The Upward Path

your message matters

design

Does your website need a spring clean?

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Here in the UK it feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for spring this year! But now that sunnier days are here, thoughts naturally turn to clearing out the old and bringing in the fresh and new.

Are you looking at your website and thinking it could use a sweep through, but not sure what needs attention? Here’s a quick look at some important things to check.

Change the welcome mat so they know they’re in the right place

When visitors arrive, does the site show them clearly who you are and what they can expect to find inside?

That first screenful is critical in drawing in cautious passers-by, which you do with a combination of things – title, subtitle, the navigation menu text, the page heading, images…

Although that might sound like a lot to think about, the key for most of us is to keep it simple and effective. Try to put yourself in the position of a visitor who doesn’t already know you. Can they see what the name of the site is? If there’s important text or a logo, can they make it out clearly? (For instance, watch out for text on busy background images.)   [Read more…] about Does your website need a spring clean?

The power of colour for building your authentic brand

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Coloured fabric rolls

Perhaps the most immediate impression we get from websites, documents or other materials is the colour scheme. This isn’t just about looking pretty. There’s a field called colour psychology that says different colours give us particular messages. The choices you make here can strengthen your message or create a jarring effect that makes it harder for people to trust you.

This post sets out commonly recognised associations for 12 colours, to help you understand their effects and choose the right ones for your work.

Quick jumps to colour sections

Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Turquoise | Blue | Black | White | Grey | Pink | Purple | Brown

The power of colour

Whether we realise it or not, colour schemes spark off associations in our brains. We feel differently about warm colours and cool colours; about bright colours and muted colours. Colours can excite or relax us, signal trustworthiness or act as cues to particular values.

If you want to consciously communicate your message to people who visit your site and read your materials, it’s not just about picking colours that you happen to like. Choose a colour scheme that looks good and says the right things about you.   [Read more…] about The power of colour for building your authentic brand

Web pages – check them out before you check them off

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When you create a new site, or new content, it might be something you’re eager to tick off your to-do list so you can move on.

But please remember the visitors you’re making it for, and pause awhile to make sure it will actually work for them. I see so many instances where this clearly hasn’t been done.

Try to look at your pages like a new visitor. They don’t know what you know about what’s further down the page or two pages over. They only know what they see at any one time. Can they see what they need to? Is stuff getting in the way and frustrating them?

Below you’ll find a few specifics to watch for.

(Tip: I talk about zoom settings in your web browser – if you haven’t previously found how to adjust the close up/far away setting, hunt it down in the menu. It’s a useful tool, especially if your eyesight sometimes needs a bit of help.)

Page layout and screen format

I’ve been noticing this a lot recently. I still use a 4:3 format monitor, and there seems to have been a shift to assuming everyone is now on the wider 6:9. So page designs made of blocks sometimes break and I have to reduce the screen zoom % to get everything to slot into its proper place.

You don’t have any control over a visitor’s monitor and settings, so try to get your design working with as wide a range as possible. That means checking a page design on two or three devices to see how it behaves: at least a desktop and a phone.   [Read more…] about Web pages – check them out before you check them off

Why web designers suck (and how to spot good ones)

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When I talk to people about their websites, it’s surprising how often they have a story of a poor experience with their web designer.

Surprised at screen graphicSome of them feel unsatisfied with the results, or bruised by the process, but powerless to do anything about it. Granted, those stories may have another side that I don’t hear.

But there are certainly all too many examples of sites that have a design company’s name at the bottom but are doing a poor job for their owners. (Who may not even realise it, assuming the designer has done it the best way.)

It singes my stoat to see good messages getting short-changed. So this post is to help people understand the territory better, hopefully leading to better working relationships and increasingly fab message channels.   [Read more…] about Why web designers suck (and how to spot good ones)

How to make great word graphics for social media sharing

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Word graphics image

Images like the one above are a great way to share little pieces of your message. If you get them right.

You can spread them on social media. They’re like message sweeties that people can share with their own contacts. Images like these are also good for putting in web pages, to show up when people share that page. (And you can’t share a page on Pinterest if it has no images.)

The point of these ‘word graphics’ is to be visually attractive, with a message the reader can take in quickly. Then they can have a smile, or a pause and think, and then carry on with their day. You might even change someone’s life, if they’re in the right place for your message to go in deeply.

A lot of us have discovered tools that make it easy to create these graphics: choosing from a selection of backgrounds and text styles and outputting the final image, without having to use full-blown graphics software. I use an iOS app called Wordswag that someone introduced me to. There are lots of other apps too. Some people use Canva, an online design tool.

But just because it’s easy doesn’t mean the software will automatically make good graphics. That’s down to you.

Remember: attractive, and easy to absorb. If the reader’s brain decides that processing your text will be too much like hard work – or if it threatens to hurt their eyes! – they’ll move on to the next thing and never absorb your little nugget of wisdom.

So here are some tips.   [Read more…] about How to make great word graphics for social media sharing

Trying to go big? Check these 10 comms pitfalls

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Person in spotlight image

At the beginning of the year a lot of entrepreneurs were talking about this being the year they took a big step forward.

And, believers or not, none of us were going to say no if the Chinese year of the Horse brought more energy and creativity!

How is that going for you?

I expect you’ve found that getting anywhere involves hard work, a generous sprinkle of luck, and a lot of frustration when nothing seems to be happening. Much like any other year.

One of those areas of work is communication. Don’t leave it to happen by some sort of magic.

Getting your message in front of someone is an achievement in itself. It’s just so wasteful if it scares them off rather than drawing them in. You need to clear away any speed bumps that would stop them getting to the thing you’ve got to say.

Here’s a checklist. Go through and make yourself a scorecard with ticks and crosses.

How many out of ten will you get? Does it highlight any areas for improvement? [Read more…] about Trying to go big? Check these 10 comms pitfalls