This action has been taken by Foxfire and Chrome as a security precaution. While viewing secure https sites, visitors are accustomed to seeing and expect a small paddock icon. This symbol assures them that the site is secure.

However, inadvertently or deliberately, similar icons have been used on non-secure sites, and visitors may be taking a risk by entering their personal information on the non-secure sites.

Click here to read an excellent post on the disappearing favicon  by Lenny Zeltser, whose blog focuses on information security.

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Viva! Tangerine Tango

It’s here at last! The 2012  Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango!

Yes, we have moved from Honeysuckle in 2011 to Tangerine in 2012. For that I am grateful as Honeysuckle is not a favorite color of mine. It is muted, a bit weak (can’t seem to make up its mind. Is it pink? Is it orange?). But now we have a color that clearly knows it place in the spectrum: Tangerine Tango.

These annual colors seem to reflect the general feeling of our global population. From indecisive honeysuckle to vibrant tangerine, we are heading towards a more optimistic future. Even the name — Tangerine Tango — conjures up visions of joy, activity and promise.

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

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After much angst we stepped back and looked at what was truly needed: a method to process credit card sales for only a few items.

At that point a call was made to PayPal. PayPal securely processes transactions, has SSL Certificates, makes creating the “Buy Now” button very easy, generates reports,and holds receipts in an account until withdrawn by the site owner  — all for a small fee. Easy, fast, simple. The ability to purchase via the new site (NOT an e-commerce site) was available the same day.

To learn more about this affordable solution for online credit card payments, go to PayPal.com.

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Image Source: Shutterstock

These lovely illustrations are becoming more and more popular. They are visually appealing and the crafty, hand-made look are perfect for many projects.

Try using one of these images in your next design project. For more “Paper Craft” images, visit Shutterstock.

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A newsletter I subscribe to — Hongkiat.com Online Tips for Designers and Bloggers —  recently published an issue on black and white photography. For Hongkiat.com, the issue is their blog. For me it was pure enjoyment.

Image Source: Michel Rakjovic

To view more beautiful examples of black and white photography, visit the Hongkiat.com Inspiration page.

The post More than Code and Content appeared first on Signature Graphic Design - Website Design, Graphic Design, Email Marketing.

1. Contrast – nothing makes a design more interesting than contrast. It can be a contrast of colors, fonts, and sizes. The eye is immediately drawn to contrast.
2. Consistency – be consistent with your graphical elements, or font usage, or alignment. Without it, your piece will appear scattered and unplanned.
3. Organization – group together similar blocks of information. Make clear distinctions in the layout of the different types of information you are presenting.

Make your reader’s journey into your promo piece an easy and pleasant one.

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Communicating with your customers is made extraordinarily easy with email marketing. It is quick, easy and fits into any budget.

Most email marketing services offer templates and graphics to ensure your email looks professional. Add your company logo, and you have a customized email just for your organization.

Your imported contact list can be grouped into meaningful categories: you can choose to send to all your contacts or selected groups, depending on the message you are communicating. And the reports you receive (ie Constant Contact reports) are invaluable: how many opens, how many click-throughs. The reports allow you to explore how your message is being received, and do you need to change up your subject line, or your content?

When to use Email Marketing

The uses are multifold for email marketing. Beyond simply staying in touch with your clients, use emails to:

• Update programs/events/schedules
• Remind contacts of due dates/events
• Send coupons – always nice to receive
• Acknowledge accomplishments
• Press Releases
• Inform contacts about changes in your organization
• Request feedback (see Constant Contact’s Online Surveys)
• Invite (see Constant Contact’s Event Marketing)

Email marketing is useful anytime your company needs to communicate to your contacts, customers, members, etc.

Check out Constant Contact’s 60 Free Trial. It’s fun, it’s effective, and it’s a must!

 

Trusted Email Marketing

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YES! Content Management Systems are growing in popularity and use. Although the initial systems install, design, construction, training and search engine optimization should all be done by website professionals, the continuing updating can certainly be accomplished by the user with little or no knowledge of coding.

Content Management Systems (CMS) can be used for small to large businesses. Features offered are similar to those you would expect to see on a static website: contact forms, social media buttons, videos, links. PLUS an Administrator interface: the ability to add pages, write text, and upload images into the site. And more features are becoming available all the time.

If you want to have more control over your website, have updates done on your schedule and not someone else’s, and reduce expenses associated with web maintenance, it is time to consider a Content Management System.

The post My clients are asking: can they update their own websites? appeared first on Signature Graphic Design - Website Design, Graphic Design, Email Marketing.

Branding is the essence of your company or product or service: it is the look, feel, taste and smell of it. It is the feeling, reaction, perception and expectation elicited in your customers; it is the anticipation of the promise your company has made.

What invokes this reaction? It starts with a recognizable logo that is carried over to your company’s website and printed marketing material; it is the well-written copy that enhances the visual experience; it is the method of communicating the promise of an idea or experience. Ultimately, it is the delivery of that promise through your product or service.

For a fun article on branding Chiquita bananas, click here.

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Pantone Color of the Year for 2011 - Honeysuckle

Based on surveys of designers across a multiple of industries around the world, Pantone determines what color is “in” and will be found on clothing, furniture, accessories, and on our walls. This year the winner is Honeysuckle, a soft, almost retro pink.

Don’t let this rosy scenario fool you. Color is big business, and the Pantone Color of the Year is taken seriously. Just look at the 2011 Visa Platinum card to see how color carries over into the financial world.

And honeysuckle is not for women only. Men’s fashion is also sporting Honeysuckle pink, from pajamas to Tommy Bahama shirts.

So the next time you need to add color to a project, be brave and don’t shy away from pink honeysuckle.

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