There may be existing features in the company’s current site construction that were optimal at one point, but that now may be working against you. There may also be new strategies that simply work much better in achieving desired results.

Get back to basics…Ask yourself if you need a redesigned website.

• Is your site responsive?
• Has your company evolved and your website needs to catch up?
• Does your website show up on Google?
• Can your client easily contact you from your site?
• What is the first impression your potential clients get from your current site?
• Does your current site accurately represent your company?
• Can you manage the site content?
• Is the user experience a positive one?

Let’s give your visitors exactly what they are looking for. First, step back and think about what your goals are. Let’s lay down a path to follow. Second, look at the content you already have on your site. What can you use for the new site and what new material will be needed? What information can we leave out? Third, let’s sit down and talk about your site history, performance, goals and viable directions. It may just be the right time to redesign your website.

Photos by Plotr Redlinski for the NY Times

191st Beautification Project/NYC

Check out more mural art images here

Six artists out of hundreds who applied, were selected to turn one of the longest (a 5 minute walk) and scariest tunnels into a beautiful, colorful work of art. Once dark and dirty, the city decided to turn this tunnel leading to a subway entrance into an inspiring, eye-opening walk. The walls went from a pale yellow to a colorful, geometric mural. Andrea von Bujdoss, the art duo Jessie Unterhalter & Katey Truhn, Nick Kuszyk, Nelson Rivas, and Fernando Carlo, Jr. were the selected local artist chosen for this project, and they did not disappoint.

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Inspiration is all around us every day. It may be something as simple as a pattern we see or something more complex and integrated. Inspiration can strike at any time, and we don’t often realize how it is affecting our work. How do you keep your creative juices flowing? Lets take a look at a few things that can help.

I know when I first heard people tell me this; I had no idea what they were talking about. Once I understood that designing in a vacuum was like designing in the dark, it all made sense. Designing without inspiration (or vision) IS designing in a vacuum.

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The over-abundance of advertising is now commonplace and you’re being inundated with holiday promotions. This shift is causing marketers to adapt a “more is more” approach. Ads can now be seen almost everywhere and on almost everything. Traditionally, ads were featured in newspapers and magazines, but due to decreasing reliability of those mediums and movement into the digital age, advertisers are now trying to reach people everywhere. Because of this, consumers are tuning out and ignoring traditional ads.

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far left image by Katherine McMahon, top far right by Pranav Mehta, others can be found on oleknyc.com

Olek

http://oleknyc.com

Yarn bombing, guerrilla crochet, whatever you prefer to call it, it’s a thing. A big thing to the Brooklyn based textile artist known as Olek. The Polish born artist arrived in New York with nothing but a backpack and $50 to her name. Now she has her work shown all around the world. Her goal is to produce work to share with the public. It is not only decorative, beautiful and colorful, but there to draw attention to important social and political issues being faced around the world. “I think there is no line between life and art. Everything is connected.” ~Olek

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As of this writing, WordPress powers about 59% of websites using a content management system and about 24% of all websites. (w3techs.com) With these sorts of numbers, it’s no wonder that there are over 40,000 plugins available for WordPress. However, some are more useful than others. In this post, I will list and describe five of my favorite plugins to install shortly after creating a site. All of these plugins are freely available from wordpress.org/plugins/.  Continue reading …

Nearly 60 percent of the world’s CMS (content management system) uses WordPress. Nearly 25 percent of ALL websites world-wide use WordPress.

Composure does not just follow trends; we strive for excellence. When we find something solid, trendy or not, we go with it. Below is a list of why our designers and developers choose WordPress.

It’s Not Just for Looks

Design is important, but so is function. Both are necessary to not only grab the attention of the end user, but keep it. The flexibility and power of WordPress gives us control to build sites that meet the needs of a variety of customers – small business and big business alike. The size of the website will not alter the user-friendly platform.

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1. Work anytime, anywhere

As long as you have internet access and a computer, a laptop, or a smartphone, you can access your documents. No need to worry about using a USB to transfer your files from computer to computer.

2. Work with anyone

No Gmail account? No problem! If you’re working with someone who doesn’t have a Gmail account, you can still share files. Under the share settings, click “change” and change the visibility options to “anyone with the link.”

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Are the gears in your holiday marketing plan already moving? Have you solidified all of the details? Do you have a clear direction on how you’re going to maximize your resources to yield a successful holiday sales cycle? Here are a few tips to consider:

Retail Sales

Taking a look at the retail trends from the last few years is a great way to add insight to your holiday marketing plan. Nearly 20% of total retail sales happen between November and December, where sales are projected to reach $617 billion in 2015. Starting early and planning ahead will ensure your business can get in on the action.

Shopping Days

Black Friday used to be the busiest day for shopping, but the rise in online shopping is changing the way consumers shop. Black Friday, while still a big deal, is not the biggest money-maker of the year. Many stores now open on Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday has picked up a lot of steam. Shoppers are buying all season long and looking for the best deals. Starting promotions early and running throughout the holiday season is a great way to keep business flowing throughout the holiday months.
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@annariflebond, https://instagram.com/annariflebond/

Anna Bond, owner (along with her husband) and creative director for the stationery and gift brand Rifle Paper Co. is one of my favorites to follow on Instagram. And, I am not alone. With over 281k followers, Anna is no stranger to Instagram. Her account is upbeat, beautiful, and inspiring with a balance in posts across work, product, and home life. Her work at Rifle Paper Co. is known for beautiful hand painted floral prints and has been expanding from paper goods to clothing lines, home goods, and wall paper. (Seriously, I want to cover my house in her wallpaper.) Follow her and take a look at Rifle Paper Co.’s website too! Continue reading …