Amazon. The company making big headlines last August when it officially acquired Whole Foods and made many customers question, what isn’t influenced by this all-encompassing tech and commerce business? Ranging from the invention of the Echo and Alexa to selling groceries in a cashier-less brick and mortar store coined Amazon Go, the future of our everyday experiences may sit in the hands of this company. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with over 40,000 employees, Amazon is the largest employer in the city providing its economy with immeasurable value and its environment with multiple treasured amenities. So, what’s the next step for this booming business? Growth has brought CEO Jeff Bezos and the team to search for a second headquarters location amongst some of the most alluring spots in the US.

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Designing websites is a form of art. No, I’m serious. You probably don’t think of it in that way, but when creating your site you are indulging in a creative practice. And like bad art, bad websites like this one can be truly painful to look at. Designing a good website is certainly hard, but there are also some pretty simple rules. Today, I’m going to take you through the most common mistakes that website designers make.

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Web designers and developers are shifting the focal point of what drives their design techniques. With the introduction of user experience design, the user is at the center of the development process.  User experience designers consider every possible user story to ensure relevant information is easily accessible. If a website is difficult to navigate, it’s very likely that the customer will take their business elsewhere.

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As consumer power continues to rise, it is imperative to create a seamless user experience throughout your website. Wireframing is an aspect of user experience design that includes developing a skeletal framework of the website, and maps out content for functionality with the user journey in mind. By breaking the site down into it’s basic elements, designers are able to layout the skeletal roadmap of the overall website navigation and page structure before any visual elements are implemented. The user’s journey should be top-of-mind in creating the blueprint for website navigation ensuring top-notch, seamless usability. This will make desired information much easier to find, and ultimately drive business.

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Finding the right agency can be a difficult and stressful process, usually due to several factors simultaneously in motion. You may need help developing a branding strategy before it’s time to begin the web project, or you may need to coordinate ongoing marketing efforts, such as PPC or retargeting, within the scope of a much larger project that is already underway. It can also be tough to choose an agency that fully understands and harmonize your story, brand and culture consistently through every single project. However, the right fit is usually self-evident, meaning that you’ll know when you’ve found the right one.

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Executing the perfect website is a very intricate process for web developers. There are many details that go into ensuring that every objective is met through the look and feel of the site. This is especially true for photography. While stock photography is much cheaper and still takes time to search through thousands of photos to find the perfect image to represent your company, professional photography generates a deeper impact on your audience. As experienced web developers, we always recommend hiring a professional photographer to capture the exact images you need in order to develop an effective user experience, if a budget exists. And here’s why.

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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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Drumroll please…… We are finally at #1! We saved not only the “best” for last, but also the most important as well! With the staggering growth of mobile devices like smart phones and tablets, as well as mobile device usage, via games, apps, social media, and websites, it is now more essential than ever that your business website is mobile friendly. Your website should be versatile in every way so that your clients and prospects can easily browse and find information, regardless of what type of device (phone, tablet, desktop, etc.) they are using.

You may be asking yourself, “What is responsiveness?” Responsiveness is basically exactly as it sounds, responsive. As mentioned above, people are accessing websites from a multitude of platforms these days. When a website is responsive, it’s display and overall functionality molds and forms to whatever platform is being used at the time, in order to keep a consistent flow for the user. We have all gone to a website on our phone before and been frustrated because it was to big for the screen, or you had to zoom in and out throughout your entire time on the site… This is not fun at all, and is very detrimental to your audience!

We have done our best to outline the benefits of a responsive website for you below, and we highly recommend you read these thoroughly so that you understand the true value as well as necessity of responsiveness in todays world.

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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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