Web Design Trends of 2012 (part one)

One of my favorite things about a new year is all the predictions and top 10 lists. As a designer I can’t help but read them all and wonder what will our clients need in 2012. I compiled a list from the many lists out there of our top 15 trends for 2012 that we hope to see!

Now what might work in one industry online may not in another. So please do not try and put each and every trend on your site - instead think about what your audience wants!

Of course we won’t know until next year if these trends will last, but it sure is fun thinking about what may be ahead as we work on your site this year!

TRENDS:

1. Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design is design that uses standards-based technologies to make them more flexible, and adaptable to the media that renders them.

For more information: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-web-design/
Design examples: http://designmodo.com/responsive-design-examples/

2. Vector Art
Mostly in the form of site mascots (see Mozilla, Firefox and MailChimp for examples.)
Vector art is easier to rescale than a photograph which can help when you need this mascot on everything from the home page to a small button.

3. Circles
Not just rounded edges, but circles big and small!
Circular shapes are smooth and encourage eye contact from your visitors.
Of course I am all for this bubbly design element.

4. Custom Fonts
Breaking away from the standard fonts and being able to see them on different browsers. Check out Typekit or Google Web Fonts.
With this tool you embed a bit of JavaScript which allows you to write any custom font into CSS styles.

5. Minimalist Design
Ultimately the goal of any website is to get your visitors from point A to B as quickly as possible. Simple, intuitive interfaces are the way of our future. We always suggest you spend some time writing and drafting out ideas for your navigation, page hierarchy, headings, content area etc. Pre-planning can go a long way towards simplifying everything!

Trends #6-10 coming next week!

Happy Birthday JameyB!

Oh hello there, another year has gone by and I seem to be another year older.
I think I will adopt the quote below for 2012 :)

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." ~Mark Twain

Thank you for all the birthday wishes - feeling very loved!

HAPPY 15th ANNIVERSARY YOUR PLAN B COMPANY!

So much has changed since the first day of business back in January 1997. Websites have evolved in their design from plain grey backgrounds, limited fonts, small screen resolutions and cms options. And we have evolved as well! Luckily we like the challenge of new technology and design, are slightly obsessed with usability and love to help our clients try new marketing approaches.

We started our company in a small 2 bedroom apartment on Lawrence and Broadway (heart of Uptown). In 2001, we moved into our cozy back office on Sheridan. We have had a variety of talent work with us over the years - many have become close friends too! And we look forward to working with you into the future.

Extra thank you to some special clients who have been with us for over 10 years!
ChicagoHistoryMuseum.org, CorridorsofVision.org, FieldofGreens.us, LakeviewBaseballClub.com, MotorBrains.com, OTRassn.org, RosensteinPropertyLaw.com, Spatulatta.com, SRosenstein.com, UIC-CFDC.org, WomanRoadWarrior.com
(visit our portfolio for all our projects!)

We thank you for your continued support!
There isn’t anything we would rather be doing than creating award winning websites and online marketing for you :)

End Piracy, Not Liberty!

Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web

Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.

Too much is at stake – please vote NO on PIPA and SOPA.

Martin Luther King Day

“In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.” (thanks wikipedia)

Learn more and be inspired!!
thekingcenter.org
nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
great-quotes.com/quotes/author/Martin+Luther/King

Freelance web developers wanted

Your Plan B Company is looking to build long-term relationships with freelance web developers who are not just between jobs but truly enjoy the freelance lifestyle. If you’re a rock star developer and would like to add to your client list while working on cool projects, we want to hear from you!

We are looking for web developers skilled in front-end development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, j-Query), PHP, MySQL and Drupal. On a less frequent basis, we will need web developers with experience in ASP.NET, Cold Fusion, Joomla and WordPress. If you have any combination of these skills, get in touch with us today!

Your Plan B Company understands how to work with freelancers because, believe it or not, back in the day we were! Learn more about our projects at yourplanb.com

Here how to let us know you want to be part of our freelance network:
- send an email to freelance@yourplanb.com
with the following information in the body

NAME
PHONE
CITY, STATE
HOURLY RATE
SKILLSETS (Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, HTML, Java, PHP etc)
LINKS to 3 work examples

And please answer the following questions:
COOKIES OR CHIPS?
COFFEE OR TEA?
FACEBOOK OR GOOGLE+?
MAC OR WINDOWS?
SKYPE OR PHONE?

Once we receive your email we will follow up with you to see how we can work together. THANK YOU!

Happy New Year 2012!

What are your website resolutions?

1. create your SEO plan (and meta tags!)
2. update that tired content
3. tie in your social marketing efforts
4. new photos of you and your team
5. refresh your print marketing
6. try something new!

Give us call to help with any of your website resolutions! We would be happy to brainstorm your website refresh, marketing plan or SEO missions with you.