Design Treats

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  77 more one page sites

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/designmeltdown/uecD/~3/nwqpIIVzANw/

  Seems the web never tires of looking at and talking about single page sites…so here is a tasty set to enjoy, doesn’t take long after all they are only one page each! http://www.instantshift.com/2010/05/05/77-latest-examples-of-creative-single-page-website-designs/

  

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  July 23 2010, 5:30am | Comments »

• I posted to smashingmagazine.com

  What Do We Really Mean By Art?

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/og8u1OY4IK4/

  

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  • design
  • art

  July 23 2010, 2:46am | Comments »

• I posted to smashingmagazine.com

  A Complete Guide To Tumblr

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/KQioVlTUHI0/

    Think of Tumblr as micro-blogging on steroids (technically, it’s called “tumblelogging”). Whereas Twitter and similar services limit posts to 140 characters or less, Tumblr lets you post updates of any length, although it’s best suited to short-format posts. Tumblr bridges the gap between full-blown blog and micro-blog.Tumblr is also a great option for designers and creative people, because it gives you complete control over the look of your tumblelog. It also offers great opportunities for theme designers, especially with the recent launch of premium themes (which range in price from $9 to $49). Read on for your complete guide to using and designing for Tumblr.[Offtopic: by the way, did you already get your copy of the Smashing Book?]Why Use Tumblr?Quite simply because Tumblr makes setting up a blog very easy. It also makes it very simple for you to follow other tumbleloggers on the website and to share their content. Tumblr has combined the best parts of blogging and micro-blogging in one. It handles longer-form and multimedia posts, like regular blogs, while encouraging more interaction between tumbleloggers, like micro-blogs.Post FormatsThe fact that Tumblr has built-in formats for a variety of content types makes it stand out from other blogging and micro-blogging platforms. There are templates for text, photos, videos, audio, quotes, links and chat transcripts. Most themes take advantage of the differences between these post types and implement special formatting for each one. You can also add plain text to most of these post types, and you can add images to your text posts. It’s a very flexible system.Because of the unique post formats, Tumblr makes a perfect platform for vlogging and podcasting, as well as for photo blogging. For audio posts, you can even call in a post, requiring nothing more than a phone. You can also email in posts of all types (each type of post has a specific email format).Tumblr APIThe Tumblr API has spawned plenty of third-party apps that let you do all sorts of things with Tumblr. More than a dozen iPhone apps can be used with Tumblr, and at least as many Web services. Desktop and mobile apps are available, as well as widgets and plug-ins that you can use on other websites. You can set up Tumblr to automatically post to your Twitter or Facebook account, too.For developers, the API opens a world of options for creating apps. The API itself is relatively straightforward and anyone with basic PHP and XML skills will have a short learning curve. While dozens of Tumblr apps are already out there, there’s still plenty of room for further expansion.Other Unique FeaturesLike Twitter, Tumblr lets you follow other users and view their posts in your dashboard. Tumblr also gives you the option to reblog or “heart” (the equivalent to a “Like” on Facebook) posts from anyone, whether you follow them or not.Following other users is simple: just click the “Follow” link in the upper-right corner of their tumblelog. That’s also where you’ll find the links to heart or reblog content.Blog OptionsTumblr gives you fairly complete control over how you blog. You can set up group blogs with multiple authors. You can also set up numerous blogs under a single account (each with its own custom options), though only one username is able to follow other tumblelogs. Tumblr even lets you keep private Tumblelogs that are password-protected, so you can share them with those you know or keep them completely personal. Just make sure not to post to your public tumblelog by accident!Getting StartedStarting out with Tumblr is easy. Just sign up on the site, enter your email address and a password and the URL you want to use (something.tumblr.com). You’ll have the option to set up a custom domain name after you’ve signed up. Once your account is set up, you can start posting right away.Themes and CustomizationHundreds of themes are available for Tumblr, most of them for free. Take some time to go through the theme options when you sign up, either to find one for your tumblelog or to get ideas to create your own theme.One thing you may notice with Tumblr themes is that a lot of them have very narrow content areas. While wider themes are available, the vast majority are narrower than 800 pixels (and some even narrower than that).Most Tumblr themes come with some customization options that don’t require any HTML and CSS knowledge (if you plan to create some public themes, you’ll probably want to include some customization options). There’s also an area to enter custom CSS that will override existing styles.You can customize the HTML in any theme, too. Click on the “Customize” link from your dashboard, and then click on “Theme” and “Custom HTML.” This is also how you would create a theme from scratch. You can link to an external style sheet, too (Tumblr has a static file uploader for uploading theme assets).Editing an existing theme is a great way to start designing for Tumblr. It also gives you complete control over how your theme looks and works without having to start from scratch.The BookmarkletThe Tumblr bookmarklet makes it easy to post content from anywhere on the Web. Just drag it to your bookmarks toolbar and use it when you find something to blog about. Depending on the page’s content, a window will pop up suggesting a particular content format for your post. You can change the post type right there or accept its suggestion.Most pages will default to the “Link” post format, but if you’re on Flickr, for example, it will default to the “Photo” format. Likewise, if you’re watching a YouTube video, it will default to the “Video” format.Creating Custom Tumblr ThemesWhile Tumblr makes it easy to customize the HTML and CSS of almost any theme, you may want to start from scratch. If you’ve ever created a theme for another blogging platform or CMS, creating a Tumblr theme won’t be any more difficult. Even if you haven’t created a theme for another CMS, creating a Tumblr theme isn’t much more difficult than creating a standard HTML template.Basic StructureTumblr themes include the same basic parts as any website. There’s usually a header and main content area, as well as an optional sidebar and footer. Beyond that, Tumblr themes are broken down into blocks. Each block on your tumblelog contains some piece of data. For example, there are blocks for each of the post types (text, photo, audio, video, etc.), as well as blocks for things like your tumblelog’s description and “Previous” and “Next” page links.The Tumblr loop has a huge number of variables to take advantage of. You’ll need to define blocks for each post type in order to display them properly in your theme. Beyond that, you choose what to include in your theme.A complete list of Tumblr variables can be found on the Creating a Custom HTML Theme page on Tumblr’s website. The page also includes more information on creating Tumblr themes in general.More on Tumblr Theme VariablesVariables allow you to do various custom things with your Tumblr themes. There are basic variables for things like the theme title, portrait URLs and favicons. There are unique variables for each of the post formats, too. Some formats (like text posts) have only a handful of variables, while others have over a dozen.Creating Public ThemesWith the addition of premium themes, many designers are becoming more interested in creating their own Tumblr themes. You might want to do a few things to a public theme that you might not bother with for a personal theme, though. One of these is creating some customization options that allow users to change things like font colors and which parts of a page to show and hide. Look around at what other themes allow to be customized, and look at the variables that Tumblr uses.Public themes do have a few requirements that may not apply to personal themes. These are:All the theme’s assets have to be hosted on Tumblr.Third-party widgets have to be commented out. This means that you can include the code and instructions on how to enable it, but it must be disabled by default.Your theme must support all of the different post types: text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio and video.It must support the standard tags (check the variables list to see what they are).It must be good-looking and fully functional. Tumblr themes are vetted for quality; unattractive ones won’t make the cut.At the moment, when you submit a theme to Tumblr, it’s free by default. To be able to sell premium themes through the Tumblr directory, you’ll either need to ask or be invited. Overall, the premium themes program is pretty secretive.This doesn’t mean that you can’t sell premium Tumblr themes elsewhere. Theme Forest has a number of Tumblr themes for sale. Other theme developers sell them directly through their own websites. Both are options if you want to get into the premium theme market.Remember to include credit and a link in the footer of your theme, so that visitors can find your other themes and download them. Many users will leave this credit and link as is, giving you potential traffic for your blog.Tumblr-Specific MemesYou may want to consider joining in on some Tumblr-specific trends, events and memes out there.FuckYeah and HellYeahIf you spend any time looking over the variety of tumblelogs on Tumblr, you’re sure to run across blogs that start with the terms “Fuckyeah” and “Hellyeah”: Hell Yeah Cats, Hell Yeah RDJ, Fuck Yeah Cilantro and Fuck Yeah Tattoos are but a few. It’s getting to the point that virtually every topic imaginable has one of these tumblelogs already.Tumblr Tuesdays and Recommended BlogsThink of Tumblr Tuesdays as sort of like Twitter’s #FollowFriday hash tag. Tumblr has a built-in recommendation engine that feeds the directory listings of blogs that are recommended enough as well as the recommended tumblelogs that show up in your dashboard’s sidebar.BaconI suspect that Tumblr has a higher proportion of bacon-related blogs than on any other blogging or micro-blogging service out there. Just a quick search turns up at least half a dozen tumblelogs focused exclusively on bacon.Unfollow FridayPlaying on Twitter’s #FollowFriday hash tag, Unfollow Friday encourages you to post annoying or disgusting things to your tumblelog in an effort to get people to unfollow you. The goal is to see how many people you can get to stop following you.ConclusionWhether you’re looking for a quick and easy platform to post short-format or multimedia posts or you’re interested in developing custom Tumblr themes to give away or sell, this guide should get you on your way. If you have additional resources or tips to share, please do so in the comments below!Further Resources34 Amazing Tumblr Themes—Twitter Could Never Look This Good!Things to Know About Custom Tumblr Theme DesignGetting Started With Tumblr and Custom Theme DesignTheming Tumblr(al)© Cameron Chapman for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: tumblr

  

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  July 22 2010, 6:50am | Comments »

• I posted to smashingmagazine.com

  Designing Style Guidelines For Brands And Websites

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/34_XHV8DJPU/

    A website is never done. Everyone has worked on a project that changed so much after it launched that they no longer wanted it in their portfolio. One way to help those who take over your projects is to produce a style guide.Edward Tufte once said: “Great design is not democratic; it comes from great designers. If the standard is lousy, then develop another standard.” Although there’s no stopping some clients from making their website awful, by creating a style guide, you’re effectively establishing rules for those who take over from you.Why Create A Style Guide?You’ll have an easy guide to refer to when handing over the project.Makes you look professional. They’ll know you did everything for a reasonYou maintain control of the design. When someone does something awful, you can refer them to the document.You avoid cheapening the design, message and branding.Forces you to define and hone your style, making for a more cohesive design.[By the way, did you know we have a brand new free Smashing Email Newsletter? Subscribe now and get fresh short tips and tricks on Tuesdays!]Branding Guidelines: What To Include?Strategic Brand OverviewThis should be short and sweet. In as few words as possible, make clear the vision for this design and any keywords people should keep in mind while designing. Most people will probably flip straight to the picture pages, but they may read a few sentences here. See Kew’s branding guidelines.Kew uses strong photography in its “brand essence” message, with a few paragraphs that both inspire and define the brand. Even if you read only the first sentence, you get a sense of what it’s trying to do. While Kew has quite a few of these message pages, they are intertwined with beautiful photography that themselves define the photographic style and primary message.LogosFor print and Web, most brands revolve around the logo. Make sure you provide logo variations and clarify minimum sizes. See Cunard’s branding guidelines.Cunard provides many variations on its minimum sizes. Because its crest can be displayed either on its own, with the name or with the tagline, specifying minimum sizes is important for legibility (for example, if the logo with the tagline is too small, it will be illegible). See Think Brick’s branding guidelines.Provide logos with different colors, and specify which colours are allowed. Think Brick gives designers a lot of options with its design. The point is to allow flexibility while maintaining consistency.Show Examples of What and What Not to DoYou’re a professional, and you know better than to mess around with logos. But many others will try and think they’ve done a good job. They are so wrong. You must make clear what they can and cannot do with a design. See I Love New York’s branding guidelines.I Love New York has done a great job defining all the things you shouldn’t do with its logo. It has also produced a beautiful (though bit wordy) document.SpacingMany non-designers underestimate the need for white space. Include a spacing reference, especially for the logo. Rather than specifying inches or centimeters, use a portion of the logo (a letter or a shape) to set the clearance. This way, whether the logo is big or small, the space around it will be sufficient. See BlackBerry’s branding guidelines (PDF, 2.2 MB).BlackBerry not only explains its spacing policy, but also uses the capital B in the logo to define the clearance.ColorsAlways include color palettes and what the colors should be used for. And include formats for both print and Web: CMYK, Pantones (if they exist) and RGB (or HEX). Always include a CMYK alternative for Pantones because sometimes matching is hard (especially when Pantone printing is not possible). Specify primary and secondary colours and when and where to use them. See Channel 4’s style guide.Channel 4 shows all of its Web and print colors, and it displays the swatches below an image that helps to define its color palette. See the New School’s branding guidelines.The New School is clear about its primary colors and defines them for both print (Pantone and CMYK) and Web (RGB). Its brand guideline document is beautiful, too. See Christopher Doyle’s Personal Identity Guidelines.Okay, so this one isn’t a traditional branding guideline, but rather a personal identity guideline. Here Christopher Doyle shows off some alternative color palettes. He does a fantastic job of mocking branding guidelines; well worth a look (and chuckle).FontsYou’ll need to define the typefaces to use: sizes, line height, spacing before and after, colors, headline versus body font, etc. Make sure to include Web alternatives for non-Web fonts. See Yale’s typeface.Yale has its own typeface, which it provides to its designers. See Yale’s Visual Identity page.On the typeface section of its website, Yale also details when fonts should be used. It has a specific Web font section, detailing which fonts to use there.Layouts and GridsBy setting up templates and guidelines for grids, you encourage best practices and promote consistency. In Web, preparing some generic templates can curb excessive creativity with the layout. See the Barbican’s branding, print and Web guidelines.For its website, the Barbican has set up building blocks that are both flexible and ordered—meaning they’re likely to remain in a grid.Tone of VoiceA huge component of a brand’s personality is the copy, and defining the tone is a great way to keep a brand consistent. When multiple people are writing the copy, the brand can start to sound like it has multiple personalities. See easyJet’s branding guidelines (PDF, 2 MB).easyJet has a well-defined personality, both verbal and written, and it gives examples for both.Copy-Writing GuideFor those who require clients to write their own copy but want to maintain consistency, a copy-writing style guide can be helpful. Copy-writing is one of those things that most people register subconsciously. When reading, your brain automatically looks for consistency and patterns, and poor copy-writing can ruin the reading flow. See CAN’s branding guidelines (PDF, 845 KB).CAN wants its number formats to look the same. On another page, it defines which spelling variants to use, reminds people of common mistakes and more.ImageryMany designers have established a particular tone in their photographs and images. Show your clients examples, and explain why they are good choices. Show them in the context of your design, and explain why they were chosen for that context. See Zopa’s style sheet (PDF, 3.7 MB).Zopa has done a fantastic job of making its illustrated style clear. Its online style guide is very good, and it offers further tips on how to construct pages around its illustrations in the online style sheet.Bring It All TogetherShow a few examples of what the logo, photography and text look like together and the preferred formats. See Skype’s branding guidelines.Skype has done a fantastic job of showing how it want designers to use its illustrations and photography. It has examples of the subtle differences between good and bad usage. The whole guide is beautiful and well worth a look.Web Guidelines: What To Include?Many people create branding guidelines but forget to include important style guides for the Web. Just like branding guidelines, Web guidelines keep everything consistent, from button styles to navigation structure.Button HierarchyYou’ve carefully decided what all the buttons are for and meticulously defined their states. Unfortunately, the in-house designer hasn’t applied your hover states or has created their own, and they look terrible.Create a page that shows what all links do (including the buttons), the appropriate behavior of each and when to use them (with examples of appropriate usage). If one button is dominant, make clear the maximum number of times it should be used per page (usually once at most). Define the hover, disabled and visited states for all buttons. Gumtree.Gumtree has worked hard to define all button states, especially custom buttons (for example, Post an Ad has a + sign in front of it). These were defined for the Gumtree redesign, which is now live.IconsDefining size and spacing and where to use icons is another great way to promote consistency. If icons should be used only sparingly, make this clear. See ZURB’s icon sizes.Here, the ZURB agency defines icon sizes and when to use them, and it provides clients with an online source from which to download them. ZURB also defines badges and explains their purpose. It believes that its guidelines are best shared online.Navigation (Logged In/Out States)On the Web, good consistent navigation can make or break a website. New pages are often added to a website after the designer is done with it. Have you left some space for this? Doing things like letting people know what to do with new navigation items and showing logged-in states make for a cleaner website. See the BBC’s Global Experience Language.This is one of the most beautiful guidelines I’ve seen. BBC shows what to do with long user names, how much space everything should have and more.Basic Coding GuidelinesThere’s no way to make someone else code like you, but you can offer others basic guidelines that will minimize the damage, such as:CSS class naming conventions Should they use .camelCase or .words-with-dashes?JavaScript integration Are you using jQuery? MooTools? How should new JavaScript be integrated?Form styling Include the code, error states and more so that they understand what style conventions you expect.Doc type and validation requirements Do you allow certain invalid items? Do you expect the CSS and HTML to validate?Directory structure Make clear how you have organized it.Accessibility standards Should people include alt tags? Is image replacement used for non-standard fonts?Testing methods Which standard should they test with? Do you have staging and production websites?Version control What system are you using? How should they check in new code?How To FormatSome branding guidelines have been turned into beautiful books:See the Truth brand guidelines.This beautiful example, which was designed to go with a brand redesign, shows just how beautiful branding guidelines can be.But this requires a substantial budget and a reprint every so often. For most companies with tight budgets, this is not practical. On the Web especially, content is constantly being refined and styles for elements are not set in stone.Here are a few good practices for formatting your guidelines:Include a cover This should include an example of best practices for the logo.Make it beautiful Even if it won’t be printed as a book, you can still make sure the branding guidelines appeal to the viewer. After all, you’re trying to inspire them to use your designs to the highest standards!Include contact details For when they have questions, so that you can prevent bad decisions from being made.Make it easy to access and open Usually this means putting it online or in PDF format. Don’t make it too big; use images sparingly.Make it printable For international companies especially, keep margins big so that the document can be printed in both A4 and US letter sizes. If it’s online, make sure your print style sheets render the document as expected. Don’t do white text on a black background, either: you don’t want the client to have to buy a new ink cartridge every time they print a copy.Make it easy to change Updating, adding new pages and making changes should be easy, because it will happen!Create a mini version Make a short handy guide that has just the basics, in addition to the full version. Both will get used in different instances.Provide print templates whenever possible Things like letterheads, business cards and envelops should have their own templates. While guidelines will help people put things in the right spot, they usually won’t help them get the right resolution or color format. Here’s a useful template for a one-page branding guideline.LengthRemember, people should be able to follow branding guidelines. A 100-page book will engage none but the most diligent designer. Many believe that a concise three-page overview is best for daily use, with a more in-depth 20-page document for more complex tasks. Less is more, usually! See the BBC’s branding guidelines and poster.The BBC has created a detailed 38-page guideline. But it has also produced a beautiful poster for quick reference. It’s a brilliant idea, and it keeps the guidelines at the front of mind.ResourcesThe Web Style Guide, 3rd Edition A comprehensive guide for the Web.Corporate Brand Guidelines A list of design guidelines. Some are old but still useful.Brand Identity A great article from Computer Arts magazine on building your brand identity20 Top Tips for Designing Effective Brand Guidelines, from SaatchiThe Corporate Identity Manual (Brand Style Guide)(al)© Kat Neville for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: brand, branding, guidelines, logo, style

  

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  July 21 2010, 5:49am | Comments »

• I posted to designmeltdown.com

  Beautiful website navigation

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/designmeltdown/uecD/~3/TCtXFnuOUsI/

  Why must all sets like this start with the word “beautiful”…I guess it is accurate though, this is indeed a fine set of sites with beautiful navigation…enjoy. http://www.underworldmagazines.com/beautiful-website-navigation/

  

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  • navigation

  July 21 2010, 5:30am | Comments »

• I posted to smashingmagazine.com

  Complete Beginner’s Guide to Content Strategy

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/TFUMSL645TY/

  A common occurrence: you or someone you know wants to create content and have it published online. A slightly less common occurrence? Having that same someone articulate high aspirations for their content. For those select few, instead of creating content destined for some digital landfill, their content is special; it’s going places and it’s taking them, their brand, and their experience with it.Table of ContentsWhat is Content Strategy?How is Content Strategy performed?Content Strategy LuminariesTools of the TradeRelated ResourcesContent Strategy BooksAdditional ResourcesConsistently publishing content requires that we deal with a foe known as content management. Content management is just what it sounds like: a way to manage the creation and dissemination of content. To systematically do that, it’s imperative that publishers employ what’s (aptly) known as content management systems (CMSs). The most common of kind of which is called a blog.To be sure, all this jargon is difficult to succinctly summarize; I have to assume that you, dear reader, know the basic mechanics of blogging and content management. That way we can discuss the larger issues at hand, such as strategy. If you don’t, you might want to turn back now …But back to content. If you or someone you know is getting ready to unleash content on the world, what guides the creation efforts?At this point, visual design—design of the actual CMS itself—is irrelevant. Nobody should really discuss what the system will look like (expect, maybe, the visual thinkers in the room), but instead, the heart of the matter: what’s this all about? What content will this website deliver? Moreover, when will it deliver it?And everyone wants to add their $0.02. It’s kind of like debating what content should be on the homepage. Which is another thing: what content should be on the homepage?Egads. Content, you’ll find, is everywhere.In this article, we’ll take a brief look at Content Strategy—that odd amalgamation of Web Savvy, Information Architecture and editorial process that adds up to something infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. You’ll learn when and where to apply strategy to your content endeavors and when you should simply raise your hand and start asking the important questions.Back to topWhat is Content Strategy?“Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content,” says Kristina Halvorson, author of the book Content Strategy for the Web.“It plots an achievable roadmap for individuals and organizations to create and maintain content that audiences will actually care about. It provides specific, well-informed recommendations about how we’re going to get from where we are today (no content, or bad content, or too much content) to where we want to be (useful, usable content people will actually care about).”Taking a step back, Louis Rosenfeld adds:“If [Information Architecture] is the spatial side of information, I see content strategy as the temporal side of the same coin.” This abstraction is important: If Information Architecture helps us say “where” content lives, Content Strategy tells us decide “when” it lives. The combination, in due course, helps us as well as our clients understand “why” it’s there in the first place.This quote from Louis carries extra significance because it’s based on actual experience. You see, Louis is the guy behind the UX publishing house Rosenfeld Media. His company makes real, honest-to-goodness books. You can hold them in your hand.So if I had to guess, Louis knows quite a bit about Content Strategy—even though he might not identify someone well-versed in it—because Content Strategy is part and parcel to the publishing world.Digital PublishingThe distance between print and the web, when it comes to a prudent publication process, isn’t all that vast. In fact, if you think about all of the stuff required to publish books—authors, reviewers, technical editors, copy editors, publishers, graphic designers, distributors, etc.—you begin to see that their analogous roles on the web are just, by default, not designed into the process …at least, not when everyone and their mom can publish content.Content Strategy is the way forward. It helps both clients and project teams understand what content is being produced, how it’s being produced, by whom, when, and why.Back to topHow is Content Strategy DoneKristina Halvorson, in her article The Discipline of Content Strategy, says that “at its best, a content strategy defines:key themes and messagesrecommended topicscontent purpose (i.e., how content will bridge the space between audience needs and business requirements)content gap analysismetadata frameworks and related content attributessearch engine optimization (SEO), andimplications of strategic recommendations on content creation, publication, and governance.”That means that, at their best, strategists will provide a document explaining how their teams will accomplish these goals.Relly Annett-Baker, in her article Why you need a Content Strategist, points to a rough methodology: When we first meet, I ask a lot of questions about how your business works, what messages you want to get across and what your business’/products’ best features are. I look at (and sometimes create) the wireframes and the proposed information architecture of your website, consider interaction instructions, and [determine] whether a message is best explained with a screencast or a series of step-by-step by pictures.The Content LifecycleContent, just like the websites they inhabit, are living, changing things. When strategists seek to assess and improve the quality of a website’s content, they typically follow a four-part process. The following diagram (used with permission) was created by Rahel Bailie while the descriptions of the phases were borrowed from Jonathan Kahn’s articles Content Strategy for the Web Professional: AnalyzeIn this phase, strategists figure out what what kind of content they’re dealing with. Jonathan suggests: Ask questions about content, right from the start. Utilize user research or personas to decide what content is needed. Answer the question, “who cares?” Carry out a content audit, and/or a gap analysis.CollectHere we figure out (or plan for) the commonalities across our website’s content. Jonathan recommends: Establish key themes and messages. Write a plan for creating and commissioning content. Insist that the client plans for content production over time (an editorial calendar).Publish In this phase, we’ll see our content through to publication: where does it live on the website and how does it get there? Jonathan recommends: Annotate wireframes and sitemaps to explain how both interaction and content will work. Specify CMS features like content models, metadata, and workflow based on the content strategy. Write and aggregate your killer content.ManageAfter we’ve published content, it’s time to look back, see what worked, and plan for the future. Jonathan says: Write comprehensive copy decks, based on common templates. Write a style guide for tone of voice, SEO, linking policy, and community policy.Back to topContent Strategy LuminariesRahel Anne Bailie Rahel is the principal of Intentional Design, a Content Strategy consultancy. There, she and a select group of professional partners help organizations create and better manage their communication products. Her blog posts spark great discussions on the nature of content strategy. Learn more about RahelMargot Bloomstein Margot Bloomstein is an independent brand and content strategy consultant based in Boston. She focuses on crafting brand-appropriate user experiences to help organizations effectively engage their target audiences and project key messages with consistency and clarity. She’s presently on the road. Follow Margot’s travelsKristina Halvorson Kristina is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading web content strategists. She is the founder and president of Brain Traffic, a web content agency, and the author of Content Strategy for the Web. Checkout Kristina’s ConsultancyColleen Jones Colleen Jones is a Content Strategist based in Atlanta, GA. For more than 13 years, Colleen has created successful interactive experiences for a variety of industries and brands. She’s presently working on a book about Content Strategy (CLOUT: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content) due this December. Learn more about ColleenJonathan Kahn Jonathan is a self–described web developer, user experience designer, and basmati rice maestro. He lives in London. At his blog, lucid plot, he writes about working on the web, covering subjects such as web standards, user experience design, and content strategy. Read Jonathan’s BlogErin Kissane Erin Kissane is a writer and editorial strategist who focuses on clear and precise business communication as a prerequisite for strong relationships with employees and customers. Erin serves as an editor of the quaint little publication, A List Apart. Read Erin’s BlogRachel Lovinger Rachel is a Senior Content Strategist at Razorfish. She’s on a never-ending quest to understand how people make sense of information, and how to make it easier for them. She recently finished NIMBLE, a report on publishing in the digital age. Read Rachel’s BlogJeffrey MacIntyre Jeffrey is a New York-based freelance journalist and interactive media consultant. He’s worked in various editorial positions over the years, spanning print, web and television production. Currently, he manages the content strategy agency Predicate, LLC. Read Jeffrey’s BlogKaren Mcgrane Karen McGrane is a user experience professional, content strategist, information architect, and interaction designer. She runs a company is called Bond Art + Science. In addition, she’s a professor of the MFA program in Interaction Design at SVA. Phew. Read Karen’s BlogOn Twitter@rahelab Follow@mbloomstein Follow@halvorson Follow@lucidplot Follow@kissane Follow@leenjones Follow@rlovinger Follow@jeffmacintyre Follow@karenmcgrane FollowBack to topTools of the tradeContent strategists are always discussing better ways to get valuable content from their clients to their audience. So, while the list below is indicative of the tools that a strategist might use, they’re by no means prescriptive.Wordpress WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. It’s far and away the most popular blogging platform, and its vibrant community is committed to helping authors spend less time reading documentation and more time writing their content. Creating a publishing process with Wordpress is a (relative) snap. (And hey, it runs this blog, so how bad could it be?)Learn more about Wordpress.Expression Engine Expressions Engine is a full–featured CMS. That is to say, if your organization wants to publish more than just blog entries, they should give this a look. Expression Engine is nice because it allows for for segmentation: particular people can edit particular parts of your website. Although newer, shinier CMSes are born everyday, EE is still a formidable workhorse.Learn more about Expression Engine.Facebook Facebook has helped define a social revolution. Regardless of whether you think that’s good or bad, it’s far and away one of the best channels to meet with and engage your website’s audience.Learn more about Facebook Marketing.Twitter Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows an individual or organization to send timely updates out into the world. Like Facebook, it’s helped define what it means for someone to be social in the digital space.Learn more about Twitter for businesses.Microformats, Metadata, Tagging Microformats, Metadata, and Tagging mechanisms help content authors (and publishers alike) append information about the content that they’re publishing. In turn, this provides anyone looking for that content and easy way to find it.Learn more about Microformats.Google Analytics Google Analytics is the self–described enterprise-class web analytics solution. What does this mean to you? Google Analytics gives you insight into your website’s effectiveness through a variety of metrics; including bounce rate, keyword frequency, etc. Married with web analytics and measurement, this enables content strategists to gauge contents efficacy.Back to topRelated ResourcesWriting Content TemplatesOne of Erin’s older posts, this describes how to create and utilize content templates in your production process. From the article: A content template is a simple document that serves two purposes: it’s a paragraph-level companion to your website’s wireframes … and it’s a simple, effective means of getting useful information from your experts to your writers … you might think of content templates as a kind of wizard for content development.Example Content StrategiesIn this post, Colleen Jones provides a couple of short examples of what might be found in a content strategy. Consider these as good “jumping off” points as you author your own.Back to topContent Strategy BooksThe Web Content Strategist’s Bible: The Complete …Content Strategy for the WebManaging Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that WorksGroundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social TechnologiesBack to topFurther ReadingThe Discipline of Content Strategy by Kristina HalvorsonContent-tious StrategyThe Case for Content Strategy—Motown StyleWhy Everything Sucks, Why That’s Awesome, and How It’s Changing UsContent Strategy: The Philosophy of DataThe NIMBLE ReportToward a Content-Driven Design ProcessIntentional Communication: Expanding our Definition of User Experience DesignContent Strategy – a knol by Jeffrey MacIntyreContent Strategy for the Web ProfessionalContent Strategy for Everybody (Even You)A “Do It Yourself” Guide to Content Strategy — a presentation by Jonathan KahnIn Defense of Lorem IpsumWeb Content Strategy – How to Plan for, Create and Publish Online Content for Maximum ROI

  

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  July 20 2010, 6:30am | Comments »

• I posted to smashingmagazine.com

  The Creative vs. The Marketing Team: Yin And Yang, Oil And Water

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/VXx6AtEGsPc/

    Smashing Editorial: Please notice that the language in some parts of this article may be very informal. If you think you might be offended, please stop reading this article now.I hate the division represented in this title. It’s the major stumbling block in modern business. Power struggle is never constructive, and it at least doubles workforce effort at a time when streamlined is crucial for a positive ROI. You can spell “team” from the word “marketing,” but I’ve yet to see a sense of it in marketing. What can one spell from “creative”? “Reactive”? I’ve seen plenty of that, and for good reason.Don’t get me wrong: I love marketing as a practice! Relatively speaking, marketing is a fairly new practice, and one that has to evolve each day to keep up with consumerism and technology. As a designer, coming up with marketing ideas is orgasmic. Guerilla, sabotage and viral marketing are the work of genius, which is why we don’t see them very often. But you are probably thinking horrid thoughts about marketing practitioners right now, so let’s rethink for a second.I have known a handful of great marketing people in my career, and they were smart enough to form their own companies. They always managed to do the delicate dance to create something that was effective and not just popular with anyone who might, oddly enough, have an opinion. And then there are the people you see every dreadful day.[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]It’s A Diverse Crowd Out ThereI have a ton of marketing stories, but my favorite one comes from when I was art directing and designing a major push for a new licensed character across all marketing channels. The staff and I worked like crazy to get the lines done in time for approval. It took months — that’s how many lines there were.After our submission for approval from the licensor, a member of the marketing staff, lower level, came to me, telling me the changes that were needed. First off, don’t tell someone the changes: write them down so that there’s no misunderstanding. Luckily, I was taking notes. One of the changes called for major surgery on the main character to remove markings on their face. It made no sense to me, and I questioned it, but he stood fast and insisted that that’s what the licensor wanted. I asked to see the email from the licensor.“No.”I asked that he email the licensor to ask for clarification.“No.”The most infuriating thing was that this over-sized man with a cherubic face, looked like Baby Huey from the old Harvey Comics. Sounded a bit like him, too. It was hard to speak with him without laughing. As his new nickname circulated through several departments, a contest started among the staff to try to deal with Baby Huey without laughing.I knew trouble was brewing, and so, like any smart person who would make file copies or turn off layers, the art staff and I stated cutting the image and placing everything the licensor wanted removed on a hidden layer. We did this to hundreds of pieces. A month later, we submitted the changes, and then (surprise, surprise) the licensor ripped marketing a new one for removing the marking, so essential to the character. An impromptu witch-hunt was held right outside the art department, next to the marketing offices. The president personally led it.Without wasting any more column space than is needed to state the obvious, Baby Huey was spanked… and I believe the president actually asked him, “What is your major malfunction, Baby Huey!?”The best part was when I was asked how long it would take to fix it. Explaining to the lay person that I would simply turn on some layers in Photoshop took longer than actually turning them on, but I scored big points with the president, while my “marketing step-brother” was sent to military school.This doesn’t happen enough. But it does and can happen! At another corporation, marketing was publicly spanked for taking eleven-and-a-half weeks to work on an initiative that had only twelve weeks in total — giving creative, copy and design three or four days to execute lines for hundreds of products. Creative would always get it done, so action to stop it took a while, but the grumbling and angry staff meetings got some relief in the form of at least six weeks.Are We Or They The Strange Ones?What do creatives look like to non-creatives? Obviously, everyone thinks they can design an ad or logo in Microsoft Word, so immediately we become snooty, whining snobs. A great marketing person I worked with wrote a recommendation for me and said, “…great designs without a lot of creative baggage!”“Creative baggage.” What could that mean? For anyone who has wrangled creatives, whether staff or freelance, we can be intolerable freaks. It’s hard to remember the last creative who actually followed my art direction without an argument or apology. We are also weak and lack the social skills to deal with corporate power. We often give up our power in an effort to be seen as “flexible” or “a team player.”An art director who was firmly a puppet on the hand of the company she worked for gave me this recommendation: “He usually hits strategy, but if some adjustments need to be made, he is very open to suggestion and direction. [Speider] has worked with our team for a long time and understands our process.”The process was that I went into meeting all smiles, told a few jokes and did exactly what I was told to do. The pay check helped me live with myself.In most cases, that means doing what you’re told by anyone bold enough to speak their opinion about the creative process and not be questioned. I have had to pull marketing co-workers aside and remind them that we were both reporting to the same person and that no one ever told me anything about reporting to them. I’m not “being difficult”: I’m taking control of my work for my department so that I don’t have to take the fall for failed initiatives and low sales down the road that result from someone else’s design decisions. I never get angry or aggressive, although people who have worked with me say that my sarcasm could be deadly at times. Baby Huey’s ghost haunts me.Be Different, But Expect The SameJust the other day, a client showed me a product catalog that I thought was from 1972. It was their 2010 catalog, and the creative department’s directors asked me to bring one of their paper products into the present (or future) and do “something different.” I love when they say that.I did some of the finest work of my career… some good work. The creatives were really on board, and revisions were almost non-existent. Imagine basically having free reign to design some fun and impressive paper products and having the full support of your clients? Well, no good effort goes unpunished, and I was informed that the marketing department rejected the work in favor of a catalog that looked like a sequel to the one from 1972.What has the fear in business done to our ability to make fast, hard decisions in the marketplace? Safe and take-a-step-back has gotten us into the mess we’re in right now. How do we get out of it? I include this passage from someone who would refer to himself only as a “suit.”I have to have the confidence that the design solution is meeting the needs of the client and is achieving strategic/tactical goals. Because of that, if there are elements of your design that I’m uncomfortable with, I will call them out and, in some cases, will nix them. Similarly for the client, they have to be comfortable about how their own brand is being presented, how their market will react, even how their own staff will react.“How their market will react.” That should be the only concern. And how did this “suit” become the tip of the approval funnel? The truth is that people can’t let go without second- and third-guessing what will be successful. It’s not a question of whether, say, a good marketing plan based on researched demographics would improve a creative brief that professional designers and writers could use to create a cohesive package. The reality is more like, “Just design, and I’ll make changes until I see what I like.” That always makes for a great waste of time and resources.Business is tight for many reasons, but just one wrong move could cost you big time. My question is, if the marketing plan is sound and the sales staff is competent, then why would those simple little changes that are requested to please people truly affect the product?”You know, Bob, I was about to buy that package of Fluggelbinders that I wanted, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”“Too expensive?”“No. The color of the package turned me off.”Happens like that every day, doesn’t it?! I used that exchange in a committee meeting in which the background color of an exclusive product was discussed and sampled for a week. The marketing manager turned to me and said that he had negated marketing’s input. I thought marketing’s responsibility was to figure out the target audience, their habits, income and so on and how to best reach them through media and other advertising venues — not how blue or green the product should be? Silly me! Maybe it’s a marketing secret that can’t be shared with creative. They’re spies for… something.Do You Want To Get Involved In Office Politics?What can one say when sitting in a committee meeting and subjective suggestions are flying around, usually contradicting each other, and people are echoing previous requests but adding “More red” or “Bigger logo” or “I’ll know when I see it”? I sit and listen, take notes and then turn to my contact (if it’s a freelance job) and ask what he or she would like me to implement. To be sickeningly submissive, I say, “Some great insights here, but some are counter to the creative brief and some other directions suggested here.”I turn to the art director, boss, marketing person or whoever hired me and ask them to go over what they think will be needed. Usually, they tell me just to follow what I was told in the committee meeting. This is when I’m thankful for hourly rates, because the Frankenstein created by the committee is usually too monstrous to please anyone. It goes around and around as long as more than one person has a final say on the project. Imagine what would happen if too many cooks worked on a dish. The chefs I know are insane and would stab and de-bone each other.When freelancing, you are removed from the eternal struggle between creative and marketing. You are only a tool used by creative and a bludgeon used by marketing to wield its power over creative. Just ignore it and let the creative department deal with it.But what happens when you are the art director or designer on staff? If you are, then prepare for office politics. The struggle between creative and marketing has nothing to do with design or marketing: it is the good old human impulse to assert one’s power over others, to be the alpha dog.Whatever your position or department, everyone in it is jockeying for some measure of power over others, from the frowning minimum-wage guard at the front desk who tells you to sign in (as you’re doing it) to the mail deliverer who won’t give you your mail away from your desk to the co-worker who tries to convince you that part of their job is now your job or that part of your authority is now theirs.Humans usually spend a lot of effort blending in with the herd and shying away from confrontation. Confrontational people know this and use it. When the person taking your order asks if you want to super-size it, do you say “Sure” or “No”? You say yes because your brain and protective nature tell you to go the easy route and say yes. Less aggravation. Why do good girls like bad boys? Because we… I mean they go against the herd, they break with convention, and they’re confrontational.So, it stands to reason, while you’re in the workplace — where you face the pressure of HR rules, progress reports and the ever-present cliques of workers and executives — that you would feel alone and stay away from confrontational co-workers. But you can bet that they will at least size you up from day one, if not start stealing your authority and setting a standard that will follow you throughout your career at that firm.You must start a new job with basic knowledge of your rights as an employee. Listen, and be bold, compassionate and assured. Show no fear, and show that being flexible is not the same as being a wimp. Any business book will tell you that the weak die. You have to set your own boundaries when starting a job. If you “wait and see,” then standards will be set for you as you adjust to the learning curve. If you relinquish any territory, you will not be able to get it back. You will open yourself to charges like, “That’s the way it’s always been done, and you said nothing last time.”(By the way, a comeback to that last line is, “It may have been done that way in the past, but part of my job is to streamline the process to get the best results, faster and more efficiently. I’m sure you’ll love what my system will do for the workflow and product.”)As with any situation, your gut will tell you what’s right and wrong, as will your job description. To whom do you report? To whom do others report? If a marketing person reports to the same person as you or is lower on the corporate ladder, why would you let them dictate anything if you were not told to follow their lead? Sometimes, someone may be assigned to oversee all aspects of a project. In that case, they are the boss, and that’s that… but that role ends when the project ends.If a colleague of yours on the same rung of the corporate ladder makes a poor suggestion in a committee meeting, it’s best to nod and just not execute it. Either you’ll never hear a word about it or the colleague will approach you about it — in which case you shouldn’t respond that you don’t have to take their suggestion, which could be labeled as “confrontational” (it’s always the people who defend themselves who are “confrontational”), but rather that their idea, after much consideration, was found to have no merit. Simple and easy. It deflates their ego and could lead to sexual performance problems down the line. How can you argue with that?“I thought my suggestions were good!”“Sorry, but I didn’t think so, and no one else echoed your concerns.”(This cuts the person off from others by setting a line that people would rather not cross. You are showing strength as the alpha dog. The pack will fall on your side.)A more direct and devastating attack would be to ask, “Why do you think I’m incapable of doing my job?” This is a heart-stopper because it cannot be answered. They may argue that you lack team vision or that they’re protecting the client’s interests. Again, ask why they think you haven’t fulfilled the team’s vision, drawn from the creative briefs, and why they see you as acting against the client’s interests.It’s like a fistfight. It lasts only a few seconds before the herd breaks it up… Yes, this is confrontation. Even confrontational people are taken aback when confronted, unless they are psychotic — in which case, pray that HR rules keep them from turning violent. And if they do become violent, taking a knuckle sandwich from your lunchbox is a small price to pay to see the aggressor fired and spend a night or two in county jail awaiting a bail hearing, opening the way for you for a civil lawsuit. A win-win situation!On the other hand, you might encounter a “squeaky wheel,” who runs to the boss demanding “respect” and a title over you. Often, in the interest of a quick resolution, the boss lets the squealer have their way. You’re only hope is to calmly state your case, note your accomplishments without the squealer’s input, and add that it’s a business office and not a therapist’s office for people to work out their personal problems by laying them on others. Firm, direct and sound.If Squeaky gets their way, then you’re doomed. But then, you don’t really want to work in a place like that anyway. If the boss would so easily knock you down the ladder, then you need a new boss. If you get your way, others will fear confronting you. I think coining the name for Baby Huey may have frightened my colleagues into avoiding my displeasure and gaining a nickname of their own.The Enemy Within?Once you establish that you are not a push-over, most people will respect your boundaries, and the natural order will be restored… with an occasional bump as a stray member of the herd probes your weak spots. Those weak spots, as some will discover, are your department colleagues: lowly designers and writers who will surely tremor when someone storms into the office and demands the changes that “I called for in the meeting.” Now you, as that lowly worker, have another problem. You have just given up your power to a stranger and put your creative director in a tough spot. Your actions affect how your supervisor controls the department and your job.The proper thing to do is to tell the intruder that you are just a designer or writer and that they really need to speak to the creative director so that they can assign the proper revisions and work. Then smile and point to the creative director’s office. If your colleagues are on their toes, one of them will summon the creative director to come into the department and protect his or her minions from intruders. I’ve done it a gazillion times.Summon your righteous indignation, flair your nostrils and imitate the tiger. When the interloper leaves, send an email gently reminding them that they must come to you for any requests, because only you know everyone’s schedule, and all changes must be signed off by you, as department head. Don’t assume that HR will intercede to stop this; they believe that the process should be flexible enough to keep work flowing. And as long as the bloody wound isn’t squirting arterial red like a fountain, HR likes as few problems as possible.Points to RememberYou were around. In fact, aside from occasional bathroom breaks and meetings, you’re around 12 hours a day on average.You are responsible for everything that comes out of your department and will be held accountable for it.People want their way and will try anything to get it.Don’t allow people under your authority to sabotage your power or security.Prepare a response to an objection or make a list of responses for when a ridiculous argument is used to attack you.HR wants the easiest path to peace and calm. Present all squealers as troublemakers and not team players. Use corporate-speak to your advantage.Sometimes you will lose the battle. Sometimes you will also lose the war. Form as many strong allies in the company as you can. The higher the executive level, the better!Does someone want to comment on a design in a conference meeting? Make some well-educated comments yourself. Perhaps you see a hole in the marketing plan, or the project doesn’t have enough creative time, or the sales material is a week past deadline. Bring it up gently and kindly. I believe that’s called passive-aggressive. Use it!Grab power, and don’t wait for it to be offered. Take on an extra project; start an initiative yourself; or earn a few million dollars for the company. They’ll sit up and take notice.Power grabs are often made by people too incompetent to do their own work, and public displays of “directing” are thought to mask that incompetence. They often are. But handled correctly, they aren’t, because they won’t get the chance.Every Relationship Has Good And Bad TimesWhen I worked at one large corporation, I was closing up my office and the art department at 7:00 pm on a Friday night when a young woman from the marketing department caught me in the hallway and asked to step into my now locked office. She immediately went into an act about how “her” project was so important and how I had to do it by Monday and email it to her because she would be away for the weekend.I looked at her in silence. I asked who she reported to and learned it was one of my subordinates (if you went by the order on the corporate masthead). I told her I would talk to her boss on Monday to find out why she would have the utter nerve to hope that I would be in the office at 7:00 pm on a Friday night and then expect me to work all weekend on something that was not important enough for such a tight deadline. She stormed off.I don’t remember why I was late on Monday, but as I walked down the hall, people were shouting for me to check my email. There was an email from the young lady I spoke with on Friday evening. She must have gone back to her office and written a very angry message, courtesy copying the entire corporate division, about how unwilling I was to work on her project, and how she was cancelling it, and how I was costing the company millions of dollars and immortal souls, and hail Satan, hail Satan, and so on.In walks her boss, one of those fine marketing people who I mentioned do exist. The young lady had the project for three weeks (grabbing it as her first project and naturally wanting to make a big splash), and as I suspected, it wasn’t time sensitive… Mind you, she sat on it for the previous three weeks, and it did have to be at the printer the very next day. Being of sound minds, the head of marketing and I were able to come up with a solution, work hard together and make the deadline. Creative and marketing did it… together, with no arguments or stepping on each other’s toes or egos, and we both shared in the glow of accomplishment. It can happen. Maybe we just need guns to our heads at the time?(al)© Speider Schneider for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags:

  

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  July 20 2010, 4:01am | Comments »

• I posted to smashingmagazine.com

  Content Management System (CMS) Icon Set (12 Free Icons)

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/Ji3NBgWNY_I/

    Today we are glad to release CMS Icon Set, a set with 12 high quality icons in 48×48px, available in the .png-format. The set was designed to be used in content management systems, but can also be useful for other user interface designs. This goodie was designed by the Russian design studio Pixel-Mixer and released especially for Smashing Magazine and its readers.Download the icon set for free!You can use the set for all of your projects for free and without any restrictions. You can freely use it for both your private and commercial projects, including software, online services, templates and themes. The set may not be resold, sublicensed or rented. Please link to this article if you want to spread the word.download the set (zip, 0.1 Mb)Behind the designAs always, here are some insights from the designers:This Smashing CMS icon set was designed by the Russian studio Pixel-Mixer. It contains 12 high-quality icons in the 48×48px in the .png format. You are welcome to use this set for your commercial and private projects, it’s a gift from Pixel-Mixer to Smashing Magazine readers, from Russia with love!Thank you very much, guys! We appreciate your efforts.[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that there is a Smashing eBook Series? Book #1 is Professional Web Design, 242 pages for just $9,90.]Related PostsYou may be interested in the following related releases:The Ultimate Free Web Designer’s Icon Set (750 icons, incl. PSD sources)Free Medical Icons Set (60 Icons)Yummy! Free Food and Cakes Icon Set (20 Icons)Quartz Icon Set (90 clean sharp icons)gCons: Free All-Purpose Icons for Designers and Developers (100 icons + PSD)© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: Freebies, Icons

  

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  July 19 2010, 4:41pm | Comments »

• I posted to designmeltdown.com

  Musician sites

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/designmeltdown/uecD/~3/F1f4S0HiZBQ/

  Musical sites have to potential to really enhance the success of an artist, fortunately this collection is a great set of inspiration in this niche. http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/web-roundups/inspiration-the-top-35-musician-web-designs/

  

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  • Music Sites

  July 19 2010, 5:30am | Comments »

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