Cibgraphics.com

Just another update on the development on Project innovation. There is a little bit of bad news, but lot of good news though. First the small bit of bad news.

It seems that the way that Wordpress does it’s database for its application is a bit to messy for me to sift through to extract all my old posts. So its unfortunate to to mention that all the posts that you see on this blog will be erased and not saved. This is bad because I know of a few people who have some posts bookmarked. I have to apologize to those people. Need not to worry, I will be filling up the new blog with tons of useful and good information. You might be wondering why I don’t just restyle Wordpress like I have done in the past. This is because I am writing my own blog application so it can be more integrated into the site.

Now for some good news. The login system for both the client and the admin is now complete. I am almost complete with the new blog application and will soon begin work on the client features. These new features will give the client control over their projects and files. I am very excited about this feature. More details on the specifics at a later time more close to completion so I’m not giving promises I can’t code.

As of right now, I still don’t have an accurate release date. Lots have been done, yet lots more remains. A bit of other good news is that the resource section will be back. It will probably have the same amount of links as it currently has (because time and effort is being put elsewhere), but I will be putting a backend on it so I can update it more easily.

Since this webpage will be lots more complex than it is currently, the URL structure will change a bit. For example, those who have bookmarked the resource page will have to update their links. It will be changed from http://www.cibgraphics.com/resources.php to http://www.cibgraphics.com/resources (currently inactive).

Stay tuned for more information.

Just an update on the project. Its going very well, but very slow. Since my clients take priority, working on the new site has sometimes been a little slow. The main design of the webpage is complete and coding has commenced. One of the new features will be a client login that will be on every page throughout the site. This will make getting into your account much easier. Im still trying to iron out what features will be available when you login but I am hoping that it will suit all our clients needs.

I think its time to release the new colors of the site. I don’t see any reason not to release them any more. So here are the new colors of the site:

More information will be coming later.

You haven’t heard from me in a while, so I thought I would give an update on why.

I have been working on a semi-secret project called Project: Innovation. I semi-secret because there are those not involved that do know about it, but information about it to the public has not been released yet. I will discuss a little about the project here.

I will state that it is a brand new webpage for Cibgraphics. The title of the project is a little misleading. The contents and options that are on the webpage have been done before, but not here on Cibgraphics. I call it Innovations because in the past, versions of our webpage have seen minor to medium changes in the services available to the clients/designers who visit this site. This new site, I am considering a major step forward to offering the kind of customer service that I have always wanted to offering to clients and designers.

I am ironing out the details right now, but I will say that in light of all the new things that are coming a new look is needed. Now we wont be getting a new logo. Our logo has stood the test in the wake of many idea changes through the years (especially when we almost changed our name 2 years ago) and it will continue to serve as our logo for years to come. A major change that will happen with the new site is new brand colors. Green has gotten stale (no jokes now), and we will have a new color scheme. These new colors are fresh and modern. The colors have already been decided on, but will not be released as to what they are just yet.

Project:Innovation is a very large project. Honestly, I dont expect to see a release date of the new site until Fall of 08. Now if things come together fast then there is a possibility that the site will release earlier.

We look forward to releasing new information about this exciting project in the weeks to come.

Cibgraphics is now accepting all forms of payment through PayPal. This is in hopes of making paying a whole lot easier.

Internet Explorer 8 could be upon us sooner than we think. Just as we were getting used to the great leap IE7 had over IE6 (thankfully, but still not enough), Microsoft is hard at work on IE8.

Expect a beta first half of THIS YEAR. Yes, you heard right. First half of this year. Lets just hope that it isnt delayed.

Lets just hope that the majority of IE6 users get off their old butt and upgrade so we can push the web where it should be going instead of downgrading all of our sites just so we can accomidate people who are too lazy to update and keep up with the times.

The early pre-beta IE8 has already passed the ACID2 test, which means that IE is well on its way to being a standards compliant browser (about time… how long did it take?)

Things are looking bright for the internet. Now if we can only get Microsoft to fix Outlook 07’s CSS and HTML support.

Source: MailChimp

1. Code HTML emails in a plain-text, no-frills editor. That’ll output the cleanest possible code, plus let you easily create plain-text emails. Don’t use WYSIWYGs or expect Microsoft Word to export clean HTML email. In fact, some spam filters will actually penalize your email if you created it in Microsoft FrontPage (because spammers do that a lot). Use something like NotePad or TextEdit (default programs on your PC or Mac) or go get something like BBEdit, or NoteTab Pro.
2. Don’t go nuts with CSS. Use inline CSS as much as possible, and stay away from CSS Positioning. Simple tables work best.
3. Design for the preview pane. Open up your email program. How much space is available in your preview pane? Chances are it’s waaaay less the typical width you design web pages. Less than 600 pixels is a good guideline.Align stuff to the left. Some preview panes are skinny and vertical (AOL gives about 200 pixels of width). Make sure your logo and critical content “peeks” out on the left side of your template.
4. No JavaScript, ActiveX, Flash, embedded video, sound files, or DHTML. Viruses are typically embedded into those types of files, so anti-virus programs will block them. Sorry, no fancy stuff.
5. Unless your email marketing service hosts your images for you, you’ll need to code your HTML emails using absolute paths for your images.
6. Webmail clients (Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, Gmail, etc) typically strip out any HTML code above and below (and including) the BODY tags. Therefore:
   • BODY BGCOLORs will not work. Create a 100% wide table with your bgcolor, and embed your template inside that.
   • Any embedded CSS inside your HEAD tags will not work. Embed your CSS below the BODY tag, just above your content.
7. Just about ALL email programs turn off your images by default. The recipient has to click a button to “display images.” This is a default feature, and can’t be turned off. And most recipients have to be really motivated to click that button. Therefore:
   • Don’t design HTML emails that are nothing but one big image. Recipients won’t see anything (and spam filters can’t read any content, so they’ll assume it’s spam).
   • Take your open reports with a grain of salt. Open tracking involves placing a tiny, transparent .GIF in your email, then counting how many times the image was downloaded. If your recipient doesn’t turn on images, the graphic won’t be downloaded.
8. Always include a plain-text version of your emails. Your email service should display that version if your recipient can’t (or won’t) view HTML emails.
9. Understand CAN-SPAM. You should always include your contact information in your footer (postal mailing address, phone, email, etc) and always include an opt-out link. Email marketing services like MailChimp, Constant Contact, iContact, and MyEmma provide list management services that provide you with unsubscribe link code.
10. Test your HTML emails like crazy. Sign up for as many email services as you can, and download as many email programs and spam filters as you can. You may need to setup a test computer(s) in your office to do all this testing.

I have finally gotten around to styling the blog to match the rest of the site. It will make it easier to navigate though my pages without having the blog trip everyone one up due to lack of navagation to my other pages. There are a couple bugs and glitches that need to be panned out (most noticeable in Internet Explorer 6), but I am working on those when I get spare time. (*edit - because of the new design, there are no more diplay bugs)

In the mean time, if there are any features you would like to see on Cibgraphics.com to make your experience better, just let me know and I will seriously consider them. Im always looking for better ways to improve the communication between me and the visitor/client.

Through all my years as a designer, one constant phrase has always come up with non-designers to explain how they don’t like one or all things about a design. That phrase is “Make It Pop“.

What exactly does this phrase mean to the designer? Nothing. It’s just another way that the client tells us that they don’t like part or all of the design. What does it mean to the client? Again, nothing. Its just (what seems like) the only way the client can convey that they don’t like part or all of the design. It does not tell us what you don’t like, or how you want to see it fixed.

So where do we go from here?

Simple. Clients need to express from the beginning what they want and expect. When they fail to do this (which often happens), the client receives something else that they were wanting. This often results in wasted time and money on both parties. Now, a good designer will ask what the client wants and expects at the first meeting. When this occurs, clients need to go into detail what they want. Answers like “Clean” or “Grungy” help, but doesn’t give the designer the full scope of what you are thinking. Before contacting a designer, have a clear vision of what look you want. Drawing some basic sketches, collecting printed or digital materials are very good things to give to you designer to help him. Some designers joke that clients expect them to be mind readers. While this is quite funny to the designer, the point still remains a hard fact. Some clients just expect the designer to know what the he is thinking. This is where everything goes wrong. Communication is key. You don’t tell the designer what you want, don’t expect to get it.

Some client really don’t know what they want. This is perfectly fine. We as designers don’t expect the client to be a professionals in design (after all, this is why you hire one). Another phrase we hear a lot is “You’re the designer, make it look good”. This always puts a smile on the designer’s face. His design options are open and his creativity can flow freely. If you say this, make sure that you leave the design aspect to the designer. Too often the designer will make a great design, when the client comes back and says (you guessed it) “Make it pop”. Be very careful. If you don’t like part of the design, ask the designer why he did what he did. More times than not, there is a very good reason, and you will understand a lot more the design process.

One thing that I must make clear. I say this not to be condescending, but to inform. We are the designers, let us make the majority of the design decisions. Please give input on what to expect, but we have studied long and hard on design and we know what we are doing. We do things for a certain reason, and please trust us. If you need something done the way you want, tell the designer from the start, and then ask the designer for his opinion on that aspect.

Communication is key. Trust of the designer is key. And letting designers do what they do best…is certainly key.

Ive been working on it for the last month or so as often as I could. Finally after many different redesigns, I have launched the new site. I still need to add some portfolio pieces, but other than that it is all done. I have added some cool things to the site, so explore and tell me what you think.

Updates:

1. New resource center with tons of links to info, tutorials, and more on subjects related to graphic design. Links will be updated often so it will grow and grow into a fountain of information.
2. Client Login- Now there is a section for clients to transfer files back and forth with Cibgraphics so communication can be smoother. Link to login is at the footer of the page. if you are a client, and do not have a login, email me and I will set it up.
3. Custom Quote Form. I have added a form where you can send in for a custom quote, instead of emailing me directly
4. Contact Form. If you need to ask me a question that doesn’t involve pricing, I have introduced a contact form where you can get a hold of me with anything you need.
5. FAQs. Some basic question and answers for potential clients to inform about how the process of obtaining services from Cibgraphics

I hope you enjoy the new site. Best wishes.

Christopher Bishop
Cibgraphics.com