it-yourself options so readily available these days, it’s not uncommon for many of these smaller, cash-strapped businesses to attempt to create a website themselves. You should choose one of the UK servers to help you with your website and design.

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We are happy to announce the completion of our website redesign project for Back Bar USA. At first glance, we knew this website needed a makeover to, and we were full of ideas on how to revamp their site and promote further success for Back Bar USA. After some initial discussions with Back Bar USA, it was clear that they needed a new website that was on par with their already popular and well known name in the Las Vegas area.

So who is Back Back USA? Back Bar USA is a full-service marketing and consulting firm with over 25 years experience in the beer, wine and spirits industries. They specialize in corporate and national account beverage programs with an emphasis on gaming, resorts, nightlife and fine dining segments of the hospitality industry. this guide turned out to be really helpful in my journey. Back Bar USA provides creative, cutting-edge, marketing and promotional campaigns for the nation’s leading suppliers, wholesalers and retailers, making Back Bar USA the, “beverage marketing company of choice for the world’s greatest businesses and brands!”

After thorough research and planning, we designed a fully responsive website via WordPress that utilized the latest technology in terms of web standards for Back Bar USA. We developed custom iconography and graphics to insure that the new website was both interactive and visually appealing. We also created an interactive database for the website, allowing potential clients to research and contact Back Bar USA’s talent.

We are very proud of the work we produced for Back Bar USA. Be sure to check out their website below. Looking to redesign your website? Don’t be a stranger, we are only a call away.

Back Bar USA’s New Website!

We’ve all heard that a sleek, well designed website is vital for a business, but why exactly is good web design so important? Well, HubSpot breaks it down via Red Website Design’s data and infographic. It dictates exactly what impacts Internet users the most, including Load Time, Color Scheme, Layout, Trust, and HTML 5. If the primary load time is less than one second, 4.6% percent traffic growth is achieved, while four seconds or more results in negative traffic growth. For color, green has 3.0% traffic growth, while red comes at a 1.35% growth loss. For layout, the first two paragraphs are very important, users look in an F-shaped pattern, and 70% of people look at lists with bullet points. 94% of people cite design as a reason they do not trust certain websites. Finally, 27% of sites use HTML 5 – those sites account for 49% of pageviews. For all of the data laid out in a very clear manner, check out the full infographic.

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When people think of a brand often the first image that comes to mind is the logo. Companies like Nike, Apple, and Starbucks can be identified if you only see the logo – the name is not even necessary. In today’s digital world, branding is way more than just a logo. A consistent identity must go very deep within company collateral. It needs to communicate not only the values of the company, but also the careful precision and attention to detail.

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Have you been hearing Google’s drum roll these past few days? Google announced earlier this year that it will be using mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, and this update rolled out yesterday. If your website already provides an optimized mobile experience, you should be benefiting from it immediately. Google has clearly stated that it’s in favor of a responsive design approach, yet two in eight websites are not mobile responsive. If you website doesn’t provide an optimized experience for mobile users it’s safe to say that Google will take this into consideration and your site will be listed lower in the mobile search results.

To get started, we would suggest testing your web pages to see if they are currently mobile friendly. Also, visit Google.com using your mobile device and search for your business. Google search should come back with your website near the top and with a “mobile friendly” tag next to the link, if your site is compliant.

We’re here to help! If you have questions about how this update affects your organic search ranking and/or what can be done to make your current website mobile friendly/responsive please let us know.

It’s hard to put into words the excitement we had about being apart of Please Be Kind to Cyclists’ new project, DriveKind RideKind. If you don’t already know, DriveKind RideKind is an initiative of Please Be Kind to Cyclists that works with bicyclists, motorists, policy-makers, and community members to educate, raise awareness, and promote mutual respect between drivers and cyclists on the road. Their hopes are to create a global social change in the behaviors of motorists and cyclists so both may use the roads safely.

In order to spread all of the wonderful things this initiative had to offer, Please Be Kind to Cyclists partnered with numerous local agencies. One of the most important things they felt they needed was a user friendly website to provide up to date information for all of their audience about sharing the road. That’s where we came in. We collaborated closely with Please Be Kind to Cyclists as well as TX-DOT to create a new and user friendly responsive website to tell their story.  From start to finish, we have been inspired by this mission and are very excited to share it with the world.

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We were very excited to get an opportunity to collaborate alongside Cox Media to tackle a website redesign for Career Point College. At first glance, we knew this website needed a makeover, and we were full of ideas on how to revamp their site and promote further success for Career Point College. To begin with, they were managing multiple websites that essentially had the same information on them. So right off the bat, we knew we needed to not only develop an updated website, but also to create a way for students and prospectives to access information in a single location.

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The Situation:

The State Bar of Texas sought out help from our team here at HMG to revamp its online presence towards its members (lawyers) and public citizens. The site has always strived to serve as a community resource: the first place that bar members and the public go for information about Texas lawyers, the State Bar and laws in Texas. With that in mind, the goal for the redesign was to enhance the overall user experience, simplify the current web offerings and enrich the member/public value.

Detective Holmes:

We began the project with a thorough discovery phase where the requirements of the project were defined in greater detail and then the initial strategic and creative direction was established. This phase also involved an analysis across the existing platforms and performance of the State Bar of Texas website. We preformed a complete review across all available site traffic reports, dashboards, heat maps, and log files.

We also focused on the analytics of two primary factors: visitor site behavior and demographics. This analysis brought to life how users are finding the right bits of information and how we can make that process smoother and more efficient. The demographics told us who our core audience is, thus allowing us to take this into consideration as we approached the redesign.

As part of the discovery phase, we preformed an analysis of which ad placements and approaches had and had not worked in the past for the previous site. Later on in the project we balanced our findings against the user experience and visual design of the site to create the best possible ad placements without jeopardizing the consumer’s usage of the site. Continue…

Branding is often discussed everyday by individuals in the marketing, advertising and design industries, but rarely is it defined with a simple answer. In brief, branding is one of the most important tools a company can utilize to reach their target market, build recognition and develop customer relationships. It includes a wide range of factors such as logos, colors, patterns, typefaces, imagery, packaging, taglines, wording and more, all of which combine to create your company’s image.

Why Do Consumers Need Consistency?

In order to build a strong brand, you must stay consistent throughout all of your selected mediums. This strategy creates the opportunity to gain brand recognition among your target audience when done correctly. On top of that, consistency brings clarity and purpose that consumers then buy into. In turn, consumers become loyal to a brand. However, building this kind of trust takes time and effort.

Most consumers have to be exposed to a brand many times before they are loyal to it. So a consistent brand message has to be established so that consumers will immediately distinguish it from a competing brand. This means a business potentially loses customers, and may even help its competitors, if a consistent “look” and tone is not achieved. Continue…