designers blog
Joomla and some great design | 20th November
Need a content managed website? We use Joomla, it's open source and has a huge following. From a development point of view if offers great flexibility and control. We're on with designing a new website for a top wedding venue in Durham - watch this space.
E-Newsletters | 19th November
Today's task - newsletter design and copywriting. Need to remember the basics, content is king, the challenge isn't in sending e-newsletters these days, it's in getting someone to stop and read your message above all the clutter. Secondly, and again related to content but keep your message focused, don't attempt to cover too much, be specific and stay on topic. Finally, be consistent, and that means the design, frequency and most of all quality.
How do Google searches work? | 7th November
Straight from the horses mouth - watch this video by Matt Cutts a Google search engineer. Watch video now »
Feet up with a nice cuppa | 7th November
Not for me, just back from a few days off mountain biking in Hamsterley Forest. Awesome place. Always find sport is a great way to switch off and recuperate from work. Feeling great now, bring on the creative design!
Why does SEO take so long? | 20th October
It's a common question and you can't blame people for asking, especially when so many seo companies will say anything to sell their services. It creates a common misconception that you can propel your website to the top of the search engines in no time at all. In truth there are so many factors that affect how quickly your website will perform, such as domain history, page rank and existing content, competitiveness, link building opportunities and so on. Be wary of any company that tells you they can get you on page one as a result of a one off campaign, good seo takes time and pushing too hard can actually make things worse!
How do I clear my web browser's cache? I'm using Internet Explorer? | 10th October
Go to tools > delete browsing history > select temporary internet files, cookies, and history > hit delete
Designers solve problems | 3rd October
In fact we spend the majority of our time solving problems. From understanding your market to developing a brief, creating strategic design concepts to agonizing over the final execution, delivery, feedback and response. Lets define your objectives and work together, you may find we change the way you think, you may find you were trying to solve the wrong problem!
How do I clear the cache on my iphone? | 2nd October
Home screen > settings > Safari > hit clear cache
Top tip for blogging | 2nd October
Include lots of 'how to' articles. Why? There are lots of people searching to find out how to do something online so why not grab some of that traffic. Okay, more traffic so what? Well, you establish credibility through knowledge, you get your brand and values across which makes people comfortable and happy to get in touch.
40% funding for e-commerce websites | 26th September
Looking to develop an e-commerce website? Call us now to see if we can help you qualify for funding 0191 226 7332.
Banner Advertising | 26th September
It's not just a simple case of adding your banner to a website and hoping for the best. Do you go for Behavioural banner advertising? Contextual? Social Media based? A combination of all? Stop questioning. Let us help you position your brand on some of the biggest and most popular websites to drive good quality and relevant traffic your way. Let us protect you from all the buzzwords and jargon to deliver online marketing that just works.
Flash website | 17th September
Common question, why doesn't flash work on my iphone / ipad? Well, Steve Jobs (Apple) led the move away from flash when he introduced the iphone, and later the ipad. Why? His view was that flash was unsuitable for mobile devices and Internet Browsing. There were many reasons given, but basically it just didn't work well with problems navigating, using too much memory and zapping battery life. So, what are the alternatives? Javascript gets close to flash functionality and in time HTML 5 will too. It is worth considering whether your market will be using mobile devices and therefore whether flash is appropriate.
Straight talking, hands-on, focused | 16th September
We get to know you, your business and the challenges you face. We're hands on, hard working and work closely with you. We deliver clever marketing and intelligent design solutions that get results. We're totally committed to delivering success and if that means challenging ideas, being pro-active or simply working a few late nights that's what we'll do!
Careful what you wish for... | 10th September
Don't get wrapped up in web stats, great if you know what you're looking for but a waste of time if not. It's a classic mistake to become despondent if visitor numbers fall, but this may not necessarily be bad. What if the decline means you're getting better quality traffic, driving more sales or conversions. So many people just want to increase traffic on their website. Why? Surely you want to increase sales!
SEO... | 10th September
Just had a great meeting with our SEO specialist. Lots happening in the world of SEO, the next few months will be interesting. Are you ready?
Need we say more... | 28th August
We have recently implemented a new website that has been designed by Halogencreative and I'm truly delighted. I believe that the new site looks fantastic, but Halogen's input has been far more than the creation of an attractive high impact design. Halogen have worked with us to find a much stronger market focus. Many thanks Matt for some great work.
John Wiseman
CEO STCS Limited
Cookies | 6th August
Interesting to see how websites are responding to the new legislation - pop boxes, model boxes, fixed status bars etc. Lots more websites taking note than I expected. If you want to check you're compliant call us! 0191 226 7332
Buying the right domain name | 23th July
Getting the right domain name or 'www' address is really important. Clever domains are great but the most effective are those that contain your keywords, are easy to remember and type. Avoid anything that can be easily mis-spelt! You've guessed it - we can help!
Cross browser compatibility | 19th July
What's that I hear you say? Does your website work on all modern browsers? Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer, (as well as other mobile browsers) Does your website render the same and provide the same experience regardless of what browser you use. The answer should be yes! Try it, if it doesn't you could be missing out. If you do encounter problems, call us or take a look at our website repair page.
Changing the way we communicate | 19th July
The average Briton sends 200 text messages a month!
Setting clear goals for your website from the outset | 16th July
New website, great. Next question is what is it going to do, what role should it play in marketing your company. It could be a front line sales tool, in which case SEO is crucial, or perhaps it needs to retain existing customers, so news, blogs and subscriptions are important. A shop window perhaps? or a highly visual brochure website to display your products through galleries and so on. It's always worth taking time to decipher exactly what you want to achieve from your website. Don't worry, you're not alone, our job is to work with you to develop a brief and website that does exactly what we intend it to do. Visit our website design page for more information.If you'd like to see examples of our web design click here.
If it's good for the user it's good for the search engines | 9th July
Write natural copy aimed at your market and you'll find it works much better in assisting your search engines results. Clever.
Normally following the previous entry - what is a domain name and why do I need to register one? | 5th July
Domain names or website addresses need to be registered so that you have the right to use them. You normally purchase this for one or two years.
Good question - what is website hosting anyway? | 4th July
Simply put, it's a place to store your website. A server stores your website files and allows other people to access them via the internet. Basically, a computer with a high speed Internet connection. When you build a house you need to build it on something, go to a car boot sale and you need to pay for your pitch. You get the idea. So, why does it cost? You're paying towards to the actual cost of the server, maintenance and support to have your website available to potential customers.
Why do people use you? | 4th July
It's a question we ask a lot, it's so important to know exactly why people choose your company over others. Identify your strengths and sell with them. There are many design and website companies in Newcastle but we offer something more than just great design. We don't have account handlers or sales people, we work direct with clients and this save time, money and hassle. What's your usp? How are you different? Why should people use you?
Good design | 29th June
Good design doesn't necessarily mean creative design. It just needs to be right for your market, whether that means a clever strapline or simply just showing a photograph of your product. Know who your market is and what makes them tick.
Compelling stats for mobilising your website | 27th June
More and more people are using mobile devices to read their emails - in fact recent research shows up to 25%. So, why does this mean your website should be mobile friendly? Simple, links from emails mean people are directed to websites on their mobile phone. By the way we create mobile versions of your website!
Signage, vehicle graphics, packaging, branding, social media... | 26th June
Well, it's paying off. Our efforts to maintain and improve search engine rankings has generated lots of enquiries for many different services. Busy times!
Woohoo! Another website launched | 13th June
A late one last night but all worth it to see the launch of our latest E-commerce website. The Kitchensmade4u project included creation of the name, logo / brand design and development of a full buy online website. As soon as it's fully loaded with products we'll switch on the organic SEO and Google Adwords campaign. See the e-commerce website design here.
Cookies, mmmmmmmmmmmm | 11th June
You've probably noticed the bigger websites are now asking your permission to lay down a cookie - why? The EU cookie law now says so (26th May 2012). Cookies, not just yummy things you eat but usually small pieces of data sent from a site and stored in a your web browser.
Slow internet connection? | 8th June
Could be, although you can speed things up. Try clearing your browser history, removing unused tool bars, bookmarks and add-ons. Worth a try!
Don't copy your copy | 7th June
For Search Engine Optimisation and good rankings you need high quality, original copy. Google can detect when you've 'taken inspiration' from other websites and it does hurt your rankings. Keep it original.
Have website, get business | 6th June
Seems simple doesn't it, grab a cheap web template, stick it online and you'll get customers. There's no real thought as to the who the target market is, the usp's or how it's going to be found. Don't fall into that trap, good design and marketing gets results. Pretty design and functionality with no purpose doesn't. Simple. It's back to basics, doesn't matter what you're designing, it needs to clearly deliver your message and speak to your target market. Website design that works - click here.
Can you fix my roof | 22nd May
Printers are great and printing things but NOT at designing. There, bold statement but we get so many people who are disappointed in the performance of leaflets, brochures etc designed by printers. We know how to get you're business noticed and message delivered. We get results. If you are disappointed in the results you're getting call us now (0191 226 7321) and we will help you. It's what we do. Just don't call us if you want your roof fixing.
Brochure design | 16th May
A nice change to be working on a very creative style brochure today. We're also doing the product photography so it's good to be in total control.
Exciting time | 15th May
We're getting extremely close to launching one of our biggest web projects yet. It's an exciting time but it won't launch until we've thoroughly tested it and tried our best to break it!
Website repair | 14th May
Our first website repair job! An ecommerce website isn't much use without the ability to store delivery details. Well, in just half an hour we detected and fixed the problem to get the client back up and running. We're a bit like the AA just for websites!
Google clamps down on bad linking | 3rd May
Google is increasing its efforts to clamp down on bad linking. While Google has always disproved of unnatural links pointing to a site it will now be much more vocal in ensuring webmasters meet their quality guidelines.
www.wuyu.co.uk refresh | 3rd May
Time to treat our sister website www.wuyu.co.uk to a refresh! Wuyu is a specialist website dedicated to promoting our web services in Newcastle, Durham, Northumberland etc. It forms part of a group with BeBold Packaging.
Got a great idea for a website? Need funding? | 2nd May
We may just be able to help you. Call Newcastle 0191 226 7321 now to discuss website funding.
All my apples will now be peeled | 1st May
Just take a look at this... www.youtube.com. WOW!
Looking for a design agency in Durham? | 1st May
That will be us too! Graphic and web designers Durham
Looking for a design agency in Northumberland? | 1st May
That will be us! Graphic and web designers Northumberland
You do all that! | 24th April
More new web pages to promote our copywriting services. Includes copywriting for SEO and all your marketing collateral.
How are we different? | 19th April
It's a great question and one we get asked a lot, so here goes... we don't employ sales people, account handlers or have expensive offices. We work direct with you to deliver value for money design. Of course we're driven by results and deliver ingenious design solutions but we're also just great people to work with!
Web designers Newcastle? | 19th April
Yes, we're based in Newcastle but work throughout the North East and further afield. We have clients in London, Manchester, Blackpool, Yorkshire...
Social media marketing - cheap advertising? | 18th April
We think so! Directly communicate with potential customers and keep contact with existing, gain a larger market share, gain traffic to your website, build brands, gain exposure - need we say more. Take advantage of social media to market your business - it really is low cost marketing! We offer a range of social media services to help you market your business - click here!
Basic brochure website examples | 17th April
Updated - click here for brochure website designs
Basic brochure website examples | 17th April
Updated - click here for brochure website designs
E-commerce examples | 13th April
Just added a few more websites to our design portfolio - click here for E-commerce website designs
Our packaging has the X Factor! | 13th April
Our latest win sees the development of a creative mailer pack for past X Factor contestants who went on to have a number 1 album!
Tradigital | 3rd April
Definition: Tradigital is the fusion of traditional and digital. When applied to marketing, it effectively means applying traditional principles of marketing and branding to the digital space in order to gain competitive advantage.
Halogen go lightweight | 2nd April
Just won a very exciting project to develop a name, brand, packaging, advertising and marketing collateral for a weight loss clinic.
SEO planning | 27th March
Seems we're getting back on track with our Google rankings - you just can't afford to take your eye off the ball no matter how busy you get! Of course we now have our SEO specialist working hard for us and our clients. Take a look at our SEO services, click here!
Brand new website for Halogen | 23rd March
Today sees the launch of our brand new website to promote our personal, flexible and low cost design service!
Check your domain names!!! | 28th February
Always ensure you're down as the owner of your domain name! Your web agency can still manage it but protect yourself by checking ownership
3D visuals | 27th February
Working with a great contact to produce 3D product images for a new website.
Web traffic is just vanity without conversions | 21st February
So many people fall into the trap of just wanting more visitors to their website - fine if they call, email or become a sales leads but useless if not. Don't just focus on getting people to your website, concentrate hard on how you convert traffic to leads through quality content and design.
Website pitch for charity website | 20th February
Suited and booted today but at least I've got my creative shirt on! Nice.
SEO link building today | 19th February
Yep, time-intensive but crucial to achieving high rankings! Onwards.
Artificial grass | 18th February
WOW, this stuff has come a long way! Just doing the logo and website rebrand for an artificial grass company and have some samples - very realistic.
Never underestimate the power of marketing | 19th January
Steve Jobs once said “Market research? How can people possibly know what they want until we show them it?”. Focus groups may not be right for you or your products, and I have major reservations myself as to how effective it is to get Mr Public's opinion on where a product should be going: if they knew why aren't they in business! But marketing is a MUST to get your product or service out there and in the hands of the people who want it. So always, always target your designs with marketing know howto get the best results.
Copywriting - HELP! | 16th January
Firstly, this is something we can help you with! However, if your budget is tight I stumbled across the following article at the weekend and it has some useful advice. Click here
Google gets more personal with 'Search Plus Your World' | 16th January
Just reading up on 'Search Plus Your World' from Google. Basically, it finds both content that's been shared with you privately along with matches from the public web, all mixed into a single set of listings! Click here to read the full article
Great start to the year! | 6th January
Happy New Year to you all and all the best for 2012.
Well, despite the economic doom and gloom we're off to a great start with lots of web and packaging design projects now underway!
