If there were one thing that will trump any COULD versus SHOULD debate in a strategy discussion it would be HAVE TO.
How many of you have found yourselves in a situation where no matter how hard you try to discourage a client from using a new, “cool” online tool, you wind up “just giving it a try?”
We COULD
Recently, a major luxury automotive manufacturer offered Rovion intros (you know, the little video people that step out in front of the site and talk to you) to its dealers, free of charge. One of our clients happens to be one of those dealers and so…now that we CAN do it SHOULD we do it? First off, we’re starting this entire process backwards. Instead of setting a goal and identifying tools, which will help us achieve that goal, we’re starting with a tool and creating a goal so that we can use the tool.
So what is the goal? Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.
At first look, the homepage (which we did not design) is already packed with more information (I’m counting thirty different elements) than one person could process during a twenty-minute lunch break. So, I ask myself, who is visiting this site, what are they looking to do and how is a video of the dealer popping up in the bottom corner going to make it easier for them to do whatever it is they intend on doing?
We all know that Twitter has a ton of uses whether it’s an RSS Feed, IM client, Email Service, or a Chat Room. Recently I was able to use Twitter to take out a Classified to fill a position at Neal Advertising.
@professor – Looking for a strong designer with a good flash background. If you live in RI you’ll be able to telecommute. Great opportunity great Co. 8:14 PM Sep 10th, 2008 from web
6 minutes later…
@jasonnarciso – @professor This is interesting… care to elaborate? 8:20 PM Sep 10th, 2008 from web in reply to professor
20 minutes later…
@professor – @jasonnarciso My company is looking for a designer w/ flash experience To design sites and develop monthly flash sites. Great co to work for 8:39 PM Sep 10th, 2008 from twitterrific in reply to jasonnarciso
In regards to coding standards compliant websites with CSS, dealing with Internet Explorer can be a nightmare. Of course, all browsers have CSS bugs, but IE is known to have significantly more due to their own implementation of browser standards.
This is a list of some well-known issues found in Internet Explorer starting with version 5. Based on browser popularity and saturation reports, many web designers have targeted which versions of Internet Explorer they will support and which they will drop.
Neal Advertising’s general policy is that we do NOT support IE6 any longer and provide simple redirection for IE6 users to gain access to more recent and advanced browsers. We know this will limit some users and aggravate users on a network that doesn’t allow them to upgrade their version of IE. However, with any new sites we create and develop, we always make a point to analyze the demographic of that site and decide whether it’s a good idea or not to drop IE6.
No matter how well you write HTML and CSS, it is inevitable that you will need to specify certain adjustments for Internet Explorer. With this fact in mind, there are several different ways to target a specific version of Internet Explorer for optimal viewing results.
Using Conditional Comments
Using conditional comments can be valuable because they are easy to define in the head of your document and keep all of your specific CSS fixes in one separate, contained location. It is important to keep in mind that they will only work in Internet Explorer on Windows. (Since Apple dropped IE at version 5.5 and added the more compliant-friendly Safari, this isn’t really a huge problem.)
I’ll admit it, Neal Advertising is owned and lead by a clown. I’ll also admit that we are really proud of it. Neal Bocian a.k.a. Bagels The Clown is President of Neal Advertising and brings smiles to sick children in a local hospital.
At my first interview for my job at Neal Advertising, I was asked to wait in Neal’s office. I sat in front of his desk observing the newspaper clippings and wall art. Behind me were two glass cases containing an impressive collection of clowns. All of which seemed to be staring right in my direction. Honestly I was a little scared.
I later found out that Neal volunteers his time and talents at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston as a clown. For 16 years Bagels The Clown (Neal Bocian) has been twisting balloons into shapes, performing magic and cheering up sick children. These children are cancer patients and between 1 and 21 years of age.
We are proud to announce that Neal Advertising has won a Davey award for the banner advertising campaign we created on behalf of The 19th Annual Boston Wine Festival. The Boston Wine Festival is the nation’s longest running, food and wine pairing series hosted at the Boston Harbor Hotel. The event features over forty dinners during the months of January, February, March and April.
Our flash banner ads were placed on local media websites such as necn.com, whdh.com and wbur.com as well as geotargeted on nytimes.com, wsj.com and foodandwine.com. 36,000 visitors were directed to the website during four months of advertising and the event enjoyed a sell-out success! Congrats to everyone involved on the project!
Many moons ago as an art student in Boston, rumors swirled of a NEW tool that will help us traditional artists convert our formal design sensibilities into a quicker, more advanced process…the MAC!
All of my fellow cavemen grunted at the notion that this MAC computer could do such a thing! How can this glorified typewriter replace my skills as an artist? Even my professor said it was just a fad and commercial art will always need illustrators. Someone was even so petrified of that notion, that the morning of our first introduction into the world of Macintosh we were all shocked by what we saw, a student or someone they told, stole them. Chuckles and sighs ensued! High fives, YES we can draw now!
Not I. I knew this MAC would someday rear its head into my profession and kick me back into the stone age unless I took measures. It took a while and the journey was long and frustrating, but not only have I triumphed, I have become a successful digital illustrator in my own right.
Using custom illustration in a clients piece not only shows the client that you DO put the extra into their work but care about the piece. If you painted a nice watercolor of a farmhouse and painted the cow in front with crayon it wouldn’t quite match, would it? Try something original, don’t just download some clipart off the web. Take an extra hour and create something original. It’s not the heart of the piece but If you told a client you custom illustrated the artwork, they can take heart in the fact that you thought of the client first.
Logos, characters, mascots…there are tons of uses for illustration still. Just let it be known that deep in the heart of every artist, we want to create new styles and interesting designs, a great small step is original artwork. Keep drawing!
CSS Hacks – Using Conditional Comments
- by Jason Narciso | January 12th, 2009 | Join the Conversation there are 3 Comments | Tweet ThisIn regards to coding standards compliant websites with CSS, dealing with Internet Explorer can be a nightmare. Of course, all browsers have CSS bugs, but IE is known to have significantly more due to their own implementation of browser standards.
This is a list of some well-known issues found in Internet Explorer starting with version 5. Based on browser popularity and saturation reports, many web designers have targeted which versions of Internet Explorer they will support and which they will drop.
Neal Advertising’s general policy is that we do NOT support IE6 any longer and provide simple redirection for IE6 users to gain access to more recent and advanced browsers. We know this will limit some users and aggravate users on a network that doesn’t allow them to upgrade their version of IE. However, with any new sites we create and develop, we always make a point to analyze the demographic of that site and decide whether it’s a good idea or not to drop IE6.
No matter how well you write HTML and CSS, it is inevitable that you will need to specify certain adjustments for Internet Explorer. With this fact in mind, there are several different ways to target a specific version of Internet Explorer for optimal viewing results.
Using Conditional Comments
Using conditional comments can be valuable because they are easy to define in the head of your document and keep all of your specific CSS fixes in one separate, contained location. It is important to keep in mind that they will only work in Internet Explorer on Windows. (Since Apple dropped IE at version 5.5 and added the more compliant-friendly Safari, this isn’t really a huge problem.)
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