Say It With Great Design!

5 Signs 2010 will be The Year of Mobile

carl mathewson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:05:07 +0000

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard “this is the year for mobile,” I would have many, many nickels. Probably enough to buy a new mobile phone. But tell people now that “this is the year” and you will likely get a much less droidskeptical response. The mobile phone has completely transformed how the human race communicates and interacts. Mobile phones are an indespensible item and carried with the same priority as identification and credit cards. But, by and large, mobile phones have remained just a communication device and occasional brick-breaking diversion.

That era is over. And 2010 will truly be “The Year of Mobile.”

Not convinced? Below are five reasons I’m right.

1. The numbers. Analysts at market intelligence firm IDC claim that more than a billion mobile devices will be connected to the Web by the end of 2010. That’s close to the predicted number of Web-connected PCs, at 1.3 billion. IDC also notes that the growth rate of mobile devices is 2.5 times higher than that of PCs. The explosion of Web-connected devices ensures that websites will continue to optimize for the mobile Web. Mobile screens are still small – meaning that a mobile-optimized Web is a necessity, not an afterthought. And now.

2. Mobile banking and transactions. Where there are consumers, there is money to be made. Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently conducted a survey and found that banks with mobile offerings can increase new customer acquisition by 60 percent. They also found that consumers were more likely to choose a bank for their mobile offerings over online banking, access to ATMs or nearby branches. When consumers are comfortable handling their hard-earned cash through a mobile device – with the endorsement (security) of their banks – making any number of purchases is a no-brainer. There’s also the rapid development of micro-payments by companies like Google, and this handy device, making mobile credit card processing fast, easy, and accessible to anyone. Nothing pushes development like economic opportunity.

3. Droid. Sure, the iPhone broke the mold and is still unrivaled. But Droid is the most significant competitor to the iPhone. Most important, Droid upped the ante with Verizon’s unmatched 3G coverage and huge network of mobile subscribers. The mobile Web is faster than ever and more accessible to a growing mobile Web userbase. Competition is always a good thing and Droid unquestionably forces the hand of every mobile device manufacturer, including Apple. More 3G-enabled devices means lower price points to entry per user, resulting in higher demand for mobile Web functionality.

4. Social networking. Some people speculate that the first release of Facebook’s iPhone app single-handedly strained the entire AT&T mobile network. I don’t doubt it. Social networking is not a trend, it’s a new standard in global culture. It also lends itself nicely to mobile. It’s a natural communication platform, a way to connect people, even a viable way to market goods and services to people no matter where they are. There are now more than 350 million Facebook users alone, and it’s safe to say the overwhelming majority of them have mobile devices.

5. Affordable Apps. Predictions are that 300,000 apps will be available for the iPhone by the end of 2010, along with more than 50,000 through Android. Those numbers have the potential to go even higher, as apps become more affordable to create. Companies like AppBreeder, BuildAnApp, Appcelerator and a dozen or so others can build apps (or give you the tools to do it yourself) for under $100. You don’t even need a business to get int he app game – AppIncubator lets you simply submit an idea, then share the revenue from the finished product. Apps drive smartphone adoption. Think about consumers walking around with dozens of businesses in their pockets. There might be no better way to build brand equity with users than an app – they are completely opt-in.

The question is not if 2010 is the year of mobile. It is. The real question is, what are you doing to prepare your business?

Search Engine Optimization

carl mathewson — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:52:31 +0000

Sometimes making a few simple changes to your site can significantly improve your SEO and rankings in the search engines. (1) Your title tag is one of the most important items to optimize. The title tags on all your webpages should be keyword rich and different for each page and be reflective of the content and keywords on that particular page. (2) The meta description tag is another important item. It should also be a unique keyword rich summary of the content of each different page on your site. (3) Also… be careful to remove or update any and all bad links on your site. Having bad links will negatively impact your site.

To see some of my website work visit: http://www.carlmathewson.com/web.html

Branding Yourself with Your Avatar

carl mathewson — Sun, 17 May 2009 07:27:18 +0000

Recent studies in advertising show that ads that are more personalized get a better response. An ad in a magazine that has a nice photo of the business owner will usually always get a better response than a competing ad without that type of personal touch. The same thing seems to be true for avatars. It is now recommended that you personalize your business identity online when social networking, etc. by combining your logo with your photo in your avatar. The old methods of marketing with just a logo alone are changing. Here is what I did with my avatar:

Thoughts on Logos and Branding

carl mathewson — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:22:39 +0000

Since successful branding and visual identity are of such primary importance to most enterprises, I wanted to share some thoughts that may be helpful and add a little insight. First, a little history… It is thought that Peter Behrens, the German artist, architect and designer, was the first designer to create a comprehensive visual-identification program for a company called AEG back around 1907. This is what the logo looked like for this company. Later on, corporate identity and visual systems began to evolve after World War II when graphic design began to be seen as a major way to shape a company’s reputation for quality and reliability. Such firms as Olivetti Corporation and Columbia Broadcasting Systems hired strong individual designers, such as Giovanni Pintori and William Golden, who put their personal imprint upon their client’s designed image. Their attempts were very successful and other company’s followed suit.

As a result today the logo has generally become the most important element in a company’s visual identity program or branding scheme. Most existing and potential clients recognize their company and company’s product(s) by their logo and it’s associated branding scheme. A good logo or symbol must be memorable and have “some barb to it that will make it stick in your mind”. At the same time it must be “attractive, pleasant and appropriate. The challenge is to combine all these things into something simple.”

*special thanks to Phillip B. Meggs, author of A History of Graphic Design, and Tom Geismar (of the noted firm Chermayeff & Geismar Associates)

When should you contact a Graphic Designer?

carl mathewson — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:04:10 +0000

you want your next professional printing project to turn out right
your logo lacks excitement and/or needs to be updated
you are planning a new marketing campaign, annual report, catalog or brochure
you need a well coordinated business stationery package, i.e. bus cards, letterheads, envelopes, labels, invoices & other forms
you are going to create a new website or upgrade an older one
you need new signs – small or large and of any type, i.e. neon, electric, posters, billboards, truck lettering, interior sign systems, banners, etc.
you have a custom calligraphy project
you are writing/editing a book, booklet or pamphlet which you intend to print or publish
you need to update or create a new brochure
you are planning on creating an ad of any size to put in a local newspaper or publication, or in a major magazine
you want to do an online email ad campaign and need to create an HTML emailer
you need new graphics or custom graphic elements for your website
you need animated flash graphics for your website or online ad campaign

Thanks! Visit my site for more info at www.carlmathewson.com

Typography and Graphic Design

carl mathewson — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:38:45 +0000

When choosing the fonts or typography for a new project, experience has taught me to be careful & selective, maybe even what you would call conservative. One or two fonts, carefully selected, are usually all you need. Only in rare occasions, and depending on the project, will you need another font. This is because the goal in most projects is to create a harmonious whole with all the elements used. Using too many fonts generally creates a feeling of disunity and confusion. And I’ve found that you can still be very creative while remaining within these boundaries.

Of course these days there are many designers who break the rules for artistic reasons. It is their intention to create a certain feeling or communicate a special message. This is certainly OK and often works very well. But when designing for most clients and real world applications, the above general rule usually works best.

Personal Font Favorites & Combinations

Here are some of the fonts I have very successfully used in some recent projects:

Sans Serif

Arial
Verdana
Helvetica
Futura
Frutiger

Serif

Times
ITC Stone Serif

Script

Zaph Chancery
Zapfino
Brush Script
Shelley

Try these combinations out!

Arial Bold & ITC Stone Serif Med
Mistral & Frutiger
Brush Script & Frutiger