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Logo designing is important, you cannot give a face to your brand unless you have designed an authentic logo for your brand. It is important to have brand recognition, and you cannot have it unless you have designed an attractive and relatable logo for your brand. Logo designing is one essential part of the whole branding, without any effective branding you cannot really create a brand and develop a brand for your organization. It is time to conduct an activity for you, give your mind a rest, and think of every brand that you can think of? You may have KFC, McDonald’s, NIKE, or Apple in your mind. One of the main reasons why these are the only brands that we had in our heads is because their logos are pretty much etched in our minds.

Rebranding a logo is a bold step, not many brands go for it as they fear they might get forgotten by their audience. This is the legit concern and an entirely new logo for a brand can result in people forgetting them. However, the small changes in the logo can go a long way, people do notice small changes and make a whole new image and picture of the brand in their mind. However, the main question arises, when is the perfect time to rebrand your logo? When do we know it is the time, we should do it? As we have to make sure we are not making any hasty decisions and doing everything smartly.

When Should We Rebrand the Logo?

The answer is you can never be 100% sure that your decision of rebranding is going to work, there are always some concerns and risks that are going to be with your brand. However, there are some instances that tell you it might be the time for you to bring some changes to your brand, or revisit your overall brand strategy. The rebranding includes a whole lot more things than just a logo, it includes your color, your aura, the message you are sending, or changing your brand strategies as well.

Reasons to Rebrand Your Brand

In case you are still confused as to at what stage you think you should go for rebranding, here we are to make things much easier for you. You can choose the one that suits your brand the most and get onto it.

1. Difference in Brand Perception

This is one of the most famous types of problems that most organizations face and most times they do not even recognize it as a problem. Organizations launch their brands and services, without devising any strong brand strategy, something that can go with their target audience perfectly. 

No matter how good the flow of sales is with time their overall brand personality is changed and is perceived differently. Whatever your initial brand strategy, corporate image, or personality was, your audience perceives it differently, it is shaped according to their own experience, and this is where the problem comes. Not realizing what your brand needs and how its personality should be at the initial stage is the problem. However, if you realize this problem midway you can do rebranding to establish a new image of your brand in the market.

2. Target Market is Undefined

One of the biggest mistakes that most organizations make is they do not realize their target market, they do not define them and then later fail to market them effectively. Saying “we target everybody out there” is such a lazy statement. You need to make sure your target market is properly defined, there has to be a proper strategy behind it with reasoning. When your target market is defined, you cannot know who you are communicating to? Or what your audience really needs from your brand.

You are a brand and your job is to please your customers either with your service or the product that you are offering. In order to develop a connection with your audience, you have to make sure you know the audience that you are catering to. Get out of your comfort zone and be ready to make sacrifices to please your audience. 

There is a constant change in your audience, therefore keeping a tab on them and knowing them is one important factor. When you think you are losing that touch and connection with your audience, you have to start building it or maybe to build it you can start with rebranding. 

3. Brand Losing Relevance

When you think your brand is losing its relevance and you need a big upgrade it is time to rebrand your whole brand. Many known and catchy brands have done this scheme and have effectively done it. Tiffany & Co. is the perfect example of it, they did not only change their target audience but also change the resonance they had with their customers. 

One of the main recognition points of Tifanny & Co. is its blue color, initially; it was more focused on the older women like mothers and the older sisters. Today, the target audience is young people buying jewelry. However, they did not make any substantial changes to their brand, but whatever changes they brought to the brand they were quite bold. 

4. Change in the Product/Service

This is one pretty obvious stage, when you have changed your whole brand or whatever you are offering you have got to change the branding as well. What is the point of having a logo showing you are a pasta place when you are now introducing pizza and other Italian cuisines as well? It means you are misguiding your audience and providing them with incomplete information. When you are providing new experiences to the customers you have to make sure your brand is communicating it too. 

When you have a strong brand strategy you define and explain that the new space is important and vital. Your brand should rebrand itself and show the change that you have brought in your strategies through your branding. 

How many successful rebranding stories are you aware of? 

Featured Image by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

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Marketing is a crucial component of any business, and in today’s digital age, there are more avenues than ever to connect with your intended audience. 

Two of the most common marketing techniques are paid advertising and organic marketing. While both can be part of a strong marketing plan that aims to enhance brand visibility, generate leads, and prompt sales, they possess distinct dissimilarities that companies must take into account when selecting which method to utilize. 

This article will weigh the advantages and disadvantages of paid advertising versus organic marketing and highlight the differences between the two methods to empower businesses to make an informed decision on which if not both, approach to adopt.

What is Paid Advertising?

Paid advertising refers to marketing where companies pay to showcase their advertisements on various platforms, including search engines, social media, or other websites. 

There are various types of paid advertising, such as pay-per-click (PPC), display ads, social media ads, and sponsored content. Typically, paid advertising helps businesses reach a broad audience quickly, as they can target their advertisements to particular demographics, interests, and behaviors. 

By purchasing ad space, businesses have more control over ad placement and can frequently see immediate outcomes.

Pros of Paid Advertising

• Fast results: Paid advertising can produce fast outcomes, particularly when compared to organic marketing approaches. Once ads are set up and launched, businesses can begin seeing traffic, leads, and conversions promptly.
• Targeting control: Paid advertising enables businesses to control who sees their ads by targeting specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This can help ensure that the ad reaches the right people and increases engagement.
• Measurable return on investment (ROI): Paid advertising allows businesses to track and measure the effectiveness of their ads, enabling them to see precisely how much they’re spending and the kind of ROI they’re receiving. This can assist businesses in making data-driven decisions regarding their advertising strategies.

Cons of Pair Advertising

• High expense: One of the primary disadvantages of paid advertising is its cost, primarily for businesses with smaller budgets. The cost of advertising varies depending on the platform, targeting options, and competition, and businesses need to be ready to invest a significant amount of money to see substantial results.
• Ad fatigue possibility: Paid advertising can be successful at first, but businesses may suffer from ad fatigue if they don’t refresh their ads or target new audiences. This implies that individuals get exhausted from seeing the same ad over and over again and may begin to ignore it.
• Limited trust: Some people may be skeptical of paid advertising, particularly if they feel like they’re being targeted too aggressively. Furthermore, some people may automatically block ads or use ad-blockers, making it more difficult for businesses to reach their target audience.

What is Organic Marketing?

Organic marketing is a marketing strategy where businesses attract and engage their target audience through creating valuable content and optimizing their website for search engines without paying for ad space. 

Unlike paid advertising, organic marketing relies on building relationships and establishing thought leadership over time to increase brand awareness and drive conversions.

Pros of Organic Marketing

• Cost-effective: One of the most significant benefits of organic marketing is that it is often more cost-effective than paid advertising since businesses do not have to pay for ad space or clicks.
• Builds trust and credibility: By creating high-quality content and establishing thought leadership, businesses can build trust and credibility with their target audience, resulting in long-term benefits.
• Long-term results: Although organic marketing may take longer to see results than paid advertising, the benefits can be longer-lasting. Evergreen content and a strong online presence can continue to attract and engage customers over time.

Cons of Organic Marketing

• Slower results: Unlike paid advertising, which can deliver immediate results, organic marketing can take longer to see results since it relies on building relationships and creating valuable content over time.
• Requires consistent effort: Organic marketing requires consistent effort and ongoing investment, such as creating high-quality content, optimizing websites for search engines, and engaging with the audience on social media.
• Less control over targeting: Unlike paid advertising, businesses have less control over who sees their content, meaning they may need to invest more time and resources in attracting the right audience to their website or social media pages.

Comparison of Paid Advertising vs Organic Marketing:

As two of the most commonly known forms of digital marketing, businesses commonly use paid advertising and organic marketing to reach potential customers and grow their business. While each strategy has its own advantages and disadvantages, deciding between them ultimately depends on a business’s specific goals and budget.

Cost-effectiveness

Organic marketing has an advantage in cost-effectiveness over paid advertising. Businesses can create and distribute valuable content at no cost, aside from the time and resources invested in creating the content. 

In contrast, paid advertising requires a significant upfront monetary investment.

Measurable ROI

Both paid advertising and organic marketing can provide measurable ROI that allow businesses to make more data-driven decisions, but the metrics used to measure success may differ. 

With paid advertising, businesses can track clicks, conversions, and other key performance indicators. With organic marketing, businesses may rely on metrics like website traffic, engagement rates, and lead generation.

Speed of results

Paid advertising has a clear advantage in speed of results over organic marketing. Businesses can see results almost immediately after launching their campaigns, while organic marketing can take months or even years to see significant results.

Control over targeting

Paid advertising has a clear advantage in control over targeting compared to organic marketing. Businesses can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors to ensure their ads are seen by the right people. 

With organic marketing, businesses have less control over who sees their content and may need to invest more time and resources to attract the right audience.

Trust and credibility

Organic marketing has a clear advantage in building trust and credibility compared to paid advertising. Over time, businesses can establish thought leadership and build relationships with potential customers, leading to greater trust and credibility. Customers may view ads as intrusive and may be less likely to trust the message being presented.

Which is better for your business goals and budget?

Ultimately, the choice between paid advertising and organic marketing depends on a business’s specific goals and budget. 

If the goal is to see immediate results and the budget allows for a significant investment upfront, paid advertising may be the best option. If the goal is to build long-term relationships with potential customers and the budget is limited, organic marketing may be the best option.

For example, for an online course business that requires substantial upfront costs, it may be a better option to build build a long-term relationship with your audience and save yourself the additional costs of paid marketing.

However, each business must assess its unique needs and goals to determine the best strategy.

Conclusion

To sum up, paid advertising and organic marketing both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Paid advertising offers immediate results and precise targeting, but can be costly and may not build trust and credibility. Organic marketing is a more cost-effective and sustainable approach to building relationships and establishing thought leadership but may take longer to see significant results.

When deciding between these two strategies, businesses should consider their goals, budget, and target audience. Both approaches can be effective when used strategically and in alignment with the business’s overall marketing objectives. Ultimately, the best choice for a business depends on its unique needs and goals.

By carefully weighing the pros and cons of each approach, businesses can make an informed decision that will help them achieve their marketing goals and drive long-term growth.

Image by talha khalil from Pixabay

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With multiple changes in trends and user preferences, organizations are constantly revamping their websites with a better UX strategy. However, it is not an easy task considering the majority of organizations use agile methodologies.

It is a prominent argument that UX strategy doesn’t go hand in hand with agile methodology. Also to pull it off, it is important to understand what a UX strategy and agile development are in essence, their associated problems, the importance of incorporation, and key points to make them compatible.

Therefore without any delay, let’s try to sort out this problem for app design companies.

What is a UX Strategy?

For applications today, it is important to be user-centric. A UX or user experience is the overall experience a user feels while using a service or product created by an organization. With a UX strategy, the idea is to create an overall improved user experience that creates more engagement, user retention, and is easy to use.

To further extrapolate, it is a systematic process of further enhancing the user experience for an application or a service.

There are primarily three components of a UX strategy. These are

• Intention behind the strategy
• Requirements, goals, and ROIs
• Associated plan

Implications of not having a UX Strategy!

Failing to have a UX strategy for the development process can lead to the following problems:

• It can affect the profitability of the organization
• It means that the organization doesn’t have a better understanding of its user base.
• The organization will lack a long-term competitive advantage.
• The organization can suffer in terms of retention and engagement.

What is an Agile Website Development?

There are prominently seven types of SDLCs (Software Development Life Cycles). Agile development is amongst the most popular ones used today. 

Due to consistent requirements for feature changes and software requirements in the existing projects, the requirement of agile development came into existence.

It takes the help of cross-functional teams for continuous development and aggregation of new code modules. 

Agile development is based on the following factors:

• Proper control of tools and resources.
• Collaboration should be based on customer requirements.
• Active response to incident change instead of a firm plan.

It comprises four factors primarily which are:

• Discover
• Design
• Develop
• Test

The overall idea behind the agile development process is the continuous integration of elements with ease.

Problem Associated with the Implementation of Agile Methodology along with a UX Strategy!

The problem associated with agile development is that it is a very developer-centric approach. The moment a particular requirement is fulfilled from the backend side, the team moves to another task. However, the realm of designing is very subjective and can often take a lot more time & resources than expected. It is because different perception leads to different perspectives.

This particular problem creates a lot of confusion for app designing companies and increases the toll on them in terms of workload. Another major problem is the higher adoption of agile methodologies for website development. It is considering the flexible nature of the implementation methodology. Therefore, a lot of organizations try to figure out ways to handle UX strategy along with the agile methodology effectively.

Importance of including a UX Strategy and Agile Website Development

While agile methodology predominantly focuses on the backend side of things, majorly the factors that distinguish the two websites are the UI/UX part. Design is a much more important aspect than a lot of people might think it would be.

It is because primarily the user requires an excellent design and navigable elements to interact with the backend services. Therefore without a great UX strategy creating a sustainable experience is not possible. Also with the inclusion of agile methodology, the task of finding a way to make the UX strategy work with agile development becomes much more important.

How to incorporate UX Strategy with Agile Website Development?

Incorporating a UX Strategy into agile website development is a complicated process. However, nothing is impossible and this can also be pulled off.

To make that happen, below are the key points:

• Focus on Customer Satisfaction: Call it clients or customers, the major reason behind a methodology such as agile is to gratify customers. For instance, there are multiple applications today that incorporate a new element every week. However, the teams make sure that the design elements meet the overall theme of the project, otherwise, it is not released.
• Support for UX Strategists: The feedback received by the designing teams can often be subjective and open to interpretation. For instance, sometimes the responses to a particular design can be like “It’s Good Enough”, “It’s Fine”, “Looks Decent”, etc. Also, another variable is that the process doesn’t always run parallel to the backend process. Therefore, the intention behind the support should be to help minimize the pending backlog instead of dragging it along the way. A clear explanation of what is expected and some freedom for the UX strategist can create wonders.
• Consistency: Maintain consistency with the overall design elements. Make sure that the design elements hit a particular benchmark and below that the design itself should be unacceptable to the designer itself.
• Focus on Use Case or Workflow: Each & every workflow and use case is unique and it can vary from organization to organization. It is because each organization follows its own unique process based on its values, goals, and vision. It often creates a contrast and makes every design element unique for each organization. The idea is to learn about the workflow and create a UX experience that is easily navigable by the user.
• Leave room for improvement: The overall agile methodology adopted by the organization should always leave room for improvements on the way. A tightly packed process doesn’t leave any extra time for incoming issues. This creates a collision of deadlines and further confusion with the process.
• Engage with every service: Most services that are created by the team are treated as MVPs. For instance, if the team is done with a service then they won’t consider further updation of the process for enhancement. Keeping some room for this process too would help in overall integrating the UX strategy.

Wrapping Up!

The capability to pull off a great UX strategy with agile methodology is truly a boon for multiple app design companies. It is one of the major impediment that people on the design team faces. By focusing on the key points mentioned above, any organization can create a great user-centric website. Yet implementing these points would require an organization-wide transition from their routine work to these strategies. Therefore, it is not just the factors but the effectiveness of the way they are integrated that truly matters.

The post A Practical Guide to UX Strategy and Agile Website Development appeared first on noupe.

Reduced color perception or the capacity to distinguish between colors are symptoms of color blindness. Color blindness affects 1 in 200 women and 1 in every 12 men. Do digital resources like websites and educational materials affect color blindness? 

Absolutely! Consider accessibility best practices when creating online documents to ensure that your website or online products are accessible to all visitors.

Color blindness explained

A widespread myth is that color-blind people can only see the world in black and white, a different condition termed monochromacy. In actuality, color blindness affects everyone differently, ranging from being unable to distinguish between two or three colors to having trouble with certain tints.

This X-chromosome mutation caused this neurological anomaly. Women are less likely to inherit the illness because they have two X-chromosomes, one of which serves as a backup to offset probable problems. The disorder normally shows itself in one of three ways.

Red/green color blindness is the most prevalent type, when victims confuse all colors that contain either red or green as a component of the entire hue. Those with Protan color blindness are less sensitive to red light, whereas Deuteranopia patients are less sensitive to green light. 

For instance, a protanope will mistake blue for purple because they are unable to distinguish the red component of the color purple. Tritanopia, the third type of color blindness, is the least prevalent and affects those who have trouble telling whether a light is blue or yellow.

Importance of Color in Presenting Data

The use of color is crucial for data visualization. To begin with, colors are used to draw attention to significant information and to show connections between different sorts of data. Furthermore, it is important in directing the viewer’s eye to color.

Though understanding color theory and design composition is crucial, there are other factors to take into account when optimizing for accessibility.

Designing for Inclusion

What happens when a design is interpreted differently than it was intended? If your workplace is still not using an inclusive design approach, there is a good possibility that this is already taking place.

Keep in mind that we don’t want you to work twice as hard on your designs—quite the opposite. Instead of developing specifically for this group, the objective is to take their needs into account when creating a product that is accessible to all.

This approach should be used when creating additional visuals, such as flow charts, mind maps and graphs, all of which frequently rely on color to convey distinct information, rather than only when developing website layouts.

You can rely on online tools such as an infographic maker or an infographic template library to create inclusive visuals.

The Guide to creating an inclusive design

1. Create a color palette in advance.

Utilizing accessible colors and a colorblind-friendly palette doesn’t need you to sacrifice aesthetics or completely exclude color from your charts. By doing your research in advance, you can make sure that a color blind-friendly palette enhances rather than detracts from your design.

There are a variety of 8- and 15-color palettes available if you’re starting from scratch. You can see some of the best contrasting colors for colorblind persons in these palettes.

2. Choose the color scheme.

Consider all the different ways contrast may be used in your designs to increase color-blind accessibility. Employ vivid hues rather than subdued alternatives. 

Use colors that are as dissimilar from one another as you can when you need to employ two colors next to one another. Also, you must examine how to optimize contrast among dynamic elements while thinking about color blindness and online design. 

Which hues are used for buttons and hyperlinks? And what happens to these colors when a site visitor moves their mouse over the element? In these circumstances, you might need to draw attention to the element by surrounding it with color.

3. Employ textures and patterns.

A fantastic technique to include visual aspects in your design that don’t rely on color is to use patterns and textures. For instance, color-blind users could find it challenging to understand graphs and charts. In this instance, it’s preferable to employ contrasting patterns and, whenever it’s practical, to use text in its place.

Those who are colorblind might not trust colors as much as those with normal vision. They frequently perceive colors differently from how others do, hence they frequently rely on non-color cues to confirm hues or decipher meanings.

4. Keep contrasting colors to a minimum.

The use of problematic color combinations, some of which can render your charts or infographics totally inaccessible to color-blind individuals, is another reason why you should think out your color strategy in advance.

Avoid the following color combinations to protect people with color blindness:

• Green and red: The red-green kind of color blindness is the most prevalent. Protanopiacs are unable to see any “red” light, while deuteranopiacs are incapable of seeing “green” light because they lack green cones.
• Brown and green: For people who have red-green colorblindness, the light brown can resemble the green color and the dark green might be perceived as brown. Hence, colorblind individuals are unable to tell the two hues differently.
• Blue and green: When it comes to the red-green variety, light green appears as yellow and dark green as brown. Turquoise or blue-green is seen as gray.
• Gray and blue: A person who is red-green colorblind might not be able to distinguish the green hue of turquoise and instead see it as gray. 
• Purple and blue: Those who suffer from protanopia cannot see the color purple; instead, they perceive it as a deep blue.
• Gray and green: It is best to avoid this color combination depending on the hue of the blue and gray.
• Black and green: Protanopes are more likely to mistake various colors of red for black.

5. Create a monochrome chart.

Consider making your chart monochromatic because color blindness has no effect on the capacity to discern between various shades. Naturally, using a limited color palette will result in less opportunities to apply unfavorable color combinations.

6. Keep your design simple and straightforward.

Your infographics should be as straightforward and organized as feasible when creating for accessibility. Whether or not your audience is color blind, taking a minimalistic approach will assist make your presentations easier to understand.

Featured Image by Denise Chan on Unsplash

The post A Quick Guide to Color Blind Design: How to Present Data to Everyone appeared first on noupe.

An eye-catching and beautiful website is more likely to entice web visitors to stick around, find out about your products and services, and, most importantly, encourage them to convert. If you manage a Squarespace site, you might be wondering how you can enhance your images, add vivid fonts, and improve your overall web design to boost your traffic.

We’ve put together a list of ten simple tweaks you can use to optimize your website, including some stunning Squarespace animations that will make your pages really pop!

1. Add a button

If you want to encourage web users to sign up for your newsletter, buy a product, or send you an email, a big bright call-to-action button is the perfect way to do this.

You can create an easy button on Squarespace by adding a button block. Move to the section you want to add your button to, click the blue + icon and choose Button. Here you can add your text and select the page you want your button to take your web users to.

You can style the buttons on your website by going to the home menu, choosing Design and clicking Buttons.

Don’t forget to keep your button text short and sweet to encourage conversions – 25 characters or less!

2. Implement an accordion block

An accordion block is ideal if you have a lot of content but would like to keep your page short and scrollable. For example, if you want to include a lengthy FAQ on a page for search engine optimization purposes.

To add this feature go to the page you want to add the accordion block to and click the blue + sign. Choose Accordion from the menu to add your block to your page. Next, click the pencil icon and go to the Content tab to add and edit individual parts of the accordion.

If you want to style the accordion, click on the Design tab where you can change the background color, how the expand icon looks, and the divider style.

3. Animate your background photos

You don’t have to settle for a dull and boring static background image with Squarespace. With seven background animations on offer, you can make your background stand out and entice your web visitors to scroll!

Click the pencil icon on the image you want to tweak, go to Background, and Image effects. Choose the animation you want to implement, and you’re good to go.

If you’re using a Brine template, you can enable parallax scrolling on your pages – this makes your background image move more slowly than the content in the foreground for a cool effect! Go to the Site styles panel (the paintbrush at the top right-hand side of the page), scroll down to the Main: overlay section, and check Enable Parallax.

5. Get social with social media icons

Social media is essential for building engagement and finding new customers. If you have social media profiles, you can promote them anywhere on your Squarespace website in just a few clicks.

If you want to add your icons to a page, click the blue + icon, choose Social Links and add your links in. Looking to add social media icons to your header? Hover over it and click Edit site header. Then, click Elements, toggle Social Links and add them in.

6. Introduce some background art

Not got a photo to use as a background image? No problem! You can create some cool animated background art to make your website more engaging.

Click the pencil icon and go to Background. You’ll find six different background effects to try. You can change the color by going to the Colors menu. Why not mix and match animations and colors until you find a combination you love?

7. Add a dropdown menu

Usability is essential for your website – you want your visitors to find the information they need as quickly and easily as possible. A dropdown menu is excellent for displaying your pages in a user-friendly way.

Click Pages, then click the + icon. Then select Folder. Give your new folder a name and drag your existing pages into the folder to build your dropdown menu. You can drag and drop your pages so they appear in the precise order you want.

8. Change the fonts

When you select a specific Squarespace theme, it will come with pre-designated fonts. The good news is that you can change these fonts to suit your own personal branding requirements.

When you’re editing a page, click the Site styles icon at the top right-hand side of the page, which looks like a paintbrush. Choose Fonts, and you can choose a new font pack to replace your existing fonts. The bonus is that this font pack is applied to the whole of your website, so you don’t have to painstakingly change the font on individual pages.

9. Enable comments

If you have a blog, enabling comments is a fantastic way to engage with readers and build a strong sense of community around your site. Squarespace has built-in commenting functionality which means you can keep track of comments and likes, while quickly blocking spammy messages.

To enable comments, go to the home menu and click Blogging. Click Comment settings and select Enable Comments Globally. If you want to toggle comments off and on for a particular post, go to the blog post, open the Post Editor and choose Comments on or Comments off.

10. Make your header transparent

If you want to make your Squarespace website feel more modern and streamlined, you can make your navigation bar transparent. This blends your header in with the colors and imagery already used on your page.

Click Edit site header, go to Style and choose Dynamic from the dropdown menu.

And there you have it! Ten simple code-free changes you can make directly in Squarespace. Why not give them a try today?

Featured Image by Ewan Robertson on Unsplash

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