36 Killer Smarty Features You Need to Know

Smarty is by far my favorite PHP template engine. I’ll debate the pros and cons of using a template engine in another post, but I wanted to share some of the Smarty features that I didn’t know existed until I dug through the manual.

1. {cycle}

{cycle} is definitely my favorite Smarty command. You pass it a string of comma-separated values and it cycles through them. I mostly use this, as the manual demonstrates, for zebra striping tables or comments or any sort of list.

{section name=rows loop=$data}
<tr bgcolor="{cycle values="#eeeeee,#d0d0d0"}">
   <td>{$data[rows]}</td>
</tr>
{/section}

Continue Reading 6 Killer Smarty Features You Need to Know »

8New Blog Design

The urge for good design is the same as the urge to go on living. - Harry Bertoia

I’ve been working on an upgrade to the web design company directory and this design was intended to launch with the upgrade, but it’s been taking too long to complete the development and the blog was really hurting in the previous design.  So for now, this design will only be on the blog and I’ll get the directory upgraded as soon as I can.

The design was created by the extremely talented Evan Agee of Agee Design.  Evan was an employee of mine at Auction Floor, Inc. (which we both left last summer) and I’m extremely happy to have collaborated with him on this design.  I really look forward to having it up on the directory as well.

It’s not a 100% complete yet, but I’ve got some client work I’ve got to get done this weekend.  The sidebar in particular needs a little focus.  That said, what do you think so far?  What’s good?  What needs work?

710 Tips for Choosing the Right Design Company – Part 1

Last week, I wrote a post titled Top 7 Reasons Why It’s Better to Hire a Large Design Company Than a Freelance Designer or Small Design Firm in response to a great post from Calvin Cox of StyleApple on Top 7 Reasons Why It’s Better to Hire a Freelance Designer or Small Design Firm Than a Large Design Company. Both posts generated some fiery debate.

The point of our posts was not that a large company or a freelancer is better or worse because of their size, but that there are some advantages and disadvantages that generally come with size. I think we both wrote our posts focusing on the average large design company or small design company. We were not trying to stay that this is what ALL large or small design firms are like.

The real key is the quality of the company and people who work there, not the size. With that in mind, Calvin and I have co-written this post with 10 little tips, 5 from each of us, on ways to select a great design company. Continue Reading 10 Tips for Choosing the Right Design Company – Part 1 »

3TechCrunch Redesign Review

TechCrunch launched a new design today.  As one the of the few blogs I actually read every day, I’m extremely glad to see this new design.  The old design was too cluttered, slow-to-load and too bright.

The new design is a pleasant change to a much more minimalist look with a clean interface.   The navigation is more logical and well-placed.  The site’s HTML isn’t valid, but I don’t really care. Continue Reading TechCrunch Redesign Review »

32Top 7 Reasons to Hire a Large Design Company

This post is in response to Calvin Cox’s Top 7 Reasons Why It’s Better to Hire a Freelance Designer or Small Design Firm Than a Large Design Company. Let me state up front that I agree with everything Calvin said. This post is not a rebuttal, just an attempt to keep things balanced. Continue Reading Top 7 Reasons to Hire a Large Design Company »

7Republican & Democratic Convention Website Review

Update: Read the comments below.  I totally blew it and reviewed the wrong Democratic Convention website!

Personally, I’m sick and tired of the convention coverage already so I thought I’d put my own twist on it and take a detailed look at the convention’s websites. Continue Reading Republican & Democratic Convention Website Review »

6The Secret to Painless Google Website Optimizer

For me, Google Website Optimizer (GWO) has been the best new tool or service launched in the last three years. It has literally created tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue for my company and my freelance clients. That said, I initially found GWO very difficult to implement. Essentially, GWO works through code such as this: Continue Reading The Secret to Painless Google Website Optimizer »

4This Post is Guaranteed to Boost your Conversion Rates

I’ll be honest.  A year ago, I was an unbeliever.  The idea that something on your site could influence me to buy or not buy was hogwash.  No stupid seal or testimonial was going to change my mind.  Let me tell you, if you’re not doing everything you can to boost the conversion rate of your website - you’re either losing your money or losing your client’s money (and your client should probably fire you). Over the last year, my eyes have been opened and I’ve begun to realize how much power I have over website visitors to squash their fears and nudge them toward making larger purchases.  Here’s an overview of three of the tools at your disposal: Continue Reading This Post is Guaranteed to Boost your Conversion Rates »

22999designs.com: a warning to freelancers.

Kevin Potts recently did a review/critique of wundersite www.99designs.com - which appears to be a simplified spin of other such sites like Elance and what Kevin calls it’s “malignant brethren”. The site, which uses less than ideal techniques to get designers to connect with businesses, requires spec work and encourages horribly low prices. In his article, Kevin removes the usual sales pitch and business jargon and brings out the underlying truth: Continue Reading 99designs.com: a warning to freelancers. »

3How to Improve the Client Experience and Charge More

At my last job, we worked right above a hair salon. Growing up, my mother always cut my hair, then my wife when she had time and lately, a local barbershop. But since the salon was a client and it saved an extra trip, I got my hair cut after work. The difference between the salon and the barbershop was unbelievable. At the salon, I was treated by an attractive stylist who remembered my name and how I liked my hair. She talked with me about subjects I was interested in and even remembered our discussions from the my previous appointment! The stylist make recommendations for my hair based on current trends and my hair’s personality (red and very thick). My hair was shampooed, conditioned and I received a very relaxing neck massage. She only used the trimmer for the edges. The salon was impeccably clean and had a very modern decor. It was a little upscale and I liked it. It made me FEEL important, stylish and trendy. Continue Reading How to Improve the Client Experience and Charge More »

4Three Ways of Writing Valuable Content for Your Web Design Blog

When I look around at web designers’ sites these days, I am a bit surprised when I come across one that doesn’t have a blog. Web designers seem to understand that having a blog can be helpful in marketing themselves. Unfortunately, when I look at the content of those blogs, it often becomes apparent that they don’t know exactly why a blog is helpful. Continue Reading Three Ways of Writing Valuable Content for Your Web Design Blog »

5Information Architecture 101

What the heck is Information architecture?

Information architecture is the art of organizing information on a website in a way in which it is easily found. That’s the one sentence version, anyhow.

Information architecture (IA) is the art of organizing content into a logical structure. In websites we need to organize all the information logically and put it in together for it to make sense to our users. Continue Reading Information Architecture 101 »