Left-Brain, Right-Brain

Without hesitation, I always begin the basic structure of Web page design with the primary navigation on the right sidebar. It’s always been that way, since anything else just didn’t feel right. I’ve given that fact very little thought over the past 10 years. However, the need for self-examination seemed more relevant today as I started off to Cambridge Mass on what was a very cold November afternoon. It’s usually a 3 hour trip, so I had plenty of time for introspection, especially since I was traveling to the annual “Learning and The Brain” conference. I jotted down the reasons why I think a right sided navigation is more intuitive on the backside of a Google Maps printout. And, with that scrap of paper I traveled into the psyche of left or right navigation.

Left Brain - Right Brain

The speakers that were scheduled for the three-day event included scholars, authors, professors and educators in the “heady” field of psychology and psychoanalysis. Where better to analyze the dynamic that lie deep within my subconscious than experts in the field? This year’s “Meeting of the Minds” was extra special since it had the most attendees ever, with over 2000 reservations and several dozen highly respected speakers. All of whom would pontificate and cajole the very essence of the “left brain, right brain” question.

The insight I came away with at the end of my first day of lectures, is that the professional programmer (left brain) has a sequential way of looking at the parts to obtain a result. Programmers have to to be able to comprehend the highly complicated coding necessary to create today’s interactive Web applications. While the designer (right brain) is a more fluid thinker, whose decisions are based on visual cues. What better way to explain why websites created by programmers look vastly different from those created by designers.

Note that this is my own personal discovery and not a scientifically proven fact. By no means do I claim to be a researcher or brain surgeon.

The Answer: Print Design?

I’m not a brain surgeon, though I have been a professional graphic designer for over 20 years, so the following observation is worth including. Should Web design navigation emulate print design? Why do I choose to structure my Web pages with a right-sided navigation menu instead of the long established left-side? In fact there was a study performed by Kingsbury and Andre in 2004 which concluded, Navigation: Left is Best. In their analysis they use L.L. Bean as the “TLL” (Top - Left - Left Navigation Pattern) which their shoppers prefer. I checked out their Web interface today and I don’t see a left OR right navigation model. Maybe L.L. Bean’s Web marketing department has abandoned this study, since they’ve since replaced their Web interface for a newer, more intuitive interface design. Could it be that their customers respond favorably to the new design by spending more coin?

So, why should the Web be any different?

Coming from the realm of advertising design, I’ve always worked from left to right. Let’s examine one of our society’s most popular past time: scanning local newspapers’ “Society Pages” for a glimpse of the civilized class. I admit it, I do sometimes envy their huge fortunes and fabulous good looks. The “Le clan Cunningham Au Chateau” article is a very effective way to garner favor from them, appealing to their egos. Newspapers, have used positioning, placement and coverage for many years to appeal to their readers and advertisers. So, why should the Web be any different?

As the modern day “investor class”, whose fortunes have lessened recently, could have benefited from better Web usability. As the remaining doom days of 2008 come to an end, I can’t help wondering is a right-sided navigation could have kept millions of investors from losing their life savings? Could a more intuitive Web interface have kept our economy from collapsing? The day trader may have been able to react more quickly to the falling market if only E-Trade’s navigation was more intuitive.

Evolving Web Design

A not-so-subtle Ug used a heavy method of coaxing his favor. The methods of persuasion used by today’s Web are far more sophisticated and far more nuanced. Like many national newspapers, we are all reluctant to change. Maybe that’s the reason why the Web has managed to grab a significant share of traditional print’s market. Immediately after the Web became commercially viable, research and statistical organizations began measuring user response. Web Trends was one of those pioneering companies that wanted to sell this valuable data to advertisers. Now there is Google Analytics which offers the regular Web developer access to a powerful suite of tools which can measure the user’s reaction to changes you make to your interface design and accessibility.

Don’t be an Ug.

There are many differences that exist between the Web user, not to mention sex, age, origin, politics and affluence. The way we shop (and search) for goodies on the Internet need to be a serious consideration when preparing your Web user interface. The world is becoming more sophisticated, so changing your Web design with accessibility and usability in mind is a must!

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1. Tableless Layout Generator via The Yahoo Grid Builder- Part the Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI) which is a set of utilities “for building richly interactive web applications using techniques such as DOM scripting, DHTML and AJAX. ”

2. Web Color Combinations Tester and Palettes via ColorCombos.com which offers the user the ability to visualize different color schemes and ten test them alongside each other.

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Well of course you do. If you’re in serious business person, you need a well-designed business card. Like the Bandito responding to Bogart in Treasure of Sierra Madres, there a lot of folks that refuse to give much thought to their business card design.

The sad fact is that there are a lot of stinky business cards being used to represent a lot of very talented professionals. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to consider your business card as an essential advertising tool. Here are some essential design tips for basic business card design:

1. Avoid dark colored papers and card stock: Using a dark colored stock limits the choice of ink colors you can use and can significantly increase printing costs, since you’ll have to use opaque inks. Instead, use 4 color process to use a dark-colored background. Full color printing has never been less expensive!

2. Paper stock is important: Spend a little more for a quality paper. There is myriad of manufactured paper stocks to choose from which vary in their hues, textures and strengths. Choose a stock that can hold the ink and has a substantive feel.

3. The finished size should be small enough to fit in a wallet: Don’t get too fancy with your business card sizes. If it’s too big it won’t be very portable and if it’s too small, it will get lost, visually and literally.

4. Stick to one (or at the most two) font styles: Keep the visual noise to a minimum. The more fonts you use the more difficult it is too read. Besides, it may look as though you are a bit indecisive.

5. Steer clear of tacky clipart, as well as copyrighted artwork: There’s nothing worse that clipart that looks like clipart. Instead, use a photograph or hire an illustrator to create a unique image that will set you apart from the rest.

6. Be descriptive with your business card’s text: Cute slogans are for huge corporations with the money needed to advertise nationally. Use a simple tagline or a list to describe your services or products.

7. Remember to include your name, company, address, telephone, cell phone and website address: Don’t get in a hurry and pass around a mock-up of your new business card design to friends and clients to get their feedback. Remember, everyone is a critic so don’t get offended by negative or overly critical comments.

8. If you don’t have a logo design, don’t try to fudge one: Take time a do your research before committing to logo design that is weak and unprofessional-looking. In the meantime, use a bold font or simple text. Then, when you get the cash you can invest in a professionally designed logo that you’ll use consistently in all your promotions.

9. If you’re not the creative design type: Keep It Simple!

Don’t give short shrift to could be the most important tool in your advertising arsenal: your business card design. It could make the difference between being one of the many business failure statistics or being one of the few that succeed in an increasingly competitive economy. Remember, you do need a business card, just not a stinkin’ one.

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Whether it’s for a auto repair shop or a nanotechnology firm in Silicon Valley, a logo design has to consist of several basic qualities:

1. Easy to Remember - The logic is obvious, though common mistakes in Basic Logo Design 101 can result in a image that no one will ever remember.
2. A Shape or Object - An effective logo is a shape or object and is never a typeface. The font used along with the logo design is an integral part, though it’s not the logo.
3. Distinctive Color and Contrast - The color selection is important. Choice of color is dependent on your audience, e.g. Toy Store = Bright and Cheerful, Industrial Supply = Bold and Serious, etc. and when choosing colors keep it to no more than two or three colors that have enough contrast between them that they are appreciable even when reproduced poorly.
4. Visual Symmetry - Depending on the type of business you’re in, most logos should have good weight distribution and visual symmetry.
5. Resize and Reuse - A wonderful design is only good if you can use it. So, keep it simple and avoid complex shapes or intricate lines.
6. Social Feedback - Post your new logo design online. e.g. Flicker. Start a Flicker account, upload your designs, then invite friends to comment.

Above all: keep it simple! When you finally decide on a logo design for your business, test out by creating mock-ups of it in use. For instance, place a copy of it in a newspaper ad design and in any other media examples to see what it will look like in various sizes and colors.

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We have all seen them, maps that acted as placemats with splattered Ketchup and coffee stained edges.  It was another beautiful Hudson Valley morning and the business association president handed me samples of cartoon quality maps that featured businesses in the area.  We sat sipping coffee at the local "Village Diner". He showed me different examples of what he had in mind including the tissue quality map that lay under my silverware.

It was apparent that there were some budget constraints placed on the project as well as several folks that had their own vision of what the map should look like. My past experiences with business organizations and  non-profits made me prepared for the political nature of Membership Boards.

However, I’m always eager to take on a challenge. My need for a design challenge ius no better illustrated by this particular project: the 2007 "Explore Saugerties" map design. As map projects go, the designer usually gets some sort of collateral support, in the way of text, images and the general map details. Not this time though. Unlike most, this map project became quite involved. As time progressed I realized I was on my own. In order to complete the project in a timely fashion, I proceeded with the design responsibilities I had contracted to perform, and in addition, ad sales, ad design, copy writing, photography, photo illustration and retouching and printing supervision.

In fact, I enjoyed the project so much that I designed and the 2008 map. What can I say, I love to see the New England countryside. The second time was a bit easier. To make it all worth while, both maps proved to be a huge success.

In a followup article I’d like to go step-by-step through the design process. Keep in touch by subscribing:

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Telephone Directory “Yellow Pages” Ads: Few businesses would imagine that a well thought out, designed and executed “Yellow Pages” ad will reel in many more inquiries and cost a lot less money. Take for instance the full-page “ego-boasting” lawyers ads that grace the many pages under the “Attorneys” section (as well as, inside cover and back covers) of just about every telephone directory in America. In larger cities like New York, a full page ad can cost upwards of $10,000.00 per month! An ad half that size can generate twice the qualified leads and cost half as much.

More to come…

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Signs are meant to attract your attention and tweak your interest. A well designed sign can do so much more. Created by an experienced designer, they can be a canvas to effective persuade and cajole. Not always two-dimensional and not always fastened to the ground,  these messages of capitalism can be sometimes be obnoxious and reflective of bad taste.

There are thousands of ways to design a sign, though only a few ways to achieve a great design.  I look beyond the focus of the sign itself and consider its surroundings and environment.

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Water For Life USA is a rapidly growing water purification and water ionization retailer which offers its customers the newest in water ionization technology. With its “pure” and “clean” water image, I thought it best to keep the poster designs equally free of distractions with simple yet strong visuals:

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As part of a strategic print campaign, magazine advertising can be an efficient method to deliver your company’s message to a precise audience. The key to optimum response is placement, timing and design. Planning is crucial; your decision to run an ad should never be based upon a sales representative’s need to fulfill a quota, but rather on your own marketing schedule. Forecast events, that occur during the year, which have a greater potential to reach your audience.

The best position in an English language magazine or periodical is on the outside edge of a right page. Just like most media, placement is a determining factor of your ad’s success. Insist on a premium position that will be seen.

Time your campaign around cyclical or pre-scheduled industry initiatives. All businesses have certain times during the year that poses an opportune time to reach their audience. Plan ahead and be prepared with a message that will catch the attention of your potential customers.

Competition is the main reason why it’s necessary to design an visually compelling ad. A magazine can crammed with advertisers that compete for readers’ attention. Being a 28 year veteran of trade advertising, I can make your presence be seen. Designing a magazine advertisement is a science, though creating an effective ad is an art.

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