Post pobrano z: Communication is key in business: 5 ways to talk to your customers online

Regardless of the nature and the sector of your business, whether it’d be B2B or B2C, downright online or also on location, your customers should be your primary focus. With such vast competition and so much on offer in the market these days, the quality of your customer service and relations can be the breaking point between you and your competitors. Improving customer communication on your website can even increase your revenue. Here are five, easy to accomplish ways of how to improve customer communication on your site.

Blogging

The key to an excellent company blog is knowing your audience and consistently producing quality content. If you have already established your online business, chances are, you also know your target audience. Use that knowledge to deliver targeted and personalized content that your customers will want to read. In your blog posts, try to answer questions your customers might have, provide valuable advice and share your experience. Blogging is a kind of an indirect way of talking to your customers, sharing common concerns and joys. Also, by including social media buttons on your blog, you allow your content to be shared by your readers gaining a wider audience and more potential customers.

Live Chat

There is nothing more frustrating than an inability to contact customer support or difficulty in finding company’s contact details when you have a question to ask about the product or service. Your customers might have inquiries that your blog or website’s copy isn’t answering, therefore, integrating a live chat button on your website is a quick way to handle all sales questions while the lead is still hot, establish a conversation with your potential customers, and reduce your website’s bounce rate. On top of that, using Live Chat, you also get more detailed information about your website’s visitors, such as their location, pages they viewed on your website, email address, and so on.

Web Forms

Generating a good web form on your website is one of the best ways to get input from your potential clients. Online forms are where your potential customers will disclose personal information like email address, name, and surname. Web forms are not only a source of all your customer data but also an indirect conversation starter. Based on the information you get through a web form, you can send personalized emails, sales proposals, and updates about your company directly to your clients. These free forms are the perfect conversation starter. Optimized well, they can help you turn leads into customers.

Produce a lot of visual content

According to research, only 10% of heard or read information is remembered a few days later. However, if that same information is paired with a video or an image, 65% of it is remembered a few days later. Including sales or promotional videos, infographics, engaging images, and other visual content onto your website is an easy way to engage with your customers and grow a loyal audience. Information that you see, and especially if that information connects and motivates you in some way, is easier to remember. It is also essential to make that information easy to share. Who can be better advocates of your brand than your customers?

Use Social Media platforms

Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram can not only increase your brand’s visibility and become yet another perfect platform to talk about your services and products but also it allows you to listen to what people are saying about your brand. Opinions expressed on social media can come not only from your customers but also from your competitors. Social media presence is vital for any business as it connects you and your customers outside of the “usual environment” like your company’s website. By connecting with your customers on social media channels you establish a less formal contact.

To sum up

Communicating with customers is key to success in any business. Providing perfect conditions for your website’s visitors to communicate with you is essential. In order to do that, it’s good to analyze your website from your client’s perspective and see what it might be lacking. Make sure you include these five points mentioned above on your website to create a more visible and engaging brand as well as establish a loyal audience.

Post pobrano z: How to Start Your Business Using Only WordPress and These 10 Tools

Starting an online business might seem a little overwhelming at times. There are a lot of questions that will pop into your head: “where do I start?”, “how do I measure my results?”, “how do I create and manage my content?”

You’d be surprised how easy and simple it can actually be – with the right tools, of course.

We’ve found these 10 amazing tools that will be the only thing you need when combined with WordPress: marketing automation, Instagram followers, file storage, and much more will be taken care off in a glimpse.

1. Integromat

No WordPress page can go without a good cloud workflow automation – with all the plugins, apps and tools you already use, this one will make the process so much faster. All needed automation is created through a beautifully designed editor. You can choose from many pre-made templates that integrate perfectly with WordPress.

2. pCould

There are multiple dropbox alternatives on the internet – but if you’re a WordPress user and value security and speed, then this is the only option for you. Other than these two advantages of security and speed, the tool also lets you share your files with your colleagues which is highly convenient.

3. MaxTraffic

Sending web push notifications is one of the best strategies for bringing a customer back to a WordPress website. Keep your customers alert and waiting: send them notifications about new products and services, sales or upcoming events – make the visits to your website spike up.

4. Combin

If you have a plan to start a business, you probably already know, that after creating a website, a WordPress platform is not enough – you will have to do something with marketing and especially social media. Get real Instagram followers by using Combin – like, comment, and follow other users to attract their attention.

5. Focused Collection

Visual information is crucial for any website nowadays. To represent our brand, we often use stock photos – there is a wide selection of free and paid stock images around the web. The focused collection is something new and different – it has complete sets of pictures for different themes like animals, cities, education and more. Perfect for creating a strong image of the brand.

6. Word Counter

WordPress is an amazing platform for content creation – it has various content and SEO tools to help you out, but one important tool that you just cannot go without is a very precise word counter. This one has a minimalistic design, is easy to use and understand, and also has integrated social media standards for word count.

7. InvoiceNinja

After starting an online business you will have to step up your game and start working with your potential clients – collecting their emails by offering them something of value in return and reaching them with your news and sales. Proposals creation tool can help you reach your customer – the drag & drop tool offers great templates to make it look great. And later it can help you send the invoice from anywhere, after all the name is InvoiceNinja.

8. Magic Password

This WordPress Security Plugin can work wonders when it comes to remembering passwords and usernames. This plugin also protects you from brute-force attacks, phishing & keylogger attacks, and WordPress website takeover. The tool works by pairing your smartphone with your WordPress account and creating a specific code when you need to log in.

9. Omnisend

Omnisend is an ideal tool for WordPress ecommerce marketing automation if you want to run an e-shop. It can make the work with the website visitors so much easier: turn them into subscribers with signup boxes, popups, and landing pages. Afterward, start working your way up by converting your subscribers into shoppers and eventually – repeat buyers.

10. Salesmate

Salesmate is one of the best additional tools for WordPress – if you want to run an e-shop, it will work wonders by helping you plan and keep on track with your sales processes. It’s easily customizable and adjustable, therefore easy to use and integretable with more than 700 different apps.

Post pobrano z: Bathroom tiles repurposed in a creative way

Innovation and creativity come straight out of our brains, not from huge budgets or financial conditions. Actually, a constraint can even force designers and other creatives to innovate in order to produce good work.

This bathroom redesign for a restaurant in Lithuania is a perfect example of this. The designers had to redecorate the place, but they couldn’t change the ugly tiles on the wall. Talk about a challenge!

Instead of giving up, design studio Gyva Grafika decided to turn the tiles into a big building by adding tiny windows. The result is great and makes the place look much more lively with a tiny investment.

An example of a window on a tile, these have become so popular that the design studio started to sell it. To buy some, contact them on their website or through their Facebook page.

Post pobrano z: Design deals for the week

Every week, we’ll give you an overview of the best deals for designers, make sure you don’t miss any by subscribing to our deals feed. You can also follow the recently launched website Type Deals if you are looking for free fonts or font deals.

9 Beautiful Hand-Drawn Fonts

Whether you’re looking to add to your existing collection of script fonts or just getting started, this Mighty Deal from Typezilla was made for you! You’ll snag 9 beautiful hand-drawn typefaces with a wide range of styles from elegant calligraphy to a more personal natural feeling. Mix it up with a variety of OpenType Features.

$9 instead of $125 – Get it now!

The Best Seller Craft Bundle

This crafter friendly Bundle includes 50 of the best-selling craft products from our marketplace and bundles.

$19 instead of $185 – Get it now!

Typographer’s Dream Box: 50+ Fonts & 200+ Logos

You can stop pinching yourself now. It’s only a dream in name. This Typographer’s Dream Box is 100% real and packed with more than 50 fonts and 200+ logo templates! Use this collection of typefaces and logos to create the perfect branding for yourself or your clients as you whip up some truly impressive masterpieces.

$9 instead of $3090 – Get it now!

Stevie Sans: a Neo Grotesque Font Family of 7 fonts

Meet Stevie Sans, a modern take on the grotesque typeface. With weights ranging from Thin to Medium to Black, it’s like getting 7 professional fonts in 1. A brilliant choice for headlines and small text, this bad boy is perfect for loads of printed projects ranging from T-shirts to prints. Toss in a gaggle of OpenType Features and support for more than 70 languages, and there’s no excuse not to add Stevie Sans to your typeface toolbox today!

$9 instead of $100 – Get it now!

The Classically Beautiful Elegans Script

If you could craft pure elegance by hand, you’d end up with the Elegans font. This breathtaking hand-crafted typeface just exudes elegance with its fluid, connected script design. Work with more than 575 unique letters, all of which have been created to flow right into the next letter.

$7 instead of $22 – Get it now!

Post pobrano z: A heater that mines cryptocurrencies while keeping you warm

Cryptocurrencies have been a very hot topic since 2017, it’s been in the news daily and keeps on staying at the center of attention. Apart from the volatility of the Bitcoin, one big concern for all the specialists has been the sustainability of the blockchain as a technology, can it really scale and become a mainstream technology?

The example that first comes to mind when talking about this is the insane amount electricity needed to mine a Bitcoin now that it’s expensive. Can you even believe there is a Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index?

French company Qarnot found its own clever solution to this issue, they have released a heater that passively mines cryptocurrencies (Ether by default, but you can change) while warming up the room. They even claim that the cryptocurrencies mined this way will pay for your electrical bill.

The elegantly designed heating device comes at the price of $3,500 and can very easily be set up to start mining as soon as you use it. Normally, the energy used for mining cryptocurrencies will generate some heat that will be cooled down using fans. This makes is use even more electricity. The QC1 by Qarnot turns this heat into a passive feature, which is really clever if it works as well as they claim.

Post pobrano z: Sad skeletons and surrealist scenes: the art of Muretz

Brazilian artist Muretz is most famous for his street art in large format. In his work, you can meet a lot of skeletons, mostly sad ones. With a large exposure of his work in the streets and on social media, Muretz also made himself a name beyond the streets and his work was on display in art galleries around the world. You can also purchase his art in small format on his website.

Post pobrano z: Typography trends to look out for this year

The internet is constantly changing and evolving. As a result, it is important to stay dynamic.  As a graphic designer, you’ll know that trends change and what works well and converts for your clients one month will be different the next.  We need to be aware of the trends that are emerging, and those that are fading out.  This is especially true with typography because it often forms the basis of our projects.

It’s helpful to know that typography trends don’t simply emerge out of nowhere.  Instead, they slowly grow, flowing through the different design niches.  Eventually, as they become more and more popular, these trends reach the mainstream.  This is why in order to predict the big trends of 2018, it is helpful to look at the growing influences which shaped 2017.

Some of these trends are exciting and will bring changes into the design industry.  As we’ve become familiar with the trends of the past few years, something new can only bring vitality.

Let’s take a look at the trends emerging for this year!

The return of the serif

After the cleanly lined minimalism of the past couple of years, it’s time for serifs!  Serifs are warm and retro, bringing up images of the 1970s.  This offers up an alternative to the commonly used Helvetica, which has dominated the digital design market.

Chaotic and creative

Minimalism has dominated the design field over the last couple of years.  However, the trend is moving to chaotic designs which offer broken elements and juxtapositions.  Although this may seem confusing or even overwhelming, it actually engages the viewer.

Using typography in this way offers a sense of creativity, creating interest for the viewer. Viewers often spend a great deal of time exploring these unconventional sites, which results in a higher conversion rate.

Overlays and cutouts

Overlays and cutouts are beginning to emerge as a new trend which hasn’t taken over 2018 yet.  These trends are bright and vibrant, offering a unique approach to web design.

Designers are using animation, striking photography or parallax backgrounds.  Sometimes these vivid images overlay the text.  Other times they are used in the background.  After the flat design trend of recent years, this new method of working brings the site alive.

Highlights

This new trend is reminiscent of the schoolroom.  Designers are using colored fonts or underlying specific words in order to draw attention to a message.  This technique is currently being used in both headlines and body text. Many sites are starting to use typography to catch viewer’s attention.

In the past, designers have often used striking illustrations to call attention to a message.  The new trend is to use different typographic techniques.  This new trick draws on a sense of nostalgia and is rapidly emerging as a popular choice.

Variable fonts

In the past, designers had a couple of choices when it came to fonts.  We could make our fonts bold or italic or keep them light.

Now though, there is a range of different options which enable us to add weight to a page.  Fonts can now be given different weights and axes.  This allows us to customize our pages, bringing a unique and creative edge to our designs.

Hand drawn lettering

The creative touch of hand-drawn lettering returns again and again to our web designs.  This unique approach to design is expanding from simple handwriting into hand-drawn letters.  Hand drawn fonts are being offered as a unique option for headers and logos.

When thinking of the popularity of Disney, Coca-Cola or the New York Times, it’s easy to see how a well-designed font can bring identity to a brand.  This one of a kind creation is shaping a new trend in typography.

This is especially relevant with all the Arabic fonts that you see in the media lately and their hand drawn style.

Gradients

Gradients have been an emerging web trend in recent years.  This movement was made popular by Instagram, which incorporated a gradient into their logo background.  The design community cheered, and gradients became a new trend.

However, this trend is no longer limited to backgrounds.  Designers are beginning to use gradients within the lettering itself.  This is a new trend which is emerging for 2018.  Using gradient in lettering depends on the size of the font you use.  It can be used to create a 3D effect, or more simply add a sense of style or flair to typography.

Background gradients are changing too and moving towards color transitions rather than simple shading.  Combining gradients in background and typography will keep you on top of the trend for 2018.

Maximalism

This trend is all about creating a bold and attention-grabbing font which is large and shouts out to viewers.  This trend offers something new when compared to the subtle use of the font in recent years.

However, it still doesn’t turn its back on the minimalist trend.  The style is still clean-lined and the page remains uncluttered.  This trend is the new maximalist – minimalist step for webpage design.

Hiding content

This new trend can be very effective when done well.  It sounds counter-intuitive, but designers are now starting to hide some of their content, while still keeping the page legible and easy to read.  This trend is all about cutting out letters (or parts of letters) while ensuring your viewer can still read or scan the content.

This trend can be hard to master.  If used badly, it can prevent your viewer from reading your content.  It can also make your site look neglected and very unattractive.  However, when used well, it is a creative way to add interest to your site.  And it just works.

Off-kilter kerning

Kerning creates spaces between lettering that makes your page easy to read.  Traditionally, kerning makes the spacing between letters uniform and adds symmetry to your page.  However, new trends are shaking this up.  More space is being added between letters to create a clean and open feeling on the page.

This new technique widens the distance between letters in order to create an easy, relaxed feeling to your site.  As a result, viewers often remain engaged and spend a leisurely amount of time on your site.

Clean-lined and geometric typography

This is a new, modern typeface which is starting to emerge across the web.  Totally clean-lined and without serifs, geometric fonts are useful for sites which focus on science, technology, and engineering.  This font uses single lines and rounded circles to create a futuristic feel.

This font style adds sophistication to a website.  Legible and easy to digest, this is a popular choice for logos and headers.  It can also be used for business cards.  2018 presents the opportunity for geometric fonts to move into mainstream design.

Handwritten fonts

Handwritten fonts give a personal touch to a site.  These fonts are taking on new elements in 2018 however.  Instead of simply representing a handwritten script, they are now incorporating the appearance of brush strokes.  Although still personal and unique, these fonts evoke memories of sign writing.

Handwritten scripts range from offering feminine flourish to masculine scrawl.  We can see this trend feature strongly in 2018.  Movie posters, invitations, business cards and logo design will all incorporate this unique look

Watercolor

Watercolor has been emerging as a recent web trend.  Recently, however, it has been incorporated into the new movement towards handwritten fonts.  Typography now gives the appearance of being written using watercolor paint.

Although this font doesn’t bring an edge to your site, it does have feminine flourish.  Watercolor offers a unique and personal touch which brings sophistication to your designs.

Summary

The world of fonts is changing at such a rapid rate.  As designers, there is a wider range of fonts to choose from and multiple ways to bring them to life on a site.

By pushing the boundaries, designers are able to create new and interesting works of art which shape future choices.  As new trends emerge there are many new opportunities to explore and develop the typography we use and the way we incorporate it into our designs.

Post pobrano z: Freebie: inDesign template of a 10 pages corporate brochure

Thanks to the excellent work of the graphic designers at Elegantflyer.com, we are able to share with our readers a gorgeous inDesign template for a 10 pages corporate brochure. You can preview it on the above and below pictures, and download it on the button at the end of this article.

On top of being free, this InDesign brochure template has great features:

• It’s very easy to customize texts and images (but images are not included).
• It comes in both A4 and US letter formats.
• It’s based on master pages.
• It’s print-ready!

Make sure to get your copy by clicking on the button below!

Download InDesign brochure template

Post pobrano z: The most entertaining nutcracker you’ll ever see

Looking at this Nutcracker, most designers would probably tell you that it’s oversized, not convenient or functional. In short, they may find it entertaining, but not well designed.

However, a design isn’t only about form and function, it’s also about fun. Thought and designed by Georg Kloeck, a designer based in Eindhoven, this Nutcracker is also an entertainment device that brings back the fun in a mostly tedious task.

Post pobrano z: Designing with retro colors: showcase and tips

Trends often emerge from a collective feeling or mood, which is captured by designers in different fields.  Retro color pallets, made popular through the emergence of photo filters, is an example of how old-world charm is being reborn into web design.

Designers have always kept an eye on the past, and every twenty or so years, trends return in updated form.

If you’re thinking of retro, imagine a mood board filled with a faded photo from your childhood, an image from a television program which takes you back in time, a vintage dress, architecture, an old album cover, and multiple other images from the last century.

Retro colors

 

Retro colors come in a variety of hues but tend to be more muted.  They don’t draw from primary colors, but range from neutrals such as creams, and yellowed browns, to blues, sage green, teal, and art deco style pastels such as peach or pale pink.

Color influences range from the 1920s to the 1980s.  As time passed, colors became brighter.  However, the large time range gives designers a huge variety of influences to draw from.

Retro templates are becoming increasingly popular in website design.  These templates are characterized by iconic imagery from a particular time period, vivid graphics, and muted colors.  This popular trend is emerging, not only in website design but in paintings, adverts and in fashion, home decor and color pallet choices.

Retro is about giving space to the past, whether by using funky seventies psychedelics, the oversized light fixtures popular in the sixties, or mid-century style chairs, retro is back in a big way.  Texture is often used to provide a gritty feel, mimicking popular printing techniques of the time.

You can even see it in sites that use a style similar to the soviet propaganda, with the Russian fonts included, of course.

Why is Retro so popular?

A retro style creates unity, transcending age, taste, and culture.  A retro style website will be accepted by people from different countries.

This is because it focuses on iconic images or elements of pop culture that has loyal followers throughout the world.  Retro is an indication of globalization, and it presents in a playful way, with color schemes that are muted but never dull.

Retro tunes into nostalgia, and the belief that in times gone by, products were better quality.  Trying to extract the best out of the past, while leaving behind bad memories offers up a new appreciation of old style design.

Retro design is an attempt to bring this sense of nostalgia to life.  Creating the perception of value helps to bring visitors, while modern design elements create interest, encouraging customers to return.  In this way, retro design offers the best of both worlds, an old feel style with modern imagination.

Mixing old styles with new techniques

Retro style design encourages both the imagery and feelings associated with a world gone by.  Using color is a great easy way to make a design stand out.  It is often helpful to pick an era.  The muted colors of vintage design are often juxtaposed with a strong hue in order to add contrast and interest to your design.

Retro design is associated with the nostalgia of the past, a time when life was simple, hedges were green, wild spaces flourished and streets were safe.  The design aims to recreate these memories.

There are several different approaches or themes used to do this.  Some designers use images of old cars, well known or iconic products, or old photographs.  Early versions of electronic devices may also create a retro look.

Some might focus on the optimism of the 50’s, while others look at a celebration of 60s space travel, and the feeling of extended boundaries and new possibilities.

Elements used to create a retro design

Retro color schemes can be complicated to create as they use a lot of vintage or cream colors, which can be tricky to use in print.

On a website, however, they do stand out.  These colors are contrasted with brighter hues.  Background colors are normally desaturated.

Hues are muted, but often look as though they have been mixed with a touch of black, or grey when compared to the brightness of pastels.

Use shapes and illustrations

In times gone by, artists or designers often used simple shapes in order to create a big impact.  Retro design often focuses on these simple shapes.

Varying sizes of circles are often used.  Sometimes designers may also add floral patterns.  Bright colors are often used to draw attention to these images.

A worn-in look – using texture effectively

Texture is often used in vintage design to draw back to old printing techniques of a time gone by.  Textures often seem rigid, gritty, grainy or tough.  Imagine images of rough cardboard, gritty paper or a chalkboard.

Imagery might include faded areas, as though depicting a comfortable, worn-in item of clothing.  There may also be ‘rough’ patches, or an asymmetrical area within the texture, as though a background or figure has been handmade.  These effects often appear to be random, and ‘worn in’ rather than carefully designed.

While creating texture, consider color as well.  Many designers using background texture use a bold color so that contrasts are clear and noticeable rather than simply background noise.

When creating texture, the goal is to be subtle, so that the effect appears natural or genuine.  The goal is to create depth, without too much repetition, so that the background has the appearance of natural wear.

Using fonts for funky effects

Typography has always played a crucial role in creating a retro design.  It is not just choice of a font that will make a difference, but how this font is used.  Designers wishing to create a retro look might reposition a font, duplicating pixel strokes for added texture and a unique element to their designs.

Typography is just as important as color in creating a retro design.  Adding the correct font will create a coherent feel to your designs.  Retro color palettes look great with fonts which have an old-style feel, such as period lettering.

Alternatively, you could use a curvy font.  Choose a font which fits in with the era you are recreating.  This way, you can add a feel of age and even texture to your design. Think of the handmade poster style designs of the 80’s, or the lettering used in old movie posters.  Art Deco style fonts, or cursive inspired brush stroke lettering, or even laser styled neon writing.

Adding borders

Borders add an interesting touch to a vintage design and can be used for framing photos or images, highlighting content or may create focal areas.

They may be created out of ornamental designs or have matching colors. From art deco style borders to a border which takes the shape of worn paper, there are many options to choose from.

Vintage Touches

If you would like to create a vintage feel to your design without the full-blown effect of a retro template, this is possible too.

Add small elements of vintage style such as an iconic image, banners, fonts or borders.  Alternatively, you could focus on a font, taking the viewer back to a particular era.  You could also grab attention by focusing on using a vintage color palette for imagery or lettering.

Conclusion

Creating retro web designs is an attempt to bring back the nostalgia for a time gone by.  The designer uses tools or techniques from an era gone by and blends this with new services or modern touches in order to create a retro effect.

Retro designs, borders, textures, and colors add interest and fun to a project.  Experiment with a variety of color pallets, choosing those which are muted and less saturated, in order to create an authentic look.  Remember that typefaces should connect to the era that you are representing.  This will help you to achieve your overall look.

Retro design is a fun trend which adds interest, atmosphere, and emotion to projects.  While some of the styles may seem as though they would be a lot of work, the end result is a style which grabs your attention and brings an atmospheric element to a design.

When working on a retro design, remember to combine color, texture, and type, so that you end up with a project which takes you back in time.