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Archive for October, 2009



Doug Pecht

10/27/2009

Web trends for 2009
11:50 am by Doug Pecht

Web trends for 2009 according to SmashingMagazine.com

Like many other things in life, web design is trendy – what’s in now isn’t always in for long.  For now though, there are several design trends making a splash.  SmashingMagazine.com had a great article and even they couldn’t stop at 10 – they collected 25!  Today we’re going to briefly explore 4 of the top 10 listed in the first part of their Design Trends of 2009 series.

1).  Rich User Interfaces – Websites are becoming more responsive, offering more interaction between the user and the web applications – and more immediate feedback.  The user now has more visual cues to let them know how they are interacting with the website – buttons change after being selected, having a “pressed” look; menus expand, collapse, and move from front to back – all the while giving the user yet another chance to click on something and make a selection.  In all these interactions, there is a sense of familiarity as many web applications remind users of traditional desktop applications.   Ajax and Flash are just two programs that allow designers to build rich user interfaces; and rich user interfaces are what allow users to have more personalized experiences.

2).  Huge Typography – Big typography is an example of a design trend that is here to stay.  What constitutes big typography?  Big pixels.  As the font size often goes beyond 36 pixels, the most important messages on a website are more easily communicated.  The “big typography” trend doesn’t stop at font size; designers are also paying more attention to leading, line height, and font choice.  Together, these elements help drive key information to the user.

3).  Magazine Look – The look and feel of traditional print media has been modified and adopted by blogs.  As you peruse some blogs, take note of how the posts are arranged on the page; the use of typography; and illustrations.  Even more noticeable is text alignment; the resemblance between traditional print text alignment and blogs is quite visible.

4).  Carousels (slideshows) – Carousels are a particular form of slideshows.  In the carousel format, the navigation is such that content rotates vertically or horizontally.  Instead of user clicking through the website, the user is able to scroll through using the available toggle element (often an arrow going up/down or right/left).  Carousel navigation eliminates extraneous movements (be it scrolling or clicking), saving time and helping the user focus on the slideshow content.   This is a great example of a design element that provides the user with an interactive experience and helps them get the most out of the content on the website.

These are four of the top 10 trends as identified by SmashingMagazine.com.  To see the rest or learn more about these in detail, visit:  http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/14/web-design-trends-for-2009/

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Max Fose

10/15/2009

10 Years for IWS
06:41 pm by Max Fose

At the end of this year, IWS will celebrate our 10th birthday.  

I have been thinking a lot about the last ten years in business — our clients, the people who have worked here to help make IWS successful, the ups and downs of running a business, our content management system that is 2nd to none, being proud when our clients are successful and the terrible feeling of “what else could we have done” when they are not. 

I remember flying back into DC and freezing as I stood at the BWI train station about two months after the tragedy of September 11; just about broke, and not being sure if IWS was going to be able to pay our bills. The mail wasn’t moving, client’s budgets were non-existent, and the world had been changed.  

I have also been thinking about the impact we have had over the years. We communicate hundreds of millions of messages a year for our clients.  Just this year alone we have helped facilitate over 600,000 contacts to Congress and I am confident that nearly every voter in Arizona has been touched by what IWS has produced. 

We have made a difference and will continue to do so. 

We have also tried to make a difference by giving back. This includes supporting groups like Make-A-Wish, Esperanca, COAR, the Arizona Food Banks, ADL and March of Dimes.  

I am proud that IWS is able to support these organizations. 

So what’s next? 

First, IWS is taking care of business by continuing to be a strategic partner with our clients.  Providing the very best service to our clients is and always will be our number one priority. 

Second, even though about 30 percent of our current business is online general marketing, we are focusing on expanding more into this area and have built the infrastructure to do so. 

Third, IWS continues to expand our reach with the addition of the Fluent – a full service online marketing agency, and JoyCom – a traditional public affairs firm. 

Finally, if I could give an online toast to everyone reading this post it would be this: 

To our clients who hire us, our mentors who have guided us along, our friends who sent us business – we thank you for your trust, your wisdom and your friendship.  We wouldn’t be here without you and we sincerely thank you.  Here’s to another 10 years!

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Donnie Riggs

10/13/2009

What Marketers are Missing…
03:35 pm by Donnie Riggs

Did you know that 46% of U.S. online retailers are missing out on the best, most time-tested way to spread their message? It’s true. Based on an August 2009 survey by Smith-Harmon, 46% of email marketers aren’t asking their audience to spread the word.

Sharing OptionsWord of mouth is still the most popular way to receive information about a product or campaign. With the rise of social networking, this has become even easier, yet only 6% of the marketing emails sampled  asked their audience to share with your social network. 41% had some type of ‘Forward to a Friend’ message or feature.

This alarming statistic is courtesy of eMarketer.com.  This great service has statistics for everything. Want to know what type of information U.S. Female Internet Users With and Without Children are Most Interested in Receiving via Email? They have it.  Want to know which free email platforms have the highest open rates? Now IWS can provide its clients this service thanks to our partnership with eMarketer.

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Brian Michael

10/12/2009

Brian and Phillies Nation In the News
12:22 am by Brian Michael

The Delaware County Daily Times – out of my old stomping grounds of southeastern Pennsylvania – did piece on my web site last week in conjunction with the Phillies quest to win a second consecutive World Series.

They can be found in Denver pubs, the cafes of Rome and in the sports bar at the Gen. Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany.

And Brian Michael will tell you their numbers are growing.

“You can go to pretty much anywhere and you will find Phillies fans,” said Michael, the 28-year-old founder of PhilliesNation.com

Thanks to Michael and his 10,000-plus subscribers, those fans have had a place to share insights, frustrations and love of all things Phillies since the site went live a few months after Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004.

“I grew up in Philly and had moved away to Washington, D.C.,” Michael said. “I was finding it hard to get all my Phillies information, so I decided to put it all in one place.”

Read the entire “Phillies Nation growing through Web site” article…

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