When Bluegg started out in 2002 the web was a very different place. For the first 12 months or so, Tom and Mike (the Directors) managed to provide strong branding and design services with a limited degree of website development. Back when tables, frames and 56k download speeds were all pretty normal! Thank goodness those days are behind us.

Offering a Complete Solution

Bluegg quickly realised that there was a big gap in the market for an agency to offer both print design and web development services, so they hired Paul, their first web developer. Paul was an old college colleague who had graduated with a degree in graphic design and had gone on to develop backend systems for a local university.

This proved to be an excellent and rare combination because he could not only bring the designs to life but he also has an amazing eye for detail. This was the start of Bluegg offering a much wider service.

Over the last 9 years, this side of the business has grown to match the design side, mainly because of the way the web has changed, becoming central to most of our lives. Paul is still with us and is now joined by Annemarie.

Our View on Design for the Web

Coming from a design background has been invaluable to our web development offerings. We see a strong correlation between the design of a quality brochure and a quality website. We don’t see them as completely separate means of communication.  Lessons we learned in university about space, colour, alignment, tone of voice, size and shape all apply to the web in the same way they’ve applied to print for decades. The only thing that really changes is the medium, the technology and the knowledge of web users.

Our Process

Like most agencies our projects start with planning. As studio manager I work with Tom (our Creative Director) and the client to establish the key information they want to promote, the target audience and the structure of the site.

Once we know where the site is going, we hand it over to the design team who develop the visuals. Very often a website is part of a bigger project which usually starts with the logo and branding. Having both the web and design team working together on projects has been invaluable to us as it’s a time to work together, swap ideas and inspire each other.

We then move onto development and the designers hand the final visuals over to the web team. These normally consist of Photoshopped versions of each page of the site. By this point, the decisions of the technical complexity, user control and functions of the site will have been agreed with the client.

Recently we’ve moved almost all our content managed sites over to WordPress as it’s just so easy to implement and not too intimidating for our clients, although we do offer training and support so that helps!

There are times where we need something a little more in depth than WordPress such as complex web apps. This normally comes about because of Tom’s ‘anything is possible’ attitude – sometimes much to the frustration of the web team!

But it’s true. We like challenges, and having to develop something that isn’t available off the shelf and is bespoke. This is when we really get to test ourselves. So far, Tom’s been right – we’ve yet to try something that wasn’t possible.

A Typical Day?

So as I explained earlier it’s tricky to give an overview of a typical day in the Bluegg web team. In truth it starts the same as the rest of us as we covered previously – coffee,  morning catch-up, emails, Twitter, Facebook, work! The work part usually consists of coding web pages and CSS, doing website updates, updating clients, training and bug testing (although this is now much easier since we decided to drop support for ie6 – whohoo!)

We’re well aware of how quickly things move in the web world so we strongly encourage a large chunk of the morning and any downtime be spent reading web development blogs like CSS Globe, Net Tuts and of course Think Vitamin. This gives the team a chance to explore new technologies and techniques, which helps keep us ahead of the game.

Of course the web team are no different to the rest of us and take part in the usual lunchtime activities. In fact Paul has been Call of Duty champ for most of the last few months (well done Paul!).

And so we’ve reached the end of our story, that’s been Studio Life with Bluegg. We hope you enjoyed the series.

The Creatives

Our design team consists of Tom (Creative Director) and Liam and Gareth, the Creatives. Between them, the guys work on branding, print and web design projects and Gareth is also a pretty great illustrator, which comes in handy!

Having this range of skills means that we can manage several projects on the go at any one time ranging in scope and priority. Whilst it’s essential to have good designers, we still need to be efficient and have processes in place to provide the best service possible.

The Ideas

Everyone at Bluegg has contact with clients and although we try to filter all work through myself there are inevitably times when someone else in the team receives a brief or request. As mentioned in last week’s article, we are able to quickly share information like this by all working in the same room, but when a new project comes in, the creative team spend time together discussing the brief, confirming the requirements and brainstorming initial ideas.

The scope of the project will dictate how long this session needs to be but as an example we recently kicked off a small branding project and so the team spent about an hour together looking at the brief, competitor websites and agreeing a way forward regarding the concepts to be designed. We also allow time for research, whether this be from books or online. Inspiration presents itself in a number of sources so we actively encourage time for the team to look at blogs and books.

Another key part of the Bluegg way when it comes to design work is time to filter out the weaker ideas. We tend to have quick fire sketching sessions when looking at a branding project. That way we can quickly get down to a few key ideas which can then be refined. As a result of this the studio is often full of sheets of paper with doodles, sketches and ideas on. To help with this the creatives head into the meeting room for some undisturbed thinking time. You just can’t underestimate the importance of having this time to fully understand the story that the brand needs to tell and finding the best way to show and tell this story.

When there aren’t strict deadlines to be met, we encourage all the team to take time out to research new ideas and techniques that can help with future projects. We’re ‘big on fun’ at Bluegg. We really believe that banter, humour and a stress free environment produces better results. Of course there are times when we’re a little stressed, as all creative agencies experience, but we always try to overcome this by having time away from our screens for a coffee or a doodle session. The Bluegg Doodles have become very popular among visitors to our site!

The Creation

It’s hard to describe a ‘typical’ project for the creatives because they can vary so much in scope, especially as we do print and web. We try to streamline as much as possible though without getting bogged down in admin. We don’t have meetings for the sake of it and the creatives don’t get involved in paperwork. Their focus is on creating beautiful work. This can consist of everything from identity design including brochures, folders, leaflets and advertising through to building and vehicle signage, website UI’s, web elements and flash animations.

This wide range of experiences is great for a creative team. It helps make sure work doesn’t become monotonous and stale. We also always try to complete projects with the minimum of delay so we stay fresh and ready for the next challenge.

From a technical point of view, whilst we encourage sketching with the good ol’ pad and pencil, all the Creatives inevitably end up on their Mac’s using Creative Suite. As we’re a mixed studio of Creatives, Developers and Managers we have a mix of Mac’s and PC’s which all link to a central exchange server.

The Chain

Before any design work is sent to clients it is approved by Tom. This doesn’t mean that Tom acts as big brother or doesn’t have faith in the designers but we have to ensure that anything that leaves the studio is as good and accurate as possible. This is especially true of our print projects and once approved by Tom I then check the artwork against any emails with amends to ensure everything has been actioned.

We don’t have a formal sign off procedure such as a physical sign-off sheet (Bluegg tries to be as paperless as possible) but we do have to be stringent. The designers will pass latest proofs to Tom, he’ll make his checks and then pass them to me to check and send to clients. By channeling everything through me (cc-ing the Mike and Tom at all times) it means that when the clients feedback they come back through to me. This allows me to be across all work coming in and out of the studio but also doesn’t interrupt the creatives when they are working on their next task.

There are exceptions to this though. We like to be as open and transparent as possible with clients so if they ever need to speak to the creative team regarding amends or queries then they can. They then update me on what the request is so I can note this and when the request has been actioned the latest proof/visuals is then passed via email down the chain to Tom and myself.

Mike, Tom and I tend to manage the start of the project and then we brief the creatives when the client has signed off the terms and conditions and project approval form. No work starts before we receive this document and have agreed the payment terms. Similarly once the project is complete the creative team move onto their next project whilst we wrap things up with the admin and project sign off sheets.

Our creative team have to work closely with the web team for our digital projects and in next week’s article, the last in the Studio Life series, we focus on the web team and where they fit into Bluegg.

Small Change, Big Difference

It didn’t take a massive overhaul of Bluegg in order to get things more organised and structured relatively quickly. In fact they had already achieved the more difficult side of things such as building a broad and long term client base, hiring a team of creative and passionate people who all like working together, and achieving year on year growth.

The hard work had already been done so I was brought in to bring a bit more structure to the studio as well as wear a variety of other hats as needed. What I do is not rocket science really, it’s simply about preparation, organisation and communication. Luckily for me, The Bluegg team were ready for a change and so they were willing to embrace any tools and changes I suggested, based on previous experience in other studios.

Preparation

This is essential to be efficient. We prepare for each day by having a morning catch-up. This is where I allocate tasks, get updates from the team and we discuss any project issues. It is also a chance to remind each other who is in or out of the office during the week. Our catch ups last no longer than 10 minutes at most but it means that we all know what’s going on, who is working on what and who is where.

That’s the daily preparation sorted. I also try to prepare for the week ahead where possible. As any studio will tell you, schedules change and priorities shift but even a broad idea of what is coming up over the next week can help. For this I use nothing more than the whiteboard.

This is divided into five columns, one for each day of the week, and I list the tasks to be completed with the initials of who is to do it next to it. I also add in any deadlines and meetings, in a different colour pen of course. You could divide the board per person too I suppose but it’s a small board and there are 8 of us so I went for the lo-fi approach. It works wonders for the Studio though because everyone can see the board at all times and it helps us plan ahead.

The only downside to the whiteboard was that the creative team I work with felt it necessary to doodle on it! I have eliminated that issue by adding in a special doodle zone on the board. Bluegg, if you are reading this, stay within the zone!

Organisation

Being organised is something that comes naturally to me. I believe everything has a place and tidiness improves efficiency, but I still need to use some tools to be as organised as possible, and to organise others.

To-do lists are integral to my day to day role. Previously I used Teux Deux to keep track of things and this was perfect for managing my own workload but I don’t think it scales up for a team of eight. I sometimes still use it to quickly capture some things that I need to do whilst on the phone to someone but it’s no longer an essential tool for me. Similarly with Basecamp, I no longer use this but have previously found it to be very useful, especially when clients are located far away.

At Bluegg I use pen and paper. Yep, old school I know but tasks come into the studio from phone calls, emails, word of mouth and if Mike is out and about, text messages! I chuck everything down onto one A4 sheet and that is an overview of everything that needs to be done. This then forms my agenda for the morning catch up and is used to update the whiteboard. We do have an in-house Project Management Centre that we may update in the future to act as a to-do manager and studio overview.

Harvest is another important tool for being organised as we can easily manage budgets, track time and invoice. The reporting functionality of Harvest is a great way of assessing if you are finishing projects on or over budget. Remember that Basecamp or Harvest won’t run your studio but can help with organisation.

I’ve also brought other small changes to the studio such as a consistent way of naming files for print jobs (proof 1, proof 2 and AW for artwork) and I’ve also had a good tidy up. Tidy studio, tidy minds. The Bluegg gang also used to send a lot of emails with no subject title! That soon stopped as even something as simple as an accurate email title helps.

As part of the Bluegg way we try not to get bogged down in process and paperwork and this actually makes us more organised and efficient. This way we can spend more time on actual client work or for me personally, conducting content audits, reviewing copy and writing content for the Bluegg blog.

All work goes through Tom as part of our quality control and when signed off I pass this to clients. That way we know the standard of work is perfect. Simple, no sign off sheets or misunderstanding.

Communication

Any client can speak to a designer or developer as needed at Bluegg and this is helped by the fact that we all sit in one room. So we can easily share information and keep up to date with what’s going on.

One thing we try to live by is not to rely too heavily on email as it is often much more efficient to speak to clients on the phone. We find one phone call can get something sorted instead of three emails where tone of voice and exact requirements are so easily misunderstood and lost.

Another big part of my role is client liaison. I have to manage their expectations and part of that means being honest with them, keeping them updated and advising them as needed. They come to us for our expert opinion as well as our creativity. As well as day to day client contact we also send weekly updates so that they know what has been achieved in the past week and what we are looking to achieve in the week ahead. A single email can answer so many questions and keep everyone on track.

Finding your Own Process

No two studios will be run the same so you may find Teux Deux answers your needs more than Things, or that Basecamp is more suitable than Daylite. Regardless of the tools you choose to arm yourself with I think the key is in how they fit into your process of preparation, organisation and communication.

It also helps having a team that are open to change, structure and someone nagging them. The designers here have welcomed such nagging from me and next week we look in more detail at their role within the team.

Meet Mike

Mike is Business Director at Bluegg and founded the company with Tom, our Creative Director. Mike is a talker, no really, he can talk more than anyone, so lucky for the rest of us he spends a fair bit of time away from the studio networking, meeting clients old and (hopefully) new and generally acting as the spokesperson for Bluegg.

That doesn’t mean the rest of us hide behind Mike though. In fact we all speak to clients when necessary as that is part of our process but Mike is the schmoozer and it works well for us, clients love it when Mike pops in just to say hi but there is much more to a client/agency relationship that the ad-hoc cup of coffee.

The Foundation

Bluegg has grown year on year thanks largely to our client relationships. We’ve been lucky that the people we work with ‘get us’. They know what to expect, they know how approachable and informal we like to be. Clients accept us for who we are and also for the way we work. This is because we market ourselves accurately and effectively. That means that we can successfully fulfill our roles as both advisers and executioners of design.

You cannot underestimate the phrase ‘word of mouth’ because for a young design agency it is the most important and effective way of winning new business. Even as the years pass and you become more established, the relationship you have with all of your clients large or small could lead to more business through recommendation. We are well aware that a bad reputation travels much faster than a good one and our good reputation has been built on offering a great service with a strong relationship.

The Building

Mike’s role is to be seen by clients and potential clients. He loves nothing more than a bit of networking and sees this as time well spent for Bluegg. Mike’s tips for effective networking are:

Gain an understanding of your local business community. Within a short while you should be able to figure out who the movers and shakers are and then finding a way of getting to know them.

1. Utilise as many resources as you can starting with family and friends who are in business. Speak to your bank manger, accountant, cafe owner… anyone who may know someone. Whoever it may be, get on with them and let them know what your company can offer. Connect to them with tools like LinkedIn and Twitter.
2. Attend organised events and don’t be scared to speak.
3. Remember to put your hand in your pockets. Even if you’re in the company of generous wealthy people I would always advise to offer drinks or to pay the bill wherever possible. You must give people an insight into you as a person; hopefully you’re a person who they like! This is the beginning of your own network and it’s surprising how quickly that network grows.

This kind of relationship building is only possible if you’re sure that you can deliver a good product and service. If Mike is bigging us up then we need to ensure that the output from the studio is of the best standard to back up what he has told people. He must have faith in the team and collectively we must all deliver on the promises made.

The Maintenance

Some clients will inevitably come and go. It may be a short lived one off project and that’s ok. Others come and stay much longer, we like this too. The method we adopt for maintaining client relationships depends on the rapport we have with the client in question.

Again this will depend on their requirements but some will not want to hear from us in between projects as they are busy people. They’re still on our Christmas card list though.

Others however love a chat (still not as much as Mike does). Mike will meet them for coffee, pop in for a catch up, take them out to lunch or to the latest Cardiff Devils ice hockey match. This isn’t a time for hard selling though. Rather Mike likes to spend time talking about non-work stuff. When I asked him about this I couldn’t shut him up so I’ve summised his response:

Our biggest challenge is knowing just how many competitors there are and also knowing that there’s not a lot to choose between a selection of good agencies. What sets them apart is the people and having the ability to develop and strengthen business relationships when business isn’t being done and discussed.

The Not so Invisible Line

At some point the formalities subside somewhat and the friendship flourishes. At this point we need to be careful that our professionalism and creative integrity remain intact. When people are comfortable around one another it can be easy for clients to start expecting favours or additional work at no extra cost. This is a no no for us. We love being friends with clients but it is important for both sides to remember that it is a business relationship and whilst banter and socialising are encouraged we have to keep in mind that we all have a shared goal so agreed costs are adhered to, additional work is quoted for and we continue to deliver the best and most beaituful solutions that we can.

Quality not Quantity

Others might put up with anyone and anything in order to fill their schedules with work. That’s not the Bluegg way as Mike elaborates:

The very first meeting with a potential client is like a job interview for both sides. We firmly believe that if at the very start you sense a personality clash then there’s little point in going further as it will inevitably become a painful expensive process which will end in tears. It’s at that point that you should decide to twist or stick.

Mikes whole approach is to present an honest reflection of the Bluegg working style whenever he meets potential clients. This way, right from the off a subconscious decision can be made from both sides on whether it’s worthwhile moving forward. If that spark isn’t there then you have to be brave, shake hands and turn the job down.

The above is an overview of how we meet people, do our best to turn them into clients and then maintain long term relationships and hopefully friendships too. Part of being able to do this is down to delivering the goods and for that to happen we need to be efficient and organised. In next week’s article we’ll tell you exactly how we achieve that.

Bluegg is an agency based in Newport, South Wales working on branding, print and web projects for clients across the UK and Europe. Bluegg currently consists of eight people including a Creative Director, Business Director, Studio Manager, Designers and Developers. More on those roles in coming weeks.

Kick-Off

It’s hard to define a ‘typical’ day at a creative agency because you can never plan for who might call or pop in and neither can we anticipate technology failures or client emergencies. We do have some control though and with a little structure and good communication we are able to have as typical a day as anyone might manage.

No matter how much you love your job (and we do!) the start of a day can be hard for even the keenest of folk so we spend time making breakfast, getting the lattes flowing and chatting about last night’s television or the latest sport results.

Tip: have a good coffee machine in your studio, it’s a great team pleaser and motivator.

Scrum Down

We are lucky that we all work in the same room (more on the advantages of this in upcoming articles) so we can chat openly and easily as we get ready to start the day. When everyone is sitting comfortably and emails have been checked, we scrum.

Tip: Specifically a scrum is a chance for a project team to meet daily in order to answer:

• What did you do yesterday?
• What will you do today?
• Are there any impediments in your way?

Essentially it is about where we are and where we need to be, an awareness of what work is completed, what is outstanding and who is working on what. Whilst we don’t scrum in a formal sense, as Studio Manager I run through the priorities for the day, assigning tasks as needed and it also gives the team chance to ask questions, find out who is working on what in case they answer the phone and need to direct calls and generally all studio activity is known by the whole team.

Morning Glory

The remainder of the morning is structured around the tasks agreed and assigned in the morning catch up. Typically everyone just gets on with it and so it may be that proofs or visuals are sent to clients and then other jobs are looked at or if clients feedback quickly then we look at actioning any appropriate amends. Some mornings we might have a client meeting or an internal meeting  and Mike usually finds some reason to leave the studio (more on his role next week when we look at winning business/client relationships).

It’s hard to plan for every instance and we may have an urgent request that means suddenly the day isn’t typical, but so long as all client expectations are managed and work is scheduled as much as possible, we can’t ask for more than that given the industry we work in. We certainly don’t get stressed about last minute changes, it’s not the Bluegg culture to do so.

Lunch Time

All work and no play doesn’t just make Jack a dull boy. We firmly believe that time out is important, indeed it is the Bluegg way. So lunchtimes are a time for us to kick back. Whether it be a wander through town, a game of table tennis in the meeting room, trying to see how high we can kick, or more likely, team Call of Duty on the X-Box. Too many people stay at their desks through lunch, we however would be lost without this time to unwind.

Afternoon Delight

The afternoons tend to be slightly less structured as we find ourselves responding to client feedback based on any work we sent clientside earlier in the day. Of course this is true of smaller projects but when we have something bigger to keep us busy then we can usually come in and get going straight away, still communicating the project status during the morning get together and working on it through the day as needed.

Similarly, no two projects are the same so we may spend an afternoon working on brand concepts, completing a project proposal, creating sitemaps, designing and laying out a hefty print document or discussing and working on internal projects. That’s why what we do is exciting, it changes day to day but can still fit into some resemblence of a structured day.

We’re Done

We down tools at 5pm. This is usually the case and our clients are all aware of this so they know that if they email thereafter then they may not get a reply until the next day. Any emails that come in overnight are fed into the following morning’s scrum. That’s not to say that nothing happens after 5pm. We are all willing to stay longer when required but we value our lives outside of work and try to strike the right balance.

If we are feeling particularly pleased with our performance from the day then we might just squeeze in another game of Call of Duty before we are homeward bound.

Next week: Interested in establishing and maintaining excellent client relationships? Come back next week to read all about this!

It was our job as the Audiences team to educate others about their audience, but not just the numbers such as number of viewers or listeners, but to provide insight into audience trends and behaviours. This job taught me that you should never underestimate the value of not just knowing your audience, but understanding them.

Web Audiences

When it comes to the web there is a risk of being too broad if we talk about our ‘audience’. If we group all users under the term audience then chances are we cast our nets too wide and little insight can be gathered.

Not every project demands that we drill down to look more specifically at our users though. User testing, card sorts, interviews and persona generation all have their place but I have also worked on several smaller projects where the client has simply wanted to know who their audience is, in its broadest sense.

Who is My Audience?

There are many ways to determine this, again the methods most appropriate will likely be dictated by project brief, scope and budget. Thinking in relation to smaller projects where budgets are tight and there is little possibility for user research, there are some tools available which can help these clients gain an understanding of their audience and improve their content and website based on what they learn.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics can provide a good overview of audience behaviour, namely how they find the site, how long they stay and what pages are most popular. An audience journey can be plotted and clients can learn more about their audience’s behaviour.

I’m not saying we should make design decisions based solely on Google Analytics insights but for some, the information it provides can help them make small tweaks to their content and think about their audience in new ways.

Social Media

Social media allows clients to discover what their audience is saying about them, what they might be saying about competitors and help them interact with their audience directly.

Some of the smaller clients I have in mind when writing this article won’t even be looking to go as far as connecting to their audience in this way, but for those that do use social media platforms to look at and connect with audiences, they can witness what conversations they are part of, what other brands they interact with (and how) and what interests them both on and off the web.

Surveys

Delving a little deeper, quantitative research such as surveys will allow clients to ask specific questions to their audience. If it is an on-screen pop up survey (something that the BBC do regularly) then they won’t be able to control who fills it out, so they are reaching an audience as opposed to specific users.

These surveys require opt-in from audiences so they should be short, capture as much information as possible and be easy to complete. Once the information is gathered it can be used to find trends and shared opinions amongst the audience.

Quick and Dirty

The three examples above are relatively quick and dirty to achieve (depending on how you execute the survey). Qualitative research methods such as interviews and focus groups are much more time consuming but the information you gain will be more insightful.

Methods used to understand your audience, or user, depend on the project at hand but there is no reason why every client or project can’t include some sort of audience discovery phase.

Gathering the data is often the easier part, analysing it and using it effectively is often more challenging but any insight gained is worthwhile, not least because what the audience say, and what they do, can be two entirely things altogether.

Say one Thing, do Another

One of my favourite audience anecdotes comes from Steve Mulder, author of The User is Always Right. In one of his webinars, Mulder told a story about an electronic company who were about to launch a new product and invested a lot of time in research as part of the process, including focus groups.

The company had narrowed the colours for this boom box down to yellow or black. The focus groups agreed that they should choose the colour yellow for the product.

Participants said, “Yes, the boom box should definitely be yellow. It’s vibrant and energetic!” When the focus groups were done, each person was rewarded with a boom box. On the way out they could choose a yellow or black boom box. They all chose black.

Any Understanding is Worthwhile

With that in mind, everyone should at least know their audience and where possible understand them. How that understanding is gained will be dictated on a project by project basis but even the smallest of clients can use tools to help them begin to understand who their audience is and put together a picture of their behaviours.

Managing web projects is both tough and satisfying in equal measures. Every project is a new learning curve and even though I’m educated from every project I work on, new problems are presented to me on a daily basis.

Some problems and challenges on the other hand, rear their head time after time, and I have classified these in line with the 7 deadly sins, renaming them of course as the 7 sins of managing web projects.

Pride

As a Project Manager it is easy, too easy, to blame clients or members of the project team when things go wrong. You should never be too proud to admit when mistakes have been made and as manager of that project you should take ownership of trying to resolve the issue.

At some stage in the project you will almost always have to compromise on something or face an issue that wasn’t planned for. It is far more productive to focus on the solution, so identify the problem, agree the course of action to getting it resolved and get things back on track.

Envy

Depending on the process you adopt on your projects, chances are you will indulge in some sort of competitor research. Upon doing so we can learn what works and what doesn’t for others.

It is unlikely that you will find a site that answers your client’s brief down to the last pixel but with trends emerging seemingly overnight and with work being shared more freely through sites like Dribbble, Twitter and others, there is probably a site out there that you like, that you really like.

It is easy to be jealous of other sites and want to incorporate bits of them in your own. That’s fine of course as we can all be inspired by others but don’t let envy stomp all over your creativity. Ensure your website is not a tapestry of others. Be original, make sure you answer your client’s brief and consider their audience throughout the project. Be inspired by others but don’t copy them.

Gluttony

Clients are demanding, naturally they want as much as they can for as little money as possible. Who wouldn’t?

This is where we have to say no though. Don’t try to cram everything into phase 1. Be realistic about what is achievable based on the allocated budget and timescales. Agree on the core tasks, essential pages and functionality that have to be incorporated for initial launch.

Anything else can be achieved during retainers or additional phases. Trying to incorporate a little of everything will mean you are spread too thinly. Nobody wants to be a jack of all trades and nor should your client’s website be.

Lust

It is important to love what you do; being passionate will motivate the project team, fuel creativity and ensure that even the most wearing of projects will reach the finish line. The key though is not to get too involved. Doing so can cloud your judgement when it comes to making those tough project related decisions.

Take a step back and be impartial. Does your work answer the brief? Refer back to the signed off project scoping/briefing document to check this before proceeding. Immerse yourself in your client’s world and in the project but not at the expense of bumbling along answering yes to everything.

Anger

It is easier said than done at times but don’t lose your cool when client demands reach fever pitch or things aren’t going right. I don’t think I’ve ever worked on a project where I wasn’t pushed to my limits at some point. This is good though, being challenged helps us learn, quickly.

Instead of getting wound up though, focus your energy on trying to plan as much as possible at the start of the project and adopt standard risk assessment processes into your planning phase such as SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).

Greed

Delegation is one of qualities of a good Project Manager. It isn’t to be confused with passing the buck, rather delegating tasks across the team so people are used to their strengths. Don’t try to handle everything yourself, it will only end in tears, big over budget, behind schedule tears!

The role of the Project Manager is to ensure things get done, to budget and on schedule so there is no time to be greedy. Project work is all about communication and collaboration. Share the work and the glory (and the problems).

Sloth

Continuing from the last point above, don’t let members of the project team drag their feet. As Project Manager you will need to keep them motivated and involved throughout the project. Be firm with the project team, set clear tasks, deliverables, responsibilities and deadlines.

Report back throughout the project so the team know what has been achieved, feedback from the client is communicated and any changes in deliverables is understood. The minute anyone in the team feels uninvolved in the project is the minute they will lose enthusiasm for it.

Communication throughout is paramount to any project being successful and in my experience, never underestimate the power of the simple words, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.

 Just seven?

Are there any sins that I have omitted? If you have your own please share them in the comments below.

The client isn’t always right. There, I said it. I know this to be true because I have worked with clients who have been wrong, this is OK though, in fact it is inevitable, but of course there are many times when the client is right and does know best but this article isn’t concerned with those instances.

The Two Cases

1. The clients ideas aren’t appropriate for the project
2. The client is making demands beyond scope/budget

Both cases bring with them different challenges and problems but the solution for both is simply managing client expectations.

The first thing I think project managers, design teams and anyone dealing with clients needs to accept is that it is OK for clients to be wrong and it is OK to admit that. By failing to acknowledge that we simply become yes people, nodding dogs agreeing to things that will ultimately be detrimental to the project.

After all, we have been hired for a reason, our knowledge, experience and expertise. If there is a reason why the main colour of the website shouldn’t be green, then say so. If the client insists that no audience research is needed as they did some in 1993, then insist that they should reacquaint themselves with their audience as times have changed and therefore it is likely their audience have.

Saying no is scary as you don’t want the client to pull the plug on the project and vow never to work with you again. But what happens if you keep saying yes and end up with a website that doesn’t look too great, is difficult to use and targeted at completely the wrong audience?

I’m sure the client would prefer you to say no earlier in the project than read some of the feedback they are likely to get on their website if you action all their requests or allow for new requests meaning the site will never be launched anyway!

Back to the two cases mentioned above.

The Client Idea is Bad Idea

The saying goes that there is no such thing as a bad idea. I think we can all think of an example to disprove that theory.

Let’s not forget that clients offering ideas are enthusiastic about the project so all ideas should be listened to. They may not always be what is best for the project though so how we communicate that without being kicked off the project is the challenge.

Don’t just say, we know best so we’ll do as we please. It is their site and they are paying you. Instead, explain your opposing view but crucially, have rationale to support this, case studies, testimonials, examples of other sites, whatever supports your point. Sometimes clients respond better to visual evidence.

Similarly, don’t be pushed into something you feel strongly against. You are the experts, it is why you have been hired in the first place. If a client persists, try to come to a compromise. It depends what the idea is. If it is more concerned with design then chances are, your instinct is right so follow that.

If you do opt not to incorporate their ideas in the final design, my experience tells me that they will thank you for it once the project is finished.

Their Request is Unreasonable

We’ve all been guilty of it I’m sure, yes we can add in a whole new section even though the site map has been signed off.

That is the second case, clients requests that go beyond the agreed project scope. As a Project Manager, scope creep is one of the biggest and most common issues I am faced with. Part of the solution is to be so transparent from the beginning that such requests won’t even be made, but that’s often an ideal expectation.

Explain your process in the request for proposal or functional specification documents, reiterate it again at the kick off and provide a written copy of timescales and deliverables, both for you and for the client. Also make it clear what has been agreed with sitemaps and sign off documents, as part of this, have it in writing that anything completed beyond what is stated in the document will have implications for both the timescales and budget.

Here’s a line of text I often use in proposals, feel free to adapt it to your own needs:

Any additional work that is both requested after signing this agreement and deemed beyond scope, will impact on costs and deadlines. All additional work will be costed and only completed upon signing of a revised project document.

Refer to this document throughout the project so they can easily see where you are in the process, what has been achieved and what is coming next.

When a Request is Made

Before you start moaning about unreasonable clients I think it is always fair to consider the request. Then moan. No, consider it and make an honest decision. If it is something that can be implemented quickly and without much resource it might be easier to action the request than go through the process of explaining why you won’t. This approach does open you up to the client expecting you to say yes again though.

If you do say no, explain that it is beyond the agreed scope, and use previous project documents as evidence if needed. Try to turn a negative into a positive. Inform the client that their idea is great but as you have already signed off the sitemap, perhaps you can note their suggestion for a phase 2 or retainer.

The important thing is to be realistic as to what can be achieved with the launch date in mind. If there are many requests maybe you could compromise and implement the 3 or 4 most essential.

Managing this process is also made easier if there is one main contact from the client’s end. Receiving feedback and requests from a whole team at different times will only delay the project. Clear and open lines of communication between the project lead/manager and delegated client contact will ease the process. Ultimately be clear as to what you are delivering and when and what you need from the client in order to hit these deadlines.

Collaboration

Any project is a collaboration so all involved need to play to their strengths. Clients know more about their business than project teams ever could. They should also know more about their audience. Design teams on the other hand will be strongest to make decisions about visuals, usability, content and the like.

Don’t forget, it is OK to say no. In my experience, clients will be grateful and respect you more for it anyway.

The web is dead. OK, it isn’t but it might be dying a slow painful death when it comes to how users access online tools and the platforms they use to carry out certain tasks.

This is a consequence of the media saturated world that we live in, a world where on demand is taking charge as audiences control what they watch, when they watch it and how they watch it.

This behaviour extends to the web. I for one seem to be connected to the web almost always. Either in work on my Mac, at home on my laptop or in several places on my iPod Touch. It was even worse when I had an iPhone and could access emails, Twitter and the like, anywhere, anytime.

There are huge advantages to iPhone, iPod Touch’s and the mobile web but it does mean that designers and developers now have new parameters in which to be creative, a world where attention to detail prevails, or at least it should. Will it be that the traditional web will be secondary to mobile/iPhone/iPad sites?

Let the Battle Commence

Let’s be clear, I’m not willing the web to an early grave, in fact there are some really exciting things happening online right now, it’s just that apps are in vogue and companies are tapping into this and releasing some impressive apps that continue to raise the bar in terms of aesthetics and user experience.

Subsequently, companies are finally giving more thought to their mobile web offerings and whilst it is fine for users to access sites in any and all of these ways, I find myself moving toward apps and the mobile web far more frequently than I was 6 to 12 months ago.

Mobile is the New Black

I much prefer using the apps for Facebook and Twitter than I do the traditional websites for these two applications.

The reasons for this are applicable to both cases. I find that using apps on my iPod Touch is a more personal experience, probably because the online world I’m exploring is all in the palm of my hand, literally.

I can also access it away from the formalities of a desk. Slouched on the sofa, sitting in the garden and dare I say, on the toilet. You could take your Mac Book Pro’s to these places too but it isn’t the same really is it?

Facebook

Beyond the localities though, the experience of the apps is better than the corresponding websites. I have serious issues with Facebook as a site, not least because it seems to look different every time I log on. I’m not going to throw any technical terms out here, Facebook to me, is a mess.

I get frustrated using it and then I moan about it on Twitter. The Facebook app however is a delight. The main reasons why I use Facebook are to quickly see what friends are doing, to update my status or to comment on someone else’s and these tasks lend themselves better to the small hand-held screen than they seem to the big, ugly, website.

The Facebook app looks good. I’m not bombarded with ‘reconnect to this person’ or ‘we recommend you add this friend’. I have all my content at the drag of a finger and can quickly do what I need to do as I’m not one to spend a lot of time on Facebook. Therefore being able to quickly check on the iPod Touch or mobile is far more appealing than having to load up the laptop.

Tweetie 2

Even more impressive is Tweetie 2. I have tried several Twitter apps but this one for me has by far the most pleasing and impressive user experience. I can manage multiple accounts, a quick drag across the screen will allow me to respond to people, mark favourites or forward things, it is a slick experience with excellent attention to detail.

Generally of course, it does what the web version does but the beauty in the mobile version is that you can, amongst other features, have threaded direct messages, never lose a tweet with the drafts manager and there is an offline mode.

OK so the Tweetie 2 app doesn’t make the web version redundant but it makes for a better user experience, it is easy to use and it looks great, therefore it is the platform I will choose first and foremost.

The Task at Hand

The mobile web isn’t without its flaws. I find that the task at hand is often a determining factor in the platform I use. If I want to spend a long time researching for a holiday, I’ll use the traditional web, if I want to look at photos of a recent family event on Facebook I would use the traditional site rather than the app.

More and more of our tasks are now being offered in an alternative way. We can bank through the mobile web and we can use it to blog too. This is naturally going to force designers and developers into thinking of their products in new ways.

Not all sites can be carbon copied for the mobile web, they have to be re-imagined. However rather than see this as a hassle let’s see it is a chance for designers to embrace this constraint in a very positive way. It’s an opportunity for designers to distill their apps down to the very basics and focus on only the most essential features.

This is a massive opportunity to improve functionality, have fun and connect to audiences in ways that have until now, been impossible.

That’s the key, users now have a choice, a choice that will have ever increasing options with the introduction of the Apple iPad and whatever technology follows thereafter.

Not to recognise the importance of that choice and the implications for designers and developers is to risk being left behind in our shrinking, media obsessed, ever connected world.

Perhaps you think the traditional web is head and shoulders above the mobile web, if so please comment below. Also, if anyone knows how to remove a friend from the Facebook app please share as I can’t seem to do it but I am reluctant to go to the website to do it.

As well as looking at sitemaps in relation to those three criteria I will also discuss Google sitemaps, a whole new world for sitemaps.

The Good

Let’s start off on a high note. Sitemaps are a safety net. They can be a last resort for users before they abandon ship and leave your site having not found what they needed and vowing never to come back.

Another advantage in line with the above is that they are often the only full overview of your site (depending on the size and scope of it). All of the pages may be listed in the main navigation but if this is structured using drop-down menus for sub pages then your sitemap remains the only full overview and therefore serves an important purpose.

Much has been written on the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) advantages to having a sitemap. They are cited as being a good method for getting your site listed on search engines and if you use Google Sitemaps it provides details of errors within your site such as broken links. Of course, there are other SEO methods so the advantages of having a sitemap for this purpose alone are perhaps questionable.

For me, as a Project Manager, sitemaps are useful for scoping projects when providing costs to potential clients and they are valuable when a project kicks off and the project team and client come together to discuss the information architecture of the site. In my experience, they also help some clients better understand the importance of how content is grouped, the hierarchy and the links between content.

Last and by no means least, sitemaps are simply helpful to some and no harm to others who choose not to use them. Let’s not assume everybody is adept at using the web, some people need more help than others and a sitemap can be the helping hand they need.

Before I move on to discuss the bad and the ugly, the sitemap on the Apple website (pictured above) is one of the better examples of one I have seen, many sites could learn a lot from this.

The Bad

No rose is without its thorn and unfortunately many sitemaps and prickly things. Let’s be blunt, most sitemaps are difficult to use. This can be because of the way they look or because of their sheer size. There is some sort of irony in sitemaps being difficult to use isn’t there?

Another solid argument for the slaying of sitemaps is that if a website is designed well with considered thought to navigation and information architecture then the user will have no difficulty in finding what they want and therefore a sitemap isn’t necessary.

This raises the question of at what point will user’s look at a sitemap? I already mentioned that they can be a last resort safety net, perhaps when there is no search function on the site but that again is linked to the design element. Include a search function and not a sitemap. Cover all bases perhaps and have both?

Depending on the site in question, if your content/structure is changing regularly then your sitemap will need to be amended in line with this. This can be a time suck but if ignored it will mean your sitemap is inaccurate so you might as well not have one anyway.

The sitemap for the Cardiff Council website is so big that it becomes impossible to use. It is a rather huge list that uses dots to represent the hierarchy. It would benefit enormously from having the sections divided up like the Apple example and thus making it easier to find what you are looking for.

The Ugly

Finally, let’s look at one ugly sitemap that suffers at the same hands of many others, it is too big to be both pretty and usable.

The Google way

And so to Google sitemaps. They differ from the standard visual sitemaps like the ones discussed above. Google sitemaps is a protocol that is an XML based system which helps Google crawl your site. It is seen as being one of the best ways to get a search engine to learn about your entire site, though it is by no means a guarantee of being indexed.

A lot of CMS’s have plugins and there are numerous code libraries to generate these. If you are savvy with XML you could use this approach to not only keep Google happy but to also generate a HTML version.

Over to you

What do you think? Are sitemaps good, bad or ugly? I’m sure there are many more pros and cons to this topic so please share them in the comments below.

This needn’t be the case though. Storytelling is the most powerful way of organising and communicating information so it lends itself nicely to the web, we just have to think of more appropriate ways of telling stories online and this can be achieved in several ways.

Know your story and your audience

Don’t assume you know your audience. Invest the time in finding out who is visiting your site and what their goals will be. Once you know this you can think about the story you want your site to tell.

For a small design studio for example, it might be the story of how the company came to exist and the work they do and the people they do it for. Every business has a story to tell.

When you are clear about the audience and story you will be able to tell it in the most appropriate way.

Vital to any project is thinking about the story at the beginning, it is too late when you reach the end or when design visuals are signed off, the story should be part of the process from conception to implementation.

The words you use and how you use them

Once you know your audience and story you can then convey this literally in the words you use. There doesn’t have to be a strict narrative but consideration to the actual words, the tone of voice and accounting for any cultural, political, or social factors will help with your storytelling.

However, with the web we often have to be succinct in our copy and tone of voice can be misinterpreted or hard to convey so the second strand to storytelling on the web is the design itself. For designers they have a story to show as well as one to tell.

Designing the story

Branding

If you have a brand or are developing one as part of your project then it can help tell the story. Key to branding are business goals and how they wish to be represented.

Typefaces, logos and colours communicate all of this, and at the heart of it all are the brand values.

Typography

Typography is also an invisible communicator. Different typefaces connote different meanings and values.

You only have to look offline at the mastheads of newspapers to see how their typefaces are representative of the type of reader.

Colour

Colour is an extremely powerful communication tool. Colours can have cultural, political and social meanings behind them and the moods and qualities that they connote can help tell your story.

If you are writing a case study relating to a project you did for a local farm shop for example, then colours linked to nature such as green and brown would help in your storytelling.

Ed: For more on how colour can communicate meaning read Rob’s article from October 2009

Signposting

Signposting is an article in itself but having signposts throughout your site that will help the user navigate and achieve their goal, is all part of telling your story.

It is important that your user knows where they are (the present), where they have come from (the past) and where they are or can move to next (the future). These three tenses are also linked to the old adage that every story has a beginning, middle, and an end.

Imagery

Imagery, when used in the right way, can tell far more than many words. If you choose the right image and put it in the right context then this can enhance your story.

Storytelling

Storytelling is the best way to emotionally connect to people. We all have stories in common so instead of listing facts and figures on your website, tell the story behind them. Instead of listing projects and clients, tell the story behind them.

An advantage to storytelling on the web is that because of the interactive possibilities and the fact that user’s can enter your story at different intervals, you don’t need a linear narrative, you can get creative, and that is after all one thing that both stories and the web needs, creativity.

A complex weave

If we think of all the individual elements discussed above as the thread, when we weave them all together we end up with the story. There are more strands to this than my word limit will allow me to mention so if you have your own storytelling process or ideas then please share them in the comments below.

There are enough writing tips online to keep you reading for longer than you probably desire. Here are 1o tips that have been the most useful to me:

1. Know your audience

   This sounds obvious but is often taken for granted. The only way you can write relevant copy that is targeted at the right audience in the right tone of voice, is to understand who that audience is. Depending on where your audience are located, you may have to include local expressions or if writing for a wide audience be specific with things such as dollars. If it is US dollars then say so. If it is Cardiff in Wales then say so as there is also a Cardiff in New Zealand and other countries.

2. Decide why you are writing?

   Linked to the previous tip, as well as knowing who you are writing for you need to know why you are writing for them. Is it to get them to register, persuade them to buy something, deliver information to them or get them to subscribe to something?

   Your answer to this question should determine what you write.

3. Headlines

   A well thought of and clear headline can generate four times the interest of a poor one. Headlines shouldn’t be longer than 7 words and should be written in the present tense.

4. Upper case

   Avoid the use of ALL UPPER CASE in your copy as it takes 57% longer to read. Also avoid starting every word with a capital letter in your headings.

5. Choose the right words

   Certain words can hold the reader’s attention whilst others can turn them off. Words that people like include thoughtful, imagination, progress, and ambition. Less popular words include dispute, failure, weak, and extravagant.

   Use contractions. That is, use ‘you’re’ instead of ‘you are’ and ‘doesn’t’ instead of ‘does not’. Whilst some are of the opinion that the contractions are bad English, they do make the copy less formal and more conversational which is often the tone of voice and style that is required on the web.

6. Acronyms

   Avoid using these if possible. It would be careless to assume that everybody who visits your site will understand the meaning of any acronyms you use. However, this is linked to knowing your audience. The same rule here applies to jargon, avoid as best you can, cutting out any unnecessary complexities.

7. Punctuation

   Minimise punctuation as best you can. Punctuation marks can be difficult to discern on screens, especially semi-colons, so try using commas or shorter sentences instead.

8. Effective Hyperlinks

   Your hyperlinked words tend to stand out against standard copy so should be relevant and motivate the user into carrying out an action. I don’t like ‘click here’ but if this is used, it is more effective to use it along with some contextual information, so ‘click here to apply for a loan’. This way the user knows exactly where they will be led.

9. The right length

   Keep your sentences short. If they are too long then reader’s interest will dip and your message will become muddled. One rule of thumb is that sentences should be between 15 and 20 words long. Please don’t count all my sentences in this article, just in case I broke the rule!

   Paragraphs should be no more than 5 lines of type long, or in depth. Also, a good measure to abide by is that there should be no more than three sentences per paragraph.

   Make your copy digestible by using sub sections, headings and lists where appropriate. If you do use lists try not to have more than 6 items in each one.

10. Proof read

    Another obvious point but not always one that is carried out. Proof reading and editing should be a matter of course when it comes to writing. If a user is deep in your text and spots an error it will immediately break the connection between them and your site.

They are some of my favourite tips. If you have any of your own then please share them in the comments below.

By stopping to consider what each colour represents and is linked to in the ‘real world’ we can make informed design decisions that ensure we appeal to our target audience. Without this consideration we run the risk of offending the very people were are designing for.

[Notice: Learn more about colour and design processes at The Future of Web Design New York City on Nov 16-17]

#1 It Affects your Mood

Most of us have a favourite colour or prefer some colours over others. This is because can affect our moods so we surround ourselves in the colours that have a positive impact on our mood.

Red can boost your energy, yellow often makes people feel happier, and blue is proven to bring down blood pressure and slow your heart rate which is why it is often associated with being relaxing. If you combine the happiness of yellow and the relaxing feel of blue you get green, a very pleasing colour for many people.

Mental health units are known to use pastel tones on their walls so that patients feel calm, happy, and relaxed. Walls that are beige with a pink tint combined with mint green floors are a popular combination as it is said to create a soothing, harmonious and calm area. At the other end of the spectrum, literally, schools tend to user bright colours that appeal to children.

When choosing colours for your next design it is important to consider how they will combine and sit with the other elements on the page and what impact that will have on the mood of your audience.

#2 Colours Communicate Invisibly

Wassily Kandinsky was one of the first pioneers of colour theory. A renowned Russian painter and art theorist, he is often considered the founder of abstract art. Kandinsky believed the following colours communicate the following qualities:

• Yellow – warm, exciting, happy
• Blue – deep, peaceful, supernatural
• Green – peace, stillness, nature
• White – harmony, silence, cleanliness
• Black – grief, dark, unknown
• Red – glowing, confidence, alive
• Orange – radiant, healthy, serious

#3 Colour has Cultural Significance

Different colours mean different things in different places. This is extremely important for designers to know because without an awareness of the cultural significance of a particular colour, you risk offending your entire target audience.

Purple for example is a colour of mourning in Thailand. In western culture however, it is associated with royalty, luxury, wealth and sometimes magic. The brand colour for Thai Airways is purple. On first glance this seems like a huge error on their part because as mentioned above, purple is a colour of mourning in Thailand.

It is most likely however, that the Thai Airways website isn’t aimed at locals but at tourists, therefore if westerners view the site and see purple it will associate Thai Airways with values such as luxury and comfort.

Other examples are:

• In western cultures black is a colour of mourning
• In Japan however it is a colour of honour, with white the colour of mourning
• Red in the west represents danger, love, passion
• In India it is a colour of purity, in China it is a colour of good luck and in South Africa it is a colour of mourning
• Yellow represents courage in Japan, mourning in Egypt and hope in the West

#4 Colour can be Inspired by our Surroundings

We live in a colourful world, a world that acts as the perfect inspirational trigger for design. The best thing about looking to the environment for design solutions is that the palette is always changing, from autumnal oranges to cold winter blues. So where better to look than out of your window, take in the colours and then apply them to your designs.

Drawing inspiration from nature for your designs also makes you look at the world differently. Normally we whiz by from place to place but you notice the finer details and undiscovered gems when you actually stop to take it in.

#5 Colour has Political Associations

Individual political parties are associated with one colour or another. Depending on whom your audience is, this might prove to be valuable information when designing.

The association between political parties and colours isn’t a new connection but it is often taken for granted. In the UK for example the following pairings exist:

• Labour – Red
• Conservative – Blue
• Liberal Democrats – Yellow
• The Green Party – Green

If a colour is representative of a political party then the values and behaviours that the party is known for can be suggested through the use of this colour.

• Red is often linked to socialism and communism
• White has links to pacifism and the surrender flag. In contrast to this, black is a colour that is used in conjunction with anarchism.
• Working class Nazism is associated with the colour brown as the SA were known as the ‘brownshirts’.

A design with one of these colours as the dominant shade may well hint at a right wing or a left wing preference or at extreme behaviours.

#6 Religion can be Linked to Colours

As with politics, colours are representative of certain religions. So as not to unintentionally offend anyone through your designs, some examples of these colour/religion associations are:

• Green is considered to be the holy colour of Islam
• Judaism is represented by the colour yellow
• In Hinduism, many gods have blue skin
• White is linked to peace across many religions

Again this may only be necessary information if you are designing a site that has specific links to religion but it also emphasises that a thorough knowledge of your audience is a fundamental part of the design process.

#7 Age Affects People’s Colour Preferences

Colour expert Faber Birren carried out many studies into this area and in his book Color Psychology and ColorTherapy, he states that for both genders, blue and red “maintain a high preference throughout life”. He found that yellow is popular with children but as become move into adulthood it shows less popularity. Birren found that “with maturity comes a greater liking for hues of shorter wave length (blue, green, purple) than for hues of longer wave length (red, orange, and yellow)”

Another factor that influences people’s colour preferences is that throughout their life there will be social and cultural changes and this can directly impact on their favourite colours. Some knowledge of what colours certain age ranges prefer can be valuable for designers. If you were designing a website for a toy store or a children’s TV channel, then knowing they prefer bright colours and yellow in particular would help with your design decisions.

Likewise, if you designed a website for a charity whereby the audience was to be the older generation then blue, green or purple might be ideal, based on Birren’s findings.

Conclusion

Colour is a complex subject with many strands and it has the power to subliminally convey values and stories. Please share your thoughts and opinions about colour, in the comments below.