A content marketer, web designer and web copywriter walk into a bar; after a few rounds of shop talk, the designer asks the other two to guess the most popular colour for websites. If “blue” is your response, you’re right. A recent Wired piece cites a study identifying shades of blue as the most used colour on the Web’s 10 most popular websites.
How and how much does the psychology of colour affect consumer behaviour, and why?
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Keeping it real — being genuine — is easily a plus in personal life, but is “being real” just as important to how effectively you can provide brand authenticity?
There are many things that motivate people, but the most powerful motivator of all is fear. Fear of crime, man-made disasters, change, the future, judgement, disease, failure, rejection — the list is endless. It’s evil and dark, but many use fear to dominate and control people. Just look at the campaign of US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
It seems almost all designers who partner with our web copywriting firm have made a solemn declaration to Apple products. In fact, the conviction is so profound, it compelled our copywriters to switch entirely to Macs in 2008. Curious what drives this deep desire and devotion with visual creatives, we asked creative directors in Canada, the US and Europe: Why do designers use Macs?
It’s reality today: the first place your customers meet you is online. So the big question is: are you putting your best self forward?
“Before any coffee, sales pitch or job interview takes place, there’s a high probability you’re going to get Googled,” insists University of Toronto Professor and Digital Media Strategist Jean George. “Fortunately, big brands and celebrities aren’t the only ones who can strategize and manage their digital footprints.”
Comic Sans is one of the most popular fonts on earth, lurking amongst birthday cards, comic books, restaurant menus, signs and throughout the Web. Designed by Vincent Connare and released by Microsoft in 1994, the sans-serif casual script typeface is also the most despised font in the design world. It’s forged a phenomenon that has garnered attention from Design Week magazine to the Wall St Journal. So we bluntly asked creative types: Why do designers hate Comic Sans?
Businesses with limited budgets can combat large, deep-pocketed companies by targeting a niche market.
Fear not! Defining a target market doesn’t mean you’ll exclude people who don’t fit your criteria — it means investing your resources and speaking to a specific market that’s more likely to believe in your brand and buy from you.
Creative individuals tend to be spontaneous, expressive and uninhibited, and have an innate ability to see connections and relationships where others don’t. Whether you’re a designer, writer or musician, we can all sometimes use a little spark to incite new ways of solving problems and approaching situations. So here are some wise words from yesteryear that can help heighten your creativity today, and tomorrow.
Is your website still sporting the equivalent of parachute pants and neon hoop earrings? If so, it’s probably time for a website makeover. Take our test to find out for sure.
Humans are hardwired for stories. Our earliest communities used storytelling to transmit beliefs and information from one generation to the next. Even today, we teach our children to respond to stories, whether it’s The Tales of Peter Rabbit or The Time Aunt Becky Got Smashed during Christmas Dinner.
Today, marketers use stories as a powerful way to connect with consumers. You can use storytelling to sell too, if you know when and where to use it.
