Aether Design

My article Creative and Unusual Layouts and Navigation Designs has been published at Noupe.com! Read about the article below.

In this article, we’ll showcase website layouts and navigation structures that really break the mold. The designers of these websites have seen dozens of clone websites out there but have sought their own way. The unusual website layouts and navigation that results can either be very successful and innovative or disorienting for visitors. You decide. When you browse the showcase, think not so much about functionality as about why you design and develop the way you do.

I have officially been published on the industry leading Smashing Magazine. My feature article “Getting Started With Content Management Systems” was published and four more articles are currently in the cue. I have been asked to become a regular author and have been approached by other industry leading online magazines to author articles. This is the beginning of new future that includes helping others build their talents.

Written by: Robert Hartland.

As the Internet becomes more and more popular, some people are still asking the question “does my business need a website?” The fact that you have found yourself reading this article means that the answer is most likely “yes”. Your company needs a website right now if:

1. Your customers are asking where your website is. If you have been asked this question one time or one hundred times, your customers are sending you a message. The Internet is typically the first point of contact for customers today because a website is a very convenient and powerful tool for research. With over 1.5 billion users on the Internet every day, the possibilities for growth are limitless. Having your website created by a professional web development company and purchasing an easy to remember URL should be on your to-do list.
2. You want to network more. To reach out to more customers a website is an essential tool. You can gain online exposure by letting people know about your website through e-mails, newsletters, social networking sites and more. It takes less time and money to spread the word about your company than spending money on print advertisements and literature. You can help your company reach it’s full potential by breaking into the World Wide Web.
3. You are not getting as many customers as you would like. While some people still cold call, a good website can be a more effective lead generator. When you have a website, you are spreading your message to a captive audience that has at least some interest in your company. Websites help build business by reducing operational costs and increasing quality lead generation and tracking. Customers will filter in to your website through social networking sites, search engines and other websites because they would like to know more about your company and what it has to offer. This is only possible if you hire an experienced web development firm to create a website for you, instead of putting up a single unattractive web page. You will need to make a good first impression by having useful information and an attractive website.
4. You have a product you can sell nationally or globally. If this is true, you can be selling more products. You may be losing business every day by not having your product on the web. With a good product reinforced by a good website and some basic marketing, your sales can increase exponentially. By offering your product online, you will increase your exposure and over time will increase your sales.
5. You need to know your customers better. When you have a professionally designed company website, it is like having 24/7 sales person. Not only can your website be an invaluable sales tool, but it can help you find out more about your customers. With a website you can get you know your customers habits, find out how they found your website and gain insight on what their likes/dislikes are. With a website you can track information for use in marketing and sales.

Did any of the above apply to you? If your answer is “yes”, then you need a professional web design company to translate your business objectives into digital solutions.

I was playing around in Flash today and decided to build an Aether Design video player. Branding is included with a link to my portfolio http://www.AetherDesign.com and objects from my logo displaying during the buffer stage. I thought a logo watermark in the lower right corner would be going overboard.

When creating the player, the layout with the buttons and actionscript code were pretty easy to put together, the tricky is getting it not to autoplay or loop without messing up the play/mute buttons. I may have an error in the actionscript. I would also like to look into adding an embede button onto the player. Any thoughts?

Not bad, enjoy the Back to the Future clip.

Written by: Robert Hartland. This article assumes that you (the reader) have already started your company, have designs that you would like to print and have found a printer to work with. It is intended to walk you through the process of your first print and bring up any “did you knows”. Enjoy!

1. Prepare your files for print.
2. Select your printing method.
3. PRINT!

PREPARE YOUR FILES FOR PRINT

As a clothing company the first thing you should know is designing for print (4-color process) and designing for t-shirts are two different worlds. Make sure you or your designer make it as easy as possible for your printer to print your shirt without compromising your design. This will not only make it easier for you in the long run but it will give you a better product for your customers because you did not make last minute changes during the process.

As a designer and company owner, I am very familiar with how to make my life and my screen printers life a lot easier. Make sure you convert all of your text to outlines, use pantone colors, create your artwork to size (exactly, not bigger or smaller), use vector artwork when possible and expand all stroked lines to at least 0.5 points.

What do you need to know before talking with your printer?

• Where the print is going.
• How many colors are used.
• The Pantone color codes for all colors used.
• The type of printing method you are using.
• Are you using specialty inks?
• How many units you are printing.
• The type of ink you are using.

Read more.. »

Aether Website Design

After a lot of hard work I have finally finished the redesign of my personal portfolio. While all web projects are constantly a work in progress, I hope to continue to improve the graphics, content and layout as time goes on. If you run into trouble please feel free to send me over an email at any time.

My previous portfolio needed to have some past works cleaned out to make way for the new and this was long overdue. I have decided to brand my portfolio with a name that really meant something to me and related to my work ethic (Aether Design). You can read more about the meaning of the name and find out more about me on the About Page.

In this blog I hope to give my readers a greater insight into who I am as a person as well as share resources I have found while traveling the web to find better ways to create art.