How often do you update the look of your website? A car needs a tune-up every 10,000-12,000 miles. Fashion houses introduce new styles each season.  Whether it’s cars or clothing, some things are updated and others remain the same. 

Website design is the same. There may be mainstays and other parts need to be updated each season. Depending on the business, daily updates may be necessary. 

At a minimum, your website should be updated once a year… at least to update the copyright date at the bottom of your website. This is mostly to build trust with the viewer. This tells the visitor that your business keeps up with the times and cares about details. Also, this helps to protect your rights as the owner of any content, logos, imagery, and anything else that can be found on your site.

So often, there are businesses that come to me and want a complete redesign of their website. And it is because they have not updated their website in years. But if one were to start with a well thought out site design and keep maintaining it with steady updates, this should not necessarily need a complete overhaul. If you have missed 2-3 years of updating, chances are you will need a complete re-design. 

Beyond just updating the copyright year, other reasons to refresh your site are:

 • upgrade technology – security & digital integration

• user experience – speed, functionality & interface

• improve search engine rankings – increase organic website traffic

• content – build trust and increase organic website traffic

• keep up with design trends – build trust

• new brand identity – build trust and recognition            

There are huge benefits of regularly updating your website’s design, content and function. Using the latest technology keeps your website secure and builds trust among users and search engines. It helps to attract new customers, and eventually increase your profits.

If your website is ready for a complete overhaul or just maintenance, contact me and I’d be happy to review your website.

Way back in my career, when I was being interviewed by Calvin Klein , he asked me the question, “Where do you get your inspiration from?” It’s not my answer that I want to blog about, but what he said. Calvin said, “I get my inspiration from people on the street… what they are wearing and how they style it.”

Back in the day, as I like to call it, we designers did not have a World Wide Web of images available to us. We went outside and explored the streets, snapping pics of signage, graphics, cars, buildings, people, colors, textures and whatever struck us. We visited factories to find the latest techniques. We traveled to Paris, London, Italy and Los Angeles (from NYC) rummaging through flea markets, trendy shops and old print shops for anything that sparked an interest.

Today, we have the Internet, we can Google a word and find thousands of images. One can even discover fully developed inspiration boards. I find though, when I go out and explore the real world “live in-person”, inspiration is taken to a higher level and the designs are much more original. Inspiration is spontaneously evoked…. and outside, this feeling of clarity and possibilities seem to come more naturally, without intention.

Inspiration can be found in your computer or by just looking out a window… but best to take it further and go for a walk… even if it’s just around your block.

How many times have you clicked on a website and felt the need to click off the site or find yourself lingering on and learning more? Websites create emotion. Your business creates emotion. And this emotion is part of your brand identity. Your brand is all that encompasses your business – it’s your product, service and visual presentation. The emotion one feels when they think of your business is part of your brand.

What one feels when with using your service, buying your product and/or walking into your shop should be the same sensation felt when they visit your website. Visual imagery that matches your business demonstrates integrity and establishes loyalty and aids in growth of business.  

Take Ralph Lauren for example, walk into their stores and go online, you will feel the same emotion of quality, elegance and lifestyle. Today, their website opens with a video that sets the scene… it takes the visitor to an elevated place. Then take Calvin Klein’s current site, it’s like a catalog with no story. This is a missed opportunity because Calvin Klein is so much more than a catalog of merchandise. 

So often, I see small business websites that don’t match their brand. I can walk into a restaurant or shop, find quality products, experience excellent service and feel a pleasant atmosphere. Then later on, I’ll go to their website to check on some info and I find the website is so disconnected from the experience that I felt when visiting the actual place. Websites sometimes bring down the brand. In these instances, I wonder if I’m on the correct site.

Have you ever researched places to holiday… some are dreamy and some are lacking? Often the website is better than the resort and no integrity is to be found there.

So, what does this mean? How do you create and ensure that your visual identity aligns with your product and service? And how do you make sure it’s good and effective for establishing and growing your business? 

Here are some tips on matching your website to your business: 

• use the same styling and colors on your website as you do in your shop

• use fonts that reflect the mood and quality of your service and products

• select images and graphics that align with your message and mission

If you don’t know how to identify the styling and mood, you can contact me or make a simple change. Coco Channel is known to have said, “Before you walk out the door everyday take one thing off”. The same may hold true for your website – remove something from your website, whether it be one color, font style or graphic element. If the branding is not aligned, then less will be best. 

One of my new year’s resolution is to do what I tell my clients to do: build your email list and promote on all your social media channels. One way to do this is to create a newsletter or blog on your website and share it to your channels. So here I go…

Your business has a name, product and/or service…. and you have clients and you may even have a website. But you don’t have a logo. You need a logo. Why does your business need a logo?

The same reason Amazon, Apple and Nike need a logo, your business needs a logo.

Simply put “Your logo is the face of your business”. It is a symbol or design used to identify a company, organization, service, etc. Businesses with lasting impression and loyalty are branded with a logo. The logo is not your brand though, but the cover of your brand and much more than just an image. Your brand is the entirety of your reputation, product, service, image, style, vibe… including the logo.

The logo is a point of recognition for clients and an important foundation for the branding of your company. It’s often said, Customers form an opinion about a company within seconds. A well-designed logo is an easy way to convey to potential customers that your business is professional, trustworthy, and provides quality goods or services. 

A logo:

• must be appropriate to the business

• must be memorable

• must be uncomplicated in form, so that it can be use in multiple mediums

• concept must be original – differentiate and stand out

If your clients do not know you nor your business yet, your logo will help you connect with your clients and convey to the world what your new business is about. And if your clients do know your business, a logo helps to reassure them of your authenticity and give referrals to their contacts through multiple channels.

So, why do we need a logo? Because it grabs attention, makes a strong first impression, is the foundation of your brand identity, is memorable, separates you from competition, fosters brand loyalty, and is expected by your audience – it helps you grow your business.

Invest in your logo and it will bring you the customers your business deserves. You want your logo to explain who you are and what you do, why you do it, and how you do it.

Any successful business plan will include the creation of a strong logo through consistent branding. With proper branding in place, you will be able to execute your business strategy and ultimately boost profitability.

Build your brand with a logo.