Some of my clients expect two (or more) concepts from me. But that's a lot of work, and I would prefer to show just the best one.

Published | 16.38, 15th of March 2010, by Tom van Aurich | Design

Good design is not found by picking from a pack of arbitrary options, but is rather the result of deliberate choice of direction. Taking a random approach to design is never effective. Our responsibility is to ensure that our clients don't shoot themselves in the foot.

The only person who knows how many design options are appropriate is the designer who is engaged in the process. And in almost every case there is one best design solution. Sometimes another compelling direction is worth considering and presenting to the client, but this cannot be known until you have fully engaged in the process, conscious of the parameters specific to that project.

In most cases, we'll explore a host of options during the design process. A thorough exploration will weed out a number of options, leaving only the most appropriate and compelling candidate(s)—one or two. These and only these design options should be shown to the client.

As a design professional, our  responsibility is to define how many design options to present in a given situation. If a potential client insists on a less effective and less professional process, we need to explain why that does not serve his best interests. Compromise never brings excellence and weakens design and therefore effectiveness.

Our clients deserve and are paying for more than a compromised design.

(Article gleaned and adapted from Andy Rutledge's in Smashing magazine)

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Internet Explorer 6

Published | 16.32, 11th of March 2010, by Jay Vincent | Technical

You may have seen several headlines in recent weeks about Microsoft's web browser internet explorer 6 (ie6):

"Google has begun to phase out support for Internet Explorer 6, the browser identified as the weak link in a cyber attack on the search engine."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8488751.stm

For people who aren't web designers/developers, the outcry against ie6 might seem irrational and trivial so I wanted to try and explain why this is such a big deal, and why Artlines Media will follow suit in dis-regarding ie6 in our browser-compatibility testing.

Security

The security (or lack thereof) of ie6 is predominantly what has prompted google to drop its browser support - essentially the straw that broke the camel's back. Vulnerabilities and flaws exist not only in the browser but also in the implementation of ActiveX controls, which allow programs to be installed through internet explorer. Malware, such as computer viruses and spyware, can be accidentally installed from malicious websites using ActiveX controls.

CSS Standards

Probably the most noticeable errors an ie6 user would experience is poor display of webpages - elements not appearing where they should, unwanted gaps, etc. This is due to ie6's terrible implementation of CSS, the styling language used to position and control presentation of a webpage. All modern web browsers now interpret CSS according to the W3C CSS 2.0 specification, with few discrepancies between browsers. And with CSS 3 just round the corner, it is holding the web back when websites must also cater for ie6 with its many CSS bugs and terrible CSS implementation. (check out http://www.positioniseverything.net/explorer.html to see some of these bugs)

PNG Support

PNG is an image file-type which allows for transparency and semi-transparency. Use of PNG images in modern web designs is on the up, yet ie6 does not support them. ie6 instead removes all transparency and displays the image with a solid colour background (usually grey). To get PNGs to work in ie6 requires long-winded javascript-based fixes, which are non-compliant themselves.

"Quirks Mode"

Microsofts poor attempts to follow set guidelines on CSS and javascript implementation has resulted in what they have branded "quirks mode" - a not quite there version of compliance. This has been a long-running joke in the web industry, but I feel 9 years of dealing with it has taken the joke too far.

So in conclusion...

It is so so frustrating for a web developer to create a website which follows all modern web standards and works perfectly in standards-compliant browsers such as firefox, only for the client to complain of ie6 issues. Accommodating for these issues has always been time-consuming and frustrating.

So from now on, when we design and develop websites for our clients, ie6 compatibility will be seen an extra service in our web development process.

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What is Design? A great video from the Design Council

Published | 12.16, 2nd of March 2010, by Chris van Aurich | Design

Came across this video while researching video integration for a current project, like the video and like Vimeo.

 

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Really useful programmes that are free.

Published | 10.26, 26th of February 2010, by Chris van Aurich | Random

I thought I would share some great programmes that cost you nothing, and trust me they are good enough for any task.

Browser: Firefox

Email: Thunderbird and add Lightning for calendar and tasks

Documents/Speadsheets: Open Office or Google Docs

I have chosen these tools because I like them and use them. Let me know if there are any others worth a look.

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CMS | Do I need Content Management or not?

Published | 13.45, 19th of February 2010, by Paul Butler | Business

We should all understand by now the importance of a good Content Management System. Handing the ability to change website text, images and on-line documents back to the site owner is an important factor when working on a new website project, but do all websites need to be managed in this way? The simple answer is no but then why is it more important to utilise Content Management functionality on some websites than others?

CMS or Content Management Systems provide a secure, simple and ultimately, a more cost effective way in which to keep your website information up to date and looking fresh. Search Engines also like websites to change once in a while. It encourages visitors to return on a regular basis, giving the website owner regular opportunities to up-sell, cross-sell, show new offers and generally keep his/her customers better informed. You have to give your visitors a reason for returning and updating content is a good way of doing this.

However, as with any CMS there is a cost implication. It takes more time to build a website that includes a database, a database which stores all of the content, than it does to develop a website without.

At Artlines Media we consult with the client to calculate whether it is more cost effective to pay more initially for CMS and then save over the longer term, than pay less for a static web presence at the start and pay on an ad-hoc basis for ongoing support from us. Personally I suggest that if you are only planning to update your content 2-4 times per year then do without CMS, keep your money in your pocket and we'll send an invoice for the ad-hoc work we do over the course of the year. Alternatively, if the client intends to update areas of the website more frequently such as within a news, blog or case study section, then CMS is the way to go from the start. To be clear, a Content Management System is definitely required for an e-commerce, gallery or catalogue style website. Also, changing a static non-CMS website to a dynamic CMS driven solution is like starting over. So it is important to get it right from the start. We wouldn't want you to pay a penny more than is absolutely necessary.

If you are planning a new website project and need help deciding whether you need CMS or not - give us a call on 01494 614 600. Better still, add a comment and we'll explain so everyone can see.

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