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We all know the world of design isn’t just logos and website creations. Design reaches far more influential factors in a brands image – like for example, packaging design.

Consumers eyes are attracted to sleek and interesting displays of art; and you’re constantly confronted with packaging design options on the grocery store shelves. But have we realized how important that is to our purchase decisions? Packaging is an a key determination of the consumers perception of the product which leads to the the brands success or failure.

On that note, today’s focus is one of my favorite things in the universe – Wine!

When I walk up to the wine racks at the grocery store, I of course draw my attention immediately to the types of wine I like (Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) Then, once I’m standing in front this array of red wines, the package designs start to pull me closer. And this is the moment when I grab the one I like most and head over to the check-out counter…

A boring design might deter me from even looking at the wines details or I’ll simply skip over that bottle and keep looking. It’ just the way it works – packaging design plays a major role in the purchase process. Luckily for us consumers, designers have stepped it up with fun yet classic designs for this tasteful delicacy.

Ram’s Leap: a colorful array of swirly-rams is for lovers of all flavors and tastes

Hamilton Fray: inverse coloring process draws the eye to the hand drawn design

The Tentacle: illustration designs formulated in a simple way can link your company’s logo and image very eloquently and effectively

Julian Madrid: minimalist designs are also very attention capturing and classic

Sunflower Hills: A vintage, yet pop art, feel to the classic wine bottle

Santameriana: clean cut typography design is an instant attention grabber

The People’s Wine: my personal favorite, with hand-drawn text and colorful accents to determine the type of wine – easy to identify and fun to look at!

{ For more photos of these wine designs and many other styles, visit the source! }

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Almost 1,500 people can’t be wrong!
Wordpress.org is where you should open, create,
and customize your new and soon-to-be-amazing blog.

It’s an open source blogging platform with extensive customization capabilities. You can install themes into the program and customize everything from layout, to fonts, to colors, and much more. It’s also notorious for its plugins and widgets servicing pretty much everything you need on your blog. From newsletter sign-ups to running SEO keywords for individual blog posts, WordPress plugins do it all. It also incorporates spam protection in your comments, has a mobile-app where you can quickly update and respond to comments from, and is always easy to upgrade. This blogging platform just gets better with every update. So don’t wait any longer, start blogging about whatever you want!

Ready to learn more about blogging and WordPress.org? Join me for a one-on-one consulting session. We’ll go step-by-step and in-depth as to how to start your WordPress blog site – plus tricks to make the site more user friendly and attention grabbing. Not sure exactly what you need help with? Contact me and I’ll help point you to the right starting-location.

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{ Click Image for Full Size Infographic }

“SO YOU NEED A TYPEFACE is a project by Julian Hansen. It’s an alternative way on how to choose fonts (or just be inspired) for a specific project, not just by browsing through the pages of FontBook. The list is (very loosely) based on the top 50 of Die 100 Besten Schriften by FontShop.”

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Hello Digital Darlings! I’d like to introduce META, Miami Elite Tennis Academy, who launched they’re official website this week. I was fortunate to work with META by designing and creating their website and social media outlets.

The overall layout of the site is minimalist; throughout all of the pages, you will enjoy the clean-cut yet exciting style. What really stands out, in the design aspect, is the highlight color of lime green which is also META’s identity color. Plus, the vibrancy of the images really “pop!” against the darker background, and the information is simply detailed in order for the viewer to know what they need to know and go!

The META project was actually a collaboration with my design partner and friend, Arlene, who did all the fun stuff like designing the brand identity for the company; of course, this is all while I stayed up late-nights, drinking coffee, and coding the back end of the website! But all kidding aside, I am so happy with the end result and to have had the opportunity to work with META on their website.

META is all about having fun and improving your tennis game. They have a special pyramid-system for their Juniors program, where the children go up in levels to become the best athletes they can in the appropriate amount of time and practice. They offer a 2-Week Free Trial when you register online, and are currently enrolling for Summer Camp! Check META out on Facebook too, or visit them as they are conveniently located in Kendall, Miami. Plus, I think you’ll really love what they have to offer.

[ www.metennis.com ]

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Source: HubSpot

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Over time, big brands can definitely get stagnant in their marketing efforts; thus, a reform in thinking and innovation is imperative. This morning, I was referred to view this video by my boss (and fellow marketing-enthusiast). After watching it, I do agree with the fundamentals of the video – that we must consider the psychological needs of the client, not just the material needs. Also, that the initial sale (getting the product off the shelf) is just as important – or more important – than the customer returning for more. In other words, you have to make your products attractive on the shelf in order to get that sale!

But, I don’t necessarily agree with up-charging a product that used to be $10-$15 up to $50 just so the client feels that that psychological need is filled. Maybe it’s just because in today’s day-and-age, most peoples economical situations don’t allow them to spend money in such a frivolous matter. Yet women, especially, have been known to pay whatever-it-takes to have “great skin” and use “amazing products.” You be the judge. Take a look at the video below and voice your thoughts and opinions in the comments:

In 2000, growth at Proctor & Gamble had slowed to almost zero, and the company was losing market share in seven of its 10 top brands. Ten years later, they’d managed to increase market share in nearly every one of those brands. “It wasn’t turning the organization completely upside down, bringing in lots of outsiders, making acquisitions,” says Martin. “It was changing some small, subtle things about the way the company reviewed its strategies, how it strove to work with people outside the company, how it thought about its customers.”

Proctor & Gamble has two types of customers: every day consumers, and trade customers (for example, Wal-Mart or Target). When Martin was working with the company, CEO A.G. Lafley “declared that there are two moments of truth. The first moment of truth is when you as a consumer are walking through a Target or a Krogers or a Walgreens and either pick a Proctor product off the shelf or not.” The second moment of truth occurs when customers actually use it.

What’s the Significance?

The problem, says Martin, is that historically, Proctor & Gamble had focused primarily on the second “moment of truth,” without giving much consideration to getting products off the shelves. They had poured money into research and development, without taking into account how easy their products were to find (or how appealing they looked) on store shelves.

It was only when P&G employees began to reconsider their product from the point of view of the customer that a change was made. “They started understanding that there are a whole set of emotional, psychological needs. How does this make me feel? What kind of a person does this make me feel I am? So that they were appealing more holistically to the consumer as a whole…

Now notice, is that an ‘or?’ We either have to win at the first moment or the second moment of truth? No, it’s an ‘and’—we have to win at both of these moments of truth.”

Martin believes that the key to solving problems lies in your perspective just as much as your situation. If you see the world as a series of “tough choices,” when you’re confronted with a problem, you’ll probably make a decision based on the facts and move forward. If, on the other hand, you regard “everything [as] doable,” chances are, you’ll be willing to take risks and imagine new possibilities from scratch.

Source

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If you’ve ever thought of building a website, you know about Landing Pages and how vital they are to your “user-friendliness.” Companies tend to like Landing Pages because it serves as the hub for their exterior Links and important information. Plus, consumers generally like to see all the info they need in one quick look. So, over-doing-it on a Landing Page can truly hurt your business, and that’s why it’s important to keep it simple.

I was Stumbling and found this this snazzy description on how to Create the Perfect Landing Page. Thought it was pretty cool, so I’m sharing it with YOU:

• Headlines should be Clear and Concise
• You’re Grammar needs to be Perfect!
• Use Call to Actions and Big Buttons
• Go Easy on the External Linkage
• Keep it Above the Fold
• Also Test, Test, Test your Page
• Think about your Color Choices

Want more info? Get all the details from the Source