Design

Video marketing & the art of visual storytelling

Posted on | by moocow

Nowadays video is a vital part of any marketing strategy. And at Moocow, our aim is to always be ahead of the game when it comes to advertising, branding and how to successfully market your business. Below offers a quick insight into some of the techniques and styles of video top marketers are using.

 

360° video

360° video has most of us mind blown, with viewers being able to visually take a step into almost any landscape imaginable. Observers feel as though they are part of the experience and using video on your web page allows visitors to your site to be more interactive. When it comes to marketing, many of us find that the adverts which are most popular are those with a narrative that hit home. More and more businesses are using video as a device to create a visual storyboard that the customer can identify with. By the end of 2017, video based websites will reach as high as 80%. Google VR View is a Javascript API that allows you to upload 360° videos to your website, a handy tool if you’re wanting to give your website audience a cinematic experience of their own.

 

Cinemagraphs

Cinemagraphs work by combining Hi-Res images with a video that loops a selected part of the image, making it animated. This makes an already eye-popping image even more magical, allowing viewers to see photographs come to life before their very eyes. These short snippets of animation are becoming increasingly popular, with many social media sites adding tools to create your own online, an example being Instagram’s Boomerang which allows you to upload and create a short repeated video clip. Marketing trends for 2017 are set to become more and more visual, with businesses wanting to create backdrops to their sites that entice and excite their audiences. Working hand in hand with the use of parallaxes and animated backgrounds, using cinemagraphs with your website could be just the thing to get your new website off the ground.

 

GIFS

Many are divided on the opinion of GIFS as either highly entertaining or highly annoying. But which is it? Although having to scroll through meme after meme when on social media might seem like a bit of a chore, you can’t underestimate the high rate of followers and likes often associated with such trends. When used correctly GIFS and other animated photographic techniques can be the perfect way to give your website that wow factor. You can use your own images or video clips that are relevant to your products and business brand, if you’re wanting to steer clear of anything tacky. And there’s plenty of online sites that can easily assist you in making your own GIFS in as quick as 5 minutes, so it’s not a lot of time out of your day to create something that could potentially blow up on your social media sites.

 

How tech and design industries are providing support during COVID-19

Posted on | by moocow

Big names in tech, design councils, universities and others alike are all coming together currently to provide phenomenal support to those working within the design and technology industry.

Whether it’s advice, social interaction or resources to help work forces and teams train, learn or continue with their work, there’s plenty of help to be found. We’ve compiled a brief list of excellent support to you as business owner, freelancers or employees within design to keep you on track and feel supported.

Design Council

The Design Council have set up ways to staying connected virtually as designers, through Zoom meetings and other virtual online community support. It has stated that it is dedicated to providing additional help to all who work within design, and the importance of keeping businesses within the industry afloat. They are a hub of information for all within design and are providing additional information for freelancers on how to support themselves currently.

Arts Council England

As a feature of Arts Council England’s Digital Culture Network, any business or worker within the creative industry sector can contact the network’s Tech Champions for advice and help on enhancing their digital skills. It’s also planned that there will be continuing free resources and webinars available additionally too.

Zira

Zira has set up a free and easy to access tool called Bounce Back to help employees who are unable to continue their normal work due to COVID-19. The program chiefly shows users how to steer themselves around the issues of losing work load, being furloughed or work opportunities ending. It also doubles up as a community for users to keep in touch with former employers, and has a “job marketplace.”

Universities, Shaw Academy and Future Learn

Universities and other academic facilities are offering free courses, diplomas and training on a huge variety of subject areas. Many of these courses would originally come with quite a large price tag but have been deducted to offer support to others during the pandemic. Courses and training is available over a period of weeks online, and have many subjects relating to tech and design such as graphic design, social media and viral marketing, photoshop skills, business and management.

Survey Monkey

Survey Monkey has set up specialised survey templates for teams and work forces to use to supply support to those whose work schedules have changed, are working from home or are continuing as key workers. They can help to enable productivity, check on employee well-being or keep teams up to date on projects.

The Dots

The Dots have created a specialist ‘Ask The Community’ forum in support of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers answers and support on questions relating to freelance work, working from home, sharing worries, tips and advice. There’s also areas to arrange opportunities for work and collaboration between others, allowing you to connect and network with new businesses or other creative workers.

 

Innovate UK Offers Share of £20 Million for New Projects or Tech Based Ideas Offering Support During COVID-19

Posted on | by moocow

With COVID-19 affecting many businesses across the UK, there has been a major call out for designers and tech-experts to come together and put forward innovative new ideas to help offer support to general public services and protect our most vulnerable communities.

One such initiative has been set up by Innovate UK alongside the government, in which UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million to help assist and supply design and project ideas for Innovate UK that can help benefit public services, health services, our economy and those most vulnerable during the pandemic.

Innovate UK have stated that:

“The aim of this competition is to support UK businesses to focus on emerging or increasing needs of society and industries during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your application must demonstrate both realistic and significant benefits for society (including communities, families and individuals) or an industry that has been severely impacted and/or permanently disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your proposal must focus on a clear need and the proposed innovation to address it. You must have the ability to deliver the project during the working restrictions of COVID-19 pandemic.

You can claim 100% of your project costs up to the maximum of £50,000. These will be paid in advance of the project start date.

We intend to monitor and review projects during implementation with a view to providing follow-on funding and support for those with the most potential for impact.”

Innovate UK and Gov UK have stated that they are keen to see answers and methods to assist in battling current or newly apparent societal or industry occurring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not exclusively:

  • community support services
  • couriers and delivery (rural and/or city based)
  • education and culture
  • entertainment (live entertainment, music, etc.)
  • financial services
  • food manufacture and processing
  • healthcare
  • hospitality
  • personal protection equipment
  • remote working
  • retail
  • social care
  • sport and recreation
  • transport
  • well-being

Competition closes: Friday 17 April 2020 12:00pm

For more information please visit the Gov link here.

If you’re a business, design or tech expert that feels they have an original idea that can be accurately implemented over the next period, then be sure to check out the funding and application for this fantastic project. At a time which has been hard for many, it’s a great thing to be able to give back to others whilst supporting our work forces and teams in the design industry too!

 

Our Best Web Design Blogs & Free Tech Courses to Tide You Over

Posted on | by moocow

Companies across the UK are set to face dramatic changes in the way day-to-day business operates during the Coronavirus outbreak, our own team at Moocow included. During this time, we remain committed to providing you the best online advice, keeping you up to date on all the latest tech news, with recommendations for resources and tools that can be implemented from home.

First up, we’ve compiled a top ten list of what we believe are some of the best web design blogs on the internet, packed full of helpful tips, tutorials and freebies to get you going in all areas of design.

The Moz Blog

Founded originally by Rand Fishkin, The Moz Blog is one of the most popular blogs in the world of web design. The site offers leading advice on improving your website and design, up to date knowledge on the latest SEO advice, and insights into producing outstanding content using successful web marketing. The Moz team have also announced that during the COVID-19, their Moz academy will be free for all, offering access to over a dozen essential courses and training.

https://moz.com/blog/moz-academy-free

Design Bombs

An online magazine packed full with in-depth articles on coding, design and general web news. The site also offers design freebies, including icons and WordPress Plugins and Themes, helping you to get the most out of your website. Subscribe to their site and you’ll have access to a bunch of handy online tools.

Backlinko

Named by Forbes magazine as one of the best places for “next-level SEO training”and advice, the Backlinko blog offers you articles and tips on SEO and achieving higher rankings and traffic to your site. Formed by SEO expert Brian Dean, this blog is the go to place for SEO tips.

Vandelay Design

A blog dedicated to providing tips and tutorials for all your design needs. From coding and UX, to business marketing, blog design or photoshop skills, the site is filled with detailed insights on all design processes, offering extra tools, services and WordPress themes too.

WPKube

A blog dedicated to all your WordPress needs! WPKube is the best site for all your WordPress queries, the blog comes with how-to guides, tips and extras including WP themes, modifications and plugins as well as all the latest news keeping you up to date with what WordPress has to offer.

CSS Tricks

Created to offer advice for both amateur and professional designers and developers, this blog includes helpful hints and technique tips for using CSS, including code snippets and tutorials. As well as this, there’s a forum you can join to ask the coding community for extra help.

SitePoint

A great tech blog for anyone wanting to get hands on knowledge and experience with learning to code, using HTML5/CSS, JavaScript, or PHP. With courses and guides ranging from mobile app development to responsive design, it’s a great site with easy, learn-able advice and access to a wide community of coders.

Tuts Plus

The Envatotuts+ blog filled with courses and in-depth guides on coding, web design, photography, video, business, 3d graphics and game development. Includes access to lots of freebies, a forum you can access through the blog and really useful activities getting you equipped in all areas of design.

Hongkiat

A great design blog for designers and bloggers of all kinds, offering web design and photographic inspiration, useful tools and tips to get your knowledge up to date, including guides on using social media to market your business and getting jobs within the tech industry.

1st Web Designer

A leading UK blog focusing on UX design, typography, WordPress, JavaScript, and CSS. Great for seeing what’s trending in web design and getting you the low down on all the latest tools and design inspiration.

 

International Women’s Day and the Importance of Diversity in Tech

Posted on | by moocow

In honour of International Women’s Day, we wanted to highlight the importance of women working within technology, and the lack of diversity and inclusivity seen in many tech and design companies.

More than 2.1 million people in the UK are currently working in the tech industry, and despite such large figures, only 16% are women, according to a report from the Inclusive Tech Alliance. They stated that “over a million more female employees would need to be hired to reach gender parity.” Additionally, a mere 15% of the digital tech workforce in the UK are from BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) backgrounds, with senior/board member positions being at only 8.5% according to another recent report from search agency Inclusive Boards.

Many companies will have no female representation whatsoever, or representation from BAME or other diverse communities. It’s hugely important to create awareness and have greater opportunities created to make the tech industry a more equal and inclusive career path, and what better way to celebrate this than with International Women’s Day in mind. At Moocow, we’re proud to have a team of fantastic designers, developers, writers and technical staff from a diverse range of backgrounds, with representation from female tech experts, those from the LGBTQ+ community and those with disabilities. With an office at the heart of Brighton, we’re proud to have a workforce that’s inclusive and socially aware, as well as great in their field.

Secondarily, we wanted to offer some tips and advice to any women, young or old, looking to pursue a career path in the tech and web design industry…

Don’t be put off choosing scientific subjects to study!

No matter what tech job you’re dreaming of, don’t let anyone stop you from studying exactly what you want to do. Gender should not limit your choice of career path. If you studied in a different subject previously and are wanting to enter into a new choice of career, it’s never too late. And when certain education routes get a bit pricey, there are many different ways to gain qualifications, including ones that don’t come with a price tag. As well as bursaries, scholarships and Arts Council Funding, many companies will actually offer to train people for free. On top of this there are boot camps and hundreds of online training programs and resources that can help you transition into a tech role if you don’t have the qualifications needed for a specific job. And if you’re looking to learn code, there are thousands of sites that can help you, Codecademy, HackerRank & edX are to name a few.

Stand your ground when it comes to your career path

Confidence is key. Have a good perception of your own skills, the abilities you have and what you can achieve. If you don’t feel confident in your own abilities, it can be hard for others to feel the same. In interviews, prove you are the right person for the role, use active language that shows off your talents instead of being passive, state direct plans you have and show just how much you can benefit their company. Be bold and never feel intimidated, no matter how terrifying the interviewer may appear! (Although we hope they’re as nice as us)

Have a plan and find mentorship

Always take time to refine your skills, practice really does make perfect. Finding mentorship within a working role can also be really beneficial, so be sure to place yourself in an environment where you can be surrounded by professionals in your chosen field who are as passionate about your goals as you are. Most importantly, never give up on what it is you want to achieve. It can be hard seeing friends or colleagues achieving their goals faster than you or at different rates, but the job you’ve been waiting for could be just around the corner. Hard work always pays off, and whether it takes you 1 year, 5 years or even 10 years to reach the job you’ve always wanted, it’s always worth the wait.

#HappyIWD2020

Improving Website Click Through Rates and Conversions with CTAs

Posted on | by moocow

It’s the start of a brand new decade, and although New Year’s resolutions are often an unwelcome concern for all, perhaps this year we can focus on resolutions to help improve our businesses, instead of being critical of ourselves! New year, new website? And if you’re not looking to break the budget and are simply after some simple tips and techniques to help get your website up to scratch, then we can offer some leading advice.

For businesses of all industries and sizes, click through rates and site conversions are vital aspects to ensure the success of a sales product online or directing new customers to your company, website or social media page. CTAs (call to action) are a steadfast way of boosting both, and can be established through straightforward changes to your website copy and design.

The style and structure of your CTA’s can have a huge impact on how well they do. From our own analytical research from previous client websites, we can say that button-based CTAs improved click through rates by 40% at its lowest rate, and up to 90% with a combination of strategic copy and placement relevant to their branding.

A Call To Action is pretty much exactly what it says it is, it’s a call to your customers to take an action on your web page and send them in the direction of a particular product, page or area of information. CTA’s need to stand out, and they should be clearly placed on primary pages on your website, avoiding out of site areas such as footers. Make CTAs bold in colour, with colour schemes that match or compliment your own marketing style, brand or logo.

Just because they need to be kept simple and short doesn’t mean they can’t be creative. Use text that’s clever, funny or personal to your business style and remember to use a variety of “action words”. You want to make your audience do the task you want them to, but you don’t have to use the same basic words over and over, mix it up! CTAs also work even better when there’s an incentive or offer involved so be sure to include this as and when you can. It may not seem much, but with our help and a few simple tips, you can look forward to that long awaited boost in customers to your site and a surge in clicks and sales.

 

Why Hiring a Web Design Team for 2020 is Vital

Posted on | by moocow

2020 is predicted to see the greatest increase in technological advancements in digital and online platforms so far, from shopping orders to social media, it is becoming increasingly vital for companies to maintain a strong online presence when it comes to marketing their business. With technology on the rise daily, companies will gain more and more opportunities to expand and compete digitally. Many don’t see the importance of having a website, and the idea of creating one can appear daunting so they either avoid doing it or hire someone who isn’t an expert.

You may be thinking why bother or why hire a designer? If you’re nervous at the thought of moving your company online, this article is here to tell you why you needn’t be sceptical. We are here to help make the transition as easy as possible. And with 3.8 billion people across the globe currently using the internet, there are so many opportunities available online to help you access new customers and clients. Marketers and potential clients use the internet to find companies they can trust, and having a well established site shows credibility.

All businesses need a website to successfully market their brand online. Without one, many customers and clients will feel this reflects badly on how up to date you are with running your company. And with the competition being high, you want a site that wows. If your website is poorly designed, it will directly reflect badly on your brand. If the site is old and outdated, it will immediately put customers off from visiting your site. A website always needs to be user friendly. Customers must be able to clearly see what it is your business does, access any information on products and sales, as well as be able to find contact details easily. If they are unable to do this, you are at risk of customers not being able to contact you, you could lose sales and be subject to bad reviews online and a bad Google ranking. In fact, whether you have a good website or not can be a deciding factor in whether your business fails or succeeds.

Relying on someone who isn’t trained in web design to design your website can not only leave you out of pocket with a poorly designed web page, it can leave you without reliable support or technical help if things go wrong. A lot of sites offering downloadable website builders do not offer you the advice or guidance to support a professional web build, they offer very basic designs at high prices, and many don’t allow support for video, RSS feeds and other links. Professional web designers are kept constantly up to date on current trends and developments occurring in the world of web. Knowledge on the latest news and developments enables them to directly create websites and programs specifically targeted to your brand or business. Professional web design is worth the investment when looking at high quality, custom built design. And at Moocow we don’t just design your website, our packages include domain and hosting, coding, optimisation, user-bility, research and strategy, development, SEO and UX, and eCommerce integration. Our professional design team provide friendly, consistent and ongoing technical support, and are able to offer advice and knowledge when something goes wrong. The benefits of having qualified developers help you make the move into going digital are huge. We love being able to watch the businesses we have helped thrive and expand their brand successfully. So if you’re yet to take the leap into creating a website for your company, or have been anxious about making changes to your current site, we hope our advice puts you at ease and helps you get a few steps closer to making the most out of your business.

What’s New for Responsive Web Design in 2020?

Posted on | by moocow

At Moocow, we make sure you’re up to date with all the latest UX/UI know-how, ensuring your site gets the attention it deserves. With technology and techniques developing daily, take a look at what 2020 has in store for responsive design.

For web design newcomers or those looking to get an insight into how we create our sites at Moocow Media, responsive design is fundamentally the method of using CSS to generate a web page which re-adjusts and arranges itself to display its content correctly on any sized device. This technique works side-by-side with mobile first.

Companies now only need to buy a single site which squeezes all the best info from your web page and efficiently displays readable content on any gadget, whether it’s a desktop, tablet or mobile device. Not only does this save you a small fortune, it also allows customers to benefit from having a website that will allow Google to enhance its rankings. And as Google now only promotes sites which are designed for mobile devices also, it’s really the only choice for your website. Sites that aren’t mobile-friendly will be digitally wiped off the map.

Mobile First

Over the last year we’ve focused a lot on the importance of making sure your website is mobile first. And with m-commerce transforming and developing daily, making sure your site is mobile first is vital for the successful functioning of your business and web page. Mobile transactions are set to rocket in 2020, with the vast majority of orders already being made from mobile devices accessing your website. So if you’re still yet to update your site to mobile first, make this your new year’s resolution. Making sure your mobile site is responsive and easy to use is a number 1 priority, otherwise you risk customers not even being able to access your site in search engines at all.

Thumb-Friendly Mobile Navigation

2020 will see a step up in simply focusing on previously making your site mobile first. Sites are now being challenged with the task of making mobile sites “thumb-friendly” allowing for better ergonomic use, “user-friendliness” and increasing the ability to access site navigation with greater ease.

 

Source: Smashing Magazine

The above diagram shows a good example of how our hands naturally grip our phones and the restrictions in our thumbs natural manoeuvring across phone screens. Opting for bottom hand corner navigation, for menus, social media or contact buttons over traditionally placed top, right hand navigation could significantly help to improve UX. These changes might seem simplistic, but all add up when combined in providing a website that’s both customer and Google friendly.

Web Design Trends for 2020

Posted on | by moocow

As we approach the last stretch of 2019, businesses and designers alike are preparing for the creative trends set to take over 2020. With AI and interactive design becoming an evermore sought after technology, it’s not surprising that plenty of new web design features plan on largely incorporating websites with voice user interfaces, chat bots and other similar functionalities. But what else is trending?

It’s predicted that asymmetrical designs, broken grid layouts and microanimation will all be trending components for leading web design for 2020. A continuing popular feature is bold colours and minimalist layouts, which are proving to be a persistent theme from previous years. Take a look below to see some of the most in-demand styles and layouts to help you have that light-bulb moment and get your website prepped to be ahead of the game for the new year.

 

Microanimations and Illustration

These subtle, yet hypnotic creative twists to your web page design, can make all the difference in capturing a new audience, as well as showcasing your talent digitally which enables a sense of professionalism, no matter what industry you’re working in. Audiences like illustrations and animations that are unique, bold, colourful or fun, and add that little bit extra to help show personalisation of your company or products.

 

Source: Heco

Source: Ariel Wollek/Wix

Source: Smashmallow/Gifox

Source: Webflow

Source: Proud & Punch

 

Minimalist Layouts

Minimalist layouts allow for a stylish, sleek finish. Aim for homepages that aren’t text heavy, focusing more on visually appealing to your customers, whilst still bearing in mind the importance of a fast loading web page. This style of layout is great for not overloading the viewer with too much information, and works great for artistic or creative businesses looking to keep their site chic, but simple.

 

Source: Elegant Seagulls Design

Source: Yumi Lambert

Source: Club of Waves

 

Bold Colours and Typography

Bright colours and bold typography, with geometric, sans-serif or freestyle fonts are particular favourites for graphic design in 2020. Colour is psychologically proven to have a relationship with mood and has been used as a clever marketing tactic in advertising for years. Making your home page proudly loud is a great way to draw in viewers and mesmerise customers with websites dazzling and dripping with colour.

 

Source: SKTR./Awwwrds

Source: Black Futurism Festival 2019/WebDesignerDepot

Source: Adobe

Source: Gautier Maillard

Source: Nuture Digital

Why Bespoke Illustrations are Trending in Web Design

Posted on | by moocow

At MooCow, we pride ourselves on having the most up to date knowledge on the hottest web trends. With technology and techniques developing daily, take a look at what 2017 has in store for the world of web design.

Whilst many businesses are still opting for a traditional approach of plumping up their sites with bold typefaces and pristine layouts, others are jumping on a slightly different bandwagon. Hand drawn illustrations are a hot pick for up and coming web sites, with many of the creative industries choosing to adorn their sites with hand drawn graphics and typography.

Not only is it a fun way to personalise your site, it allows your web page to be custom crafted and show off your talents if you’re a master doodler yourself. Brands often set themselves apart by having unique and off-beat logos, designs & layouts, so you never know – having your web page plastered in drawings and free-style artwork could actually make you the next web page super star.

A few of our favourite sites that showcase some serious talent when it comes to illustration include Legwork Studios, Future Living and Proud & Punch. Take a look at their sites or have a look at the Awwwards site for award-winning design inspirations.