The Blog Studio

Twitter is a great tool for finding new ideas, meeting the digital hoi polloi and spreading the word about your business. A new, potentially powerful feature has just made the scene: Twitter Lists. Lists allow you to create and share groups of people centered on a common topic. It’s a simple way to find new people that share your interests, or work in the same media sphere that you do. We’ll admit, it can be somewhat overwhelming digging through Twitter to find the gems, so here’s three of our favorite lists for tech savvy Twitterers to get you started. Lists are a wholly new feature and frontier, so expect to hear more from us as Twitter Lists begin to mature. 

@Scobleizer’s Tech People - We all know Robert Scoble, one of the best known and most reasonable, knowledgeable voices in the tech community. He’s created a list of his favor Twitter tech folks. This is a great place to start if you’re new to the world of Twitter, or need to make sure you don’t miss a beat in the geek-a-sphere.
http://twitter.com/Scobleizer/my-favstar-fm-list

Tech Bloggers - If you’re looking for inspiration, ideas and content you can use to improve your own blogging, thics list by @CourtenayBird will be extremely useful. There’s some big names, and some people you haven’t heard of, but I’ll well worth your time to interact with.
http://twitter.com/courtenaybird/digital-and-social-media

Designers - @Grainedit has a well curated list that’s a who’s who of designers of all type who tweet. If you’re looking for eye candy and visual web innovation, you’ve found the right list. http://twitter.com/grainedit/graphicdesign

If you need a step by step on how to use twitter lists check out Freelance Folders post on How to Get Started.

Stay on the lookout for @TheBlogStudio list of web design favorites coming up shortly.

Developers. Those mysterious folks hiding behind the dual monitors, drinking Mountain Dew and performing mysterious functions we can’t comprehend.  They’re the backbone of the modern way we do business.  It can be a challenge effectively communicating with developers on a project. Let’s face it, it isn’t easy to manage someone who’s performing a task you may not fully comprehend yourself.  Here’s a few guidelines that will help your projects run smoothly from beginning to end, and make your developers love you.

1. Get it all out in the beginning - Let your developer know the features and functionality you’re looking to create right from the beginning. It’s much easier to set the course correctly in the beginning, than it is to change directions midt-sream. Clarifying objectives in the beginning, allows for planning the big picture, so dropping in new ideas at later stages in the project can really slow things down.
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2. Answer the phone - There will be times that your developer needs clarification, or wants to check a specific detail with you. It’s possible they can’t continue working on your project until you provide this information, so being prompt about providing the data they need will keep your project rolling along.

3. It’s a bad idea… - You may have a great idea, that your developer shoots down.  There’s probably a good reason for this. Listen to them, they’re probably saving you from making a big mistake, or helping you avoid a problem down the line. Are developers infallible? No, but if you don’t trust their judgement you should be working with someone else.

4. Fast or Good - Deadlines are always a sticking point. Everyone wants their project completed as quickly as possible. The reality is that good work takes time. It’s important to create a development schedule that is realistic for your needs, and also for the developers schedule. They may have other projects, and every developer hates rushing.
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5. Detail problems - At various points during the development cycle, you’ll run into snags, bugs and corrections you need fixed. The key here is to provide as much detail about the problem as you possible can. Don’t just send an email stating, ‘Hey, something is broken on this page.’ Send a clear description of the problem, including links, screenshots, the operating system and browser, and anything else that seems relevant. You can’t provide too much information in this situation. Most importantly, explain how the function should work when it’s operating correctly. Your devs will love you for this.

Clear communication, and speaking the language of development is what will make your project launch on time with minimal hassles. We also hear bribes, including micro-brews, ergonomic chairs and Warcraft gift cards are effective at solving problems. Remember, your developer can only work as hard as you let them. 

Colour selection is a key element when building a strong brand. At The Blog Studio, colour selection has always been an element that clients seem to struggle most with. Some clients overlook the importance of colour in branding their product or service, while others are unable to decide on a colour that best reflects the brand.

Choosing the right colour is worth the time and effort. It has been
reported by current marketing research that approximately 80% of
what we assimilate through the senses is visual.


More than Personal Preference I often hear clients say, “I don’t like red. I don’t like green. I don’t want it to be blue, but I love pink.” These comments are based on personal preference. It is important that an individual like the branding and design of their product and website. It is equally important to think of what emotions are evoked by the end-user in response to your colour selection.


Colour can be a tricky topic to negotiate.You have to step into your
clients’ shoes, and ask how they perceive the colour choices for a particular
project. Do they have the same positive emotional response you have?
Examine your colour design choices from every possible angle, including
aesthethics, and the geography of your audience.
Color choices may signify one thing in the West, and have a different, or
wholly opposite meaning in the East. The best colour selection combines
personal preference with public perception.


Emotions Associated with Colours
Colors, like smells and sounds, conjure an immediate emotional reaction in people. As a designer, it is necessary to know the emotions that are associated with the
different colours. To denote calm, excitement, or complexity to your clients, thought
must go into choosing the right color. You need to figure out how people respond to colours used in a specific design capacity. You must choose colors that will bring
maximum emotional impact, while appearing attractive.


Consider how your clients will respond to colour choices. Part of this is knowing
which colours evoke emotions that represent your brand and industry. A company within a conservative industry may not want to use loud colours, because they lack the needed gravity. Then again, a company could purposefully use an unexpected colour to distinguish itself from the competition, but it must be a carefully considered choice.


Colour selections can complement one another, or contrast one another. There are strategic uses for each case. Colours that complement each other are more appealing to the eye. Colours that contrast each other can help items stand
out. Decide which is a better fit for your project right in the beginning. It will
make selecting the correct palate much simpler.


Usability
You may have created the most gorgeous site or logo, with an exquisite pallette,
but if no one can read it, it’s an automatic failure. Colours play a practical role in how people receive information. As most people realize, black on white is the easiest to read, on paper and on computer screens. The most legible of all
colour combinations are black on yellow, green on white, and red on white.

Here are some simple guidelines to help you choose the right colors for nearly any project.


Tips on Choosing Colours for Emotional Impact

• Of the primary colours, blue is considered the most calming and suppresses appetite. Red is said to increase blood pressure and heartbeat, while yellow evokes cheerfulness. Children tend to prefer primary colours.
• Nonprimary colours are more calming than primary colours. Pink is said to enhance appetite, while black (like blue) suppresses appetite.
• Colour shade also matters when trying to evoke different emotions. Green gives the feeling of nature, calmness, and freshness, but certain shades can also give the feeling of envy and
possessiveness. Black can be gloomy and scary, but can also be elegant and sleek. Red can be associated with the joy of Christmas, but also with blood.
• Colour can help determine the worth of an item, so choose thoughtfully. Forest green and burgundy appeal to the wealthiest 3% of Americans and often raises the perceived price of an item.
Conversely, orange is often used to make an expensive item seem less expensive.
• Too many colours can make things busy and chaotic, which generally will make a website less user-friendly.