This article marks the beginning of a new series on the weekly presentations made by Lifeblue’s team members as a part of our LB University program. LB University gives the members of Lifeblue the opportunity to practice their presentation skills by sharing their expert knowledge on a topic of their choice.

LB’s newest team member, Derek Odell, recently took us through the world of geolocation in a presentation he called “Geolocation and You.” As someone who uses geolocation features often via iPhone applications like Facebook Places, Google Maps and Runmeter, I realized that I knew very little about this program that has become a part of my daily life. But Derek’s lecture provided a thorough explanation of how this extremely useful feature operates to power apps like the ones I and many others use to make our lives simpler.

Geolocation is defined by Derek to be a device that provides “the identification of a real-world geographic location of an object” and determines “where it is in the world.” As of right now, only the United States and Russia have launched satellites that support fully operational geolocation systems, but China does have an operational system that’s very antiquated. The Chinese are currently launching their updated satellites and were recently in the news for getting their first new generation satellite into orbit and online. Other countries like India and those of the European Union are working to embark on their own systems for the near future.

Microchips that work under these systems can be found in everything from cell phones to automobiles to missiles. Essentially, geolocation technology is becoming extremely omnipresent in all we do. Optional equipment used to support geolocation includes assisted GPS and local positioning systems.

Assisted GPS uses a network to ask a server to interpret limited location information, so that it doesn’t have to process the info itself, while local positioning systems use known, fixed positions such as cell towers, radio towers or wifi hotspots to determine location.

Google is responsible for the first popular geolocation system, which it placed under the name Google Gears. While Google Gears achieved the objectives, it was feared that this would cause software makers to create separate and incompatible geolocation systems for their products, thus what had already been created for Google Gears went towards the development of the W3C’s Geolocation API, the version that is used today. The W3C’s Geolocation API is device agnostic and compatible with everything. Now the de facto standard, the Geolocation API can operate with a very small, single line of code, or complex multi-file algorithms.

The common person uses geolocation often via applications like Yelp, Urbanspoon and Foursquare. With its unique ability to pinpoint the user’s location, this feature creates new opportunities to connect with users on a whole other level, whether it is through providing navigation and information on locations and events nearby or by helping users meet up and connect with each other. Geolocation is an undoubtedly useful feature when it comes to enhancing the value of user’s online experience.

It also provides an interesting view into the future of how brands will market to and reach new and existing consumers. Predictive analytics that could be used as a result of geolocation based information and other data could make things like “Siri” even more powerful. Imagine the idea of your phone and it’s “personality” being able to take historical geolocation based information and develop algorithms based on past information and calculations and then cross-reference with something like weather data (as an example).

Imagine if you will…you live in Manhattan in a high rise, every day as you leave the building for work you “check-in” to the lobby at around 8:15AM and again at the subway entrance at 8:30AM, except on the days it is raining…on those days you ring XYZ cab company. With predictive analytics and geolocation based information and technology, your friend “Siri” could have that cab waiting for you at 8:16AM without any interaction from you, keep track of the awards program that the cab company offers and allow you to pay via your mobile wallet as you exit the cab. Too invasive? Or super cool? Either way, this technology has the power to change the way we all do business.

Next time you pull out your phone to fine directions to the nearest Chinese restaurant or look for deals online in your area, give geolocation some credit for making searches like these possible and keep in mind how cool the future of these services could become.

Where in the world is Derek?

Photo courtesy of ars technica.

In a world of ever-increasing competition, branding has become critical for any company to prove successful. The idea of branding transcends simple elements like logos, colors or taglines; instead, it represents a compilation of the attitudes and feelings that consumers attach to your company and its products or services. While a company can control the messages it puts out and the quality of its products and services, it does not have control over how its efforts are perceived by the public. Creating a brand consistent with the company’s category and culture with every element in harmony with each other is something that takes time and attention, but if done correctly can yield great rewards.

If you don’t think branding is important, just take a second to consider the price difference between a Lexus and a Kia, a MacBook and an Acer, or any brand and its generic. For me, it’s Aquafresh toothpaste. I buy no other toothpaste, regardless of any sales or promotions on other brands. In fact, I am so devoted to the Aquafresh name that I take it everywhere with me to ensure that I don’t have to use anything else. It’s that important to me. You want your brand to be to consumers what Aquafresh is to me. So the question becomes how to achieve this kind of consumer loyalty.

First, it’s critical to decide what exactly it is you want your brand to stand for. To be successful in branding, all of your efforts must be focused, and to for your efforts to be focused, you must have a unifying message. You want to develop a brand message that is unique, something that hasn’t been done before. Not only will this differentiate your brand from competitors in a distinct way, it will prevent any confusion among consumers. You want them to instantly connect the desired feelings and attitudes to your brand and not anyone else’s.

Once you have your message, you need to enforce it. Reiterate this message with every advertisement, social media post and promotional event. Everything your company puts out should be instantly accredited to your brand. It’s important to maintain a consistent look and tone that unifies these messages to be unmistakably identified as that of your brand.

While a consistent appearance of elements related to your brand helps consumers to make the connections, this doesn’t necessarily mean that everything your brand puts out needs to “match.” Instead, developing a general look with a consistent color palette and font selection and maintaining a harmonious tone for all messages will effectively achieve consumer brand recognition. This also allows for creative freedom to present messages in new and fresh ways in the future. This is a key point considering that in order to continue to build your brand in a constructive and favorable manner, you must periodically alter its presentation to stay current and relevant to consumers.

Branding is what truly separates otherwise similar products. You want your brand to be highly regarded and top-of-mind—the kind of brand that people will go out of their way to get. By building relationships with your consumers, you make emotional connections that are stronger than any other incentive.

So take some time, find out what exactly it is with which you want your brand to become synonymous, then develop your company and its communication to reinforce this message and drive the point home to consumers. Give your brand meaning. If your brand doesn’t stand for something, it will surely fall.

So stand strong!

- Savannah Harper, LB Wordsmith

About a week into November, Internet giant Google added a feature to it’s recently developed Google Plus social network—Google Plus Business Pages—that it projects to be one of the most valuable online marketing tools for companies yet. David Amerland described it in his article on Technorati.com as having the intention of allowing “businesses and brands to create the same close, personal connection with their potential customers as individuals who have been using the social network, since it opened, have done with each other.”

This certainly does sound exciting, but just as many were hesitant to invest the time to create a personal profile for yet another social network, many businesses are asking what the unique benefit is to taking advantage of this new service. After some online research, it seems that the majority of the blogosphere is optimistic that the added options for businesses will add value to marketing efforts. But the question remains—how? Here’s what we found:

Google Plus Business Pages is often compared to Facebook Pages, but it seems that their names are the most similar element of these two services. While marketing over Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized online marketing, it falls short in the fact that efforts via these vehicles only reach those to whom they are already connected. In other words, only those who “like” a page for “follow” an account will receive a company’s message disseminated over these networks. Amerland claims that Google Plus Business Pages differs in that it “can shorten the path [to a company’s site] by quite a bit, creating a winning proposition for brands which want to attract more customers, businesses which want to be found locally and marketers who want to help their clients succeed.”

With Google Plus Business Pages, business can be sought out by online consumers and engage in conversation with these potential customers. They can then be directed to the company’s page where they are provided with more information and the option to add a badge and receive updates. Any +1 activity can be extended to positively affect Google search results. Considering Google is the largest, most popular search engine used today, it’s not a bad idea to team up with this winner. Generating excitement for your brand on the Google Plus Business forum is rewarded with improvements in SEO. Not a bad deal.

With Google Plus Business Pages, companies can share breaking news, updates, promotions and more with the different people interested in their products or services. Brands can also promote their business with the +1 service all across the Web. And like everything Google does, the results can be measured with analytics provided by the service to help monitor a page’s progress and effectiveness.

While the true value of Google Plus Business Pages has yet to be seen, under a name like Google, it’s likely that this could just be the next big thing. The marketing landscape has undergone drastic changes in the past five years, but this evolution is far from over. Don’t be left behind as the rest of the world enters the next stage. Check out Google Plus Business Pages and decide for yourself if it could help your company reach the next level.

-Written by Savannah Harper, LB Wordsmith

As competitors multiply and communication channels continue to be oversaturated with message clutter, the need for effective branding has become more important than ever and will only become increasingly critical in the future. Your company isn’t like every other. It’s unique and special, and your consumers should be aware of this. As stated by David Brier in a recent article in Fast Company, 9 Steps To Building A Brand That Breaks Through The Noise, “every business owner and CEO has the right to a superior brand. One that’s meaningful. Powerful. Long-lasting. Inspiring. And effective.”

At the same time though, effective branding has come to be more of a challenge in the wake of the Digital Revolution, which has created new channels of communication and is constantly cranking out new ones. The challenges posed by evolving technology also give life to opportunities that marketers of the past could have never dreamed of. Brands now have the ability to interact with consumers and build connections through engaging social promotion and online communities.

The real challenge in branding lies in using available resources in a way that makes sense but even more importantly, inspires and interests your audience. While it’s up to you how you do it, Brier offers some useful insight into some things to keep in mind when attempting to bring your brand through the clutter and give it the recognition it deserves.

So what’s rule number one? Break the rules. Brier points out that no one ever rises above the status quo without pushing the boundaries. “By breaking those rules with insight, intelligent and innovation, [brands] get heard in a world that’s simply too busy to listen.”

Again, the focus should be on effective branding. Brier warns that focusing on what’s most efficient often provides results that aren’t effective, and efforts are wasted on a half-baked attempt. Be thorough. Be effective.

“Social media isn’t a brand strategy.” And it never will be. Social media outlets are channels that if used correctly, can be an effective way to get your brand’s message out and connect with your consumers. Be engaging. This is your chance to create an experience for your consumers that can be instantly shared via digital word-of-mouth. But when creating your social content, keep in mind that “while it’s important for a brand to develop something to say, it’s more important to create something that will be heard.”

Branding sets up a certain expectation of quality. Be sure to deliver on the promises you make with your brand messages. While branding can distinguish two otherwise identical products, real brand loyalty derives from consumers feeling that the brand meets their high expectations.

In regard to this, remember that people aren’t passionate about the ordinary, so be extraordinary, both in who your brand is and what it stands for. Be creative and different in your branding, and don’t limit this mindset to the creation of your brand message. Apply it to the way you present your message as well, including the channels you choose and how you engage your audience. A recent survey by Adweek reveals that 73% of the subscribers who responded believe that inspiration and engagement take precedence over consistency when it comes to brand message developement (Data Point: Making the Brand Inforgraphic).

Brands hold amazing power. They evoke feelings and memories and give a personality to your company to which your consumers can relate. Develop your brand to be one that represents the quality you believe to be behind it, and effectively convey that message to the public.

Make a plan, and then make a stand for your brand.

Written by Savannah Harper – LB Wordsmith
Photo courtesy of Delevante Creative.

This week, we asked everyone at LB to share the website they visit to learn, get motivated and be inspired. These included everything from sites that showcase innovative graphic design to those that provide top-notch news from the world of the web.
Check them out—you might just make some new bookmarks.

Behance

Creative professionals from across industries use Behance to create multi-media portfolios that showcase their work within the Network. Millions of visitors — including top creative companies, recruiters, editors, and more — come to the Network to see the incredible work and find talent to hire.

Through instant and efficient promotion of work, ready access to a global pool of top talent, and a constant stream of the best creative work from around the world — the Behance Network is revolutionizing the way creative professionals manage their careers and companies find talent.

The 99 Percent

The 99% is Behance’s research arm and think tank. Taking its name from Thomas Edison’s famous quote that “genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration,” the 99% includes a daily web magazine, an annual conference, and the best-selling book “Making Ideas Happen.” Through articles, tips, videos, and events, we share best practices that help creative professionals move beyond idea generation into idea execution.

Dribble

Dribbble is show and tell for creatives. Designers, developers and other creatives share shots—small screenshots of the designs and applications they are working on. Once uploaded, content can be found, followed and shared by viewers of the site.

Mashable

Mashable is the largest independent news source dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world.

Mashable’s 20 million monthly unique visitors and 4 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged online news communities. Numerous studies and leading publications have declared Mashable the most influential online news outlet and a must-read site.

Gestalten TV

Gestalten specializes in developing content for aficionados of cutting-edge visual culture worldwide. The company is best known for the more than three hundred and fifty books they have published that document and forecast vital design movements.

Especially created for an international audience and to offer even more inspiration to satisfy your creative hunger, Gestalten.tv serves up Vanguards, Rogues, Legends, Performers, and Players. Since 2007, they have produced and delivered beautifully-shot, biweekly film portraits on innovators and leaders who dare to change today’s creative landscape with a bold vision.

Smashing Magazine

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Their aim is to inform readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. They believe that the most remarkable yet overlooked aspect of the design community is its friendly, enthusiastic spirit.

A List Apart

As the site that boasts to be made “for people who create websites,” A List Apart Magazine explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

Fast Co. Design

Fast Co. Design believes that a company’s most important employees aren’t its bankers or management gurus, but rather the graphic, industrial, and interface designers who design the things a company actually makes.

Thus, they cover breaking news about new products, business ventures, and wild ideas, as well as controversial ideas and publish essays from some of today’s leading designers. All of these are intended to start new conversations, and inspire new ideas.

Do you have a really good website you visit? Share it with us!

Sometimes a milestone worth remembering can come and go like the wind. Being ambitious and forward minded, it is easy for all of us to look to the future as to what is next and forget what great things we accomplished just moments ago. As we approach Lifeblue’s Quinquennial Anniversary I just wanted to share some some pivotal milestones for the LB. For many, it is impossible to know how far we have come in such a relatively short amount of time, however I doubt even for myself I ever imagined a day where I could have said in the last week we launched a 10,000+ page major university site (that description doesn’t even begin to encompass the magnitude of the endeavor), nearly revolutionized our own site, and completed a photo/video shoot for our own marketing efforts. A big week for Lifeblue is certainly an understatement.

There was a time not too long ago where it seemed the LB was just like every other small “web company” out there, now it is clearly evident that we are not. We are creating our own little place in the world, maybe just a small blip in the scheme of the entire universe but like all great things, it just takes a spark. As is the path of growth we will continue to make mistakes as an organization and as individuals, but if we continue to strive towards this common goal of something better and embrace the humility of learning from those mistakes, then we will achieve something we can’t yet describe, taste, or feel…yet we know its out there. There is something to “Saving the World from Bad Design” that we will achieve in more ways than one, ways still yet to be determined. In the end, our team, our clients, and everyone else that crosses the path of Lifeblue will be better off because of our collective efforts.

We didn’t haphazardly end up where we are today and I can only imagine what is out in the world for us to accomplish tomorrow. The milestones accomplished in the last week are just a culmination of the many endeavors achieved in the last 5 years. Our past gives us the experience to know what roads to embark upon and which roads not to. Our individual experiences become the secret sauce that allows us to help organizations navigate uncharted waters of their own, on a daily basis.

In a nutshell, we wouldn’t be where we are today via any other path.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone that has been a part of Lifeblue both past and present, client or team, vendors, and more. 5 years down, and sincere gratitude, humility and appreciation for every year to come.

Russel
“The Backboard”

Justin on Justin Discount Boots

Smashing Magazine recently issued a challenge in which we were excited to participate— they asked their readers to justify their design approach. Seems easy enough, but in reality, understanding your choices and articulating those reasons to clients is a challenge that we all face. As stated in the challenge, “being a great designer is not enough. You can produce outstanding work and be the envy of your peers and yet struggle to convince clients of your approach. The reason is that clients do not understand design the way you or your colleagues do. Therefore, you need to be able to articulate what makes your design right.”

Design can be in the eyes of the beholder, but a good approach can be the one thing that serves as a tipping point when trying to develop a concept for a client and subsequently convincing them it is the best approach.

At Lifeblue we were excited about this challenge and the possibility to discuss our approach to a recent client engagement— Justin Discount Boots. Oddly enough, our designer’s name is also Justin. What are the odds? So here’s Justin on Justin Discount Boots.

While Justin is all too familiar with the grueling peer critiques of formal design classes and must often present his work to clients for feedback, his education and professional experience have made it to where many of his design decisions are rather subconscious; because of his training and experience, he believes his instinct knows what would look good and what would work. But as was foretold in the challenge, effective designers must be able to not only understand the “why” of their designs, but they must possess the ability to explain it to others who didn’t spend years cultivating this skill. So last week, we took another look at Justin’s latest design creation, the website for Justin Discount Boots, and asked him, “why?” The following details his defense.

Layout:

The client had predetermined the elements that were to be included on the homepage, but it was up to Justin to decide how those elements were to be placed. He first evaluated the importance of each element, determining which were more relevant in aiding the shopping experience (the main function of the site) and those that served as a call to action and encouraged consumer engagement, and positioned these items with more precedence above the fold to receive more user attention.

The client requested an animated marquee that showcased images and information on the company’s selection that Justin positioned on the top left of the page. To the right of this, he chose to present the company’s “Exclusive Custom Boot” option, strategically banking on the fact that the animation to the left would demand attention in itself, and the reader’s eye would then instinctively read to the right and acknowledge this special feature. This feature serves as one of the client’s more unique points of difference, and Justin wanted to make sure that his design did it justice.

His decisions on layout support the selling function of the site as well as other goals Justin Discount Boots hopes to achieve through it, like customer involvement and the facilitation of a two-way dialogue with their consumers. The user-based approach to this site is reflected in Justin’s decision to place common functional features like the search bar and the navigation in their more expected spots closer to the top of the page. So even at a glance, users receive the most important information in a comprehensive and organized manner provided by Justin’s layout.

Grid:

Design decisions related to the grid were made based on the concern of making a site with a good amount of information still appear clean, well-spaced and uncluttered. Justin felt that a 10-pixel padding and 20-pixel margins effectively display the page’s content in an appropriate manner that provides proper space to distinguish separate page elements from each other, but also avoids appearing cluttered without wasting space.

Color:

The colors used throughout the website were strategically chosen to induce the emotions and attitudes tied to western culture and even more specifically, the client’s particular part of Texas, according to Justin. To provide pleasing aesthetics and give a cohesive feel to the site, Justin pulled color from the browns of certain product images and the red from the company’s logo. These colors continue to reinforce the western appeal of the site while impressing the elicited emotions on the company itself and its products.

The textures chosen follow suit with this theme and provide a rugged demeanor that appeals to the men in the client’s user target. The slightly contrasting colors and textures towards the bottom of the page are, as Justin explains, to give the site a polished, modern feel that identifies it as an up-to-date website design despite its vintage look.

Type:

Justin is well versed in typography and his font choices were definitely intentional. The use of slab-serif carries on with the overarching western idea for the site without coming off as too stylistic and cliché. This large and bolded font commands attention in the content where he felt was necessary in regard to identifying functions and intriguing the user.

This type was contrasted and complimented with the use of a simple san-serif for supplemental information within the content. All caps were often used to provide consistent form for titles and short lines of content so the blocked text would appear clean and easy to read at a glance. Decisions made on kerning were based on proper frame fitting and crisp alignment, and Justin’s choices for line height are primarily focused on providing clear readability for the user.

Imagery:

Product images for the site were chosen by the client, but the real challenge Justin had in regards to imagery lied in selecting the encompassing homepage background image, which would play a large part in setting the general mood. The client felt strongly about selecting an image that captured the look and feel of their location in North Central Texas. Several available photos were evaluated on their ability to convey this image. 

The scenic image used in the final design is one that both the client and Justin agree successfully captures the preferred mood and general feel for the site and effectively portrays the personality of the client company. It’s geographically representative, lighthearted and genuine, but not distracting.

Styling:

Styling of the site’s screen elements was executed in attempt to match the western-centered design while still appearing clean and comprehensible. Justin achieved this in using some subtle textures but with extreme focus on keeping features like the search bar, the navigation and in-content buttons simple, clean and above all, functional and obvious to the user. Justin’s concern with styling focused on walking the thin line of reinforcing the western theme while taking special care to not have “too much going on.”

He sprinkled in flair with elements like the aged tag for the website login and the seemingly sewn-on leather patch that houses the option to subscribe to the client’s newsletter.

Why This Project?

We are very proud of the work that Justin did with Justin Discount Boots, but we also know “no good thing is ever perfect”. We would love to get your thoughts and feedback on the site and our design approach. Let us know what you think.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/09/21/are-you-ready-for-a-web-design-challenge/