Much of the work has been back-end development, but as always design is key to the look and feel of the sites. Once the sites are up and running we can tell you more about the work we completed for these big London brands.

Today we’ve had the pleasure of a client traveling to Nottingham for a design day. We enjoy these type of days, we can really get under the skin of the clients and see what they want. They can also learn about the processes we use and understand how users consume sites in terms of design. It’s a learning curve for all and at the end of the day both team and clients learn a lot about what we as consumers like and how clients as retailers want to be perceived.

We’re always providing an “after sales service” with all of our clients, ensuring the site is still looking great, changing areas to incorporate special offers of seasonal design.

Natura Skin Clinic is one of our many clients that we check on a regular basis and work behind the scenes of the Front end design, making sure they are doing well in search engines.

Design, as you can imagine, is a constant process which develops from a range of original ideas but with a personal take on the process.

It is great to see a starting point, ending point and the journey in between.

Have a great weekend

Juno Web Design

At Juno Web Design, we are lucky to have our own Duke of Design- Alex.

Alex has been with Juno for 10 months, he previously worked as a 3D artist, producing graphics for video games. He has a great eye for detail and really knows what customers want and enjoy. His creative style is vast, from hard-hitting advertising visuals, to boutique style websites. He is incredibly talented and can create something stunning from a blank canvas.

Alex is currently in the process of creating sites for companies, whose target audience are mainly female, which dictates the way he goes about producing sometime wonderful to look at.

The majority of the sites Alex has been working on, are in the process of going live, once design is completed, pages are built and code fed in, the sites are ready to face the audience. It really is a team effort, from the basic design, to the content written on the pages.

This is a great features of choosing Juno to build, refresh, integrate and spruce up your site, it is a total team effort and we can offer the whole package, from design to written content.

So, the next time you take a trip to one of your favourite sites, think about why you like it. Is it pleasing to the eye? Was it easy to find? Have they got what you are looking for? Is it easy to use? Most importantly, will you be visiting again?
Juno Web Design

How many times have you seen clean-cut, generic, world-friendly images (like the one on the right) appear on websites, magazines and brochures?  These common photo stock images usually have an underlying message within the image with a cheesy title such as “man frustrated with laptop“, “woman smiling on a beach” or “corporate business handshake“.

The more specific the stock photo title is, the more likely it will get found using specific searches on websites such as iStockPhoto and DreamsTime.  A funny example of ultra-specific stock photography is the “woman laughing alone with salad” list at TheHairPin.com, check it out!

The problem with stock photography is that most images and models have been used countless times and you end up seeing the same person again and again or the same cheesy pose again and again.  The image used in this blog post had been downloaded over 1,900 times on one website alone for example!

Another issue is that stock photography is very generalised, many models look like they’d fit neatly into any western country and they all have the same perfect teeth and skin.  The lighting of the image is very ‘news bulletin’ like, evenly lit with no shadows and sometimes heavy makeup.

Stock Photography Pitfalls to Avoid

- Avoid popular images on stock photography websites. People may associate these images with other websites or even other brands as the images are used several thousands of times over in other places

- Does the image look staged, is it beautifully lit and featuring a perfect looking, clean-cut person? A non-genuine image can reflect badly on your own brand, people may think the fake image reflects on an untrustworthy business or a potential online scam even

- Does the model fit the target market? Each country has it’s own unique dress sense and physical features.  If your target market is the UK then an image of a beautiful Sweedish customer service representative for example could put a little doubt in to the minds of a potential customer ready to call

- Are any watermarks left on the image? Stock photo websites add in faint watermarks to protect their image from the ‘Print Screen’ button.  Some web design amateurs steal stock images (instead of paying a small fee) and stupidly use the watermarked image on the actual website itself!

Stock Photography Tips for Web Design

- Be unique - Use artistic images which a majority of online users have never seen, it doesn’t matter if they don’t quite match up to what message you want to convey, a natural, unique image of a person smiling does wonders.  Web design should be creative not repetitive!

- Be subtle - Stock images should really be used to fill in a few gaps or background images.  If possible hire a good photographer to take all the main images of your website, you could use stock images to create a compelling background or for little images you’ll need next to information such as phone numbers or maps.  If you website is a local business then perhaps you could use stock photography to show your town/city in the best light in a less prominent place.

- Don’t be afraid to use images of normal people – Unless your website features a luxury product or a lifestyle service you should use images of ordinary people. Very few of us have model-like looks, the general public feel at ease dealing with people like themselves. TV adverts for supermarkets, banks and insurance for example features ordinary people operating at the same level as their customers, it instills trust and breaks down defensive barriers.

- Use a high quality image on the homepage - Within 3-4 seconds visitors to your website will instantly judge it and decide whether to stay or go.  Low quality stock imagery may save you £10-£20 but in the long run it could increase the bounce rate of your website (percentage of visitors who come and go). Sometimes you may be required to cut out an image so you can place the subject on a different background; an extra-large image will give you a much higher level of quality when cutting out the subject from the original background and look amazing when shrunk down afterwards with transparent pixels around the edges

We hope these tips have been handy, view some of our clients websites to see some of designs in action…

Our Magento ecommerce clients Trec Nutrition originally designed their website with a dark red and black background.  The site’s now been split-tested with a clean white look as the different variant similar to any other generic product website.

Our web designers at at Juno know that websites that encompass hobbies and sports need a different look that say a clothing retailer or corporate site.  Putting our feelings and design choices aside the SEO team knocked up a different CSS file for the white background and split tested two different CSS files rather than hack the internal code.

Here at the two resulting homepages for Trec Nutrition:

The event is for networking and promotion of local bands and talent and will be a great bash. If you are a musician there are lots of fantastic professional recording prizes for audio and video that could help you get your music out there.

Contact Ich directly to find out more…

Tel: 0115 9459433

Here is what we came up with in one hour.

Poster Design | Sounding Post

We are accomplished graphic, print and web designers and should you need new artwork, just let us know. This is mass paper marketing on a shoe string and a proven tool to promote your business. So far several clients have leapt on the bandwagon.

We have good relationships with a number of high quality local printers and will source the best printer and quote for your specific job. Our printers are not constrained by material and finish and provide a vast range of card and paper materials to plastics, metals and fabric.

We recently saved a London based company running large monthly leafleting campaigns several thousand pounds by using one of our print suppliers based in Colchester and delivering to the City.

Whatever you need, from business cards to leaflets and brochures, large posters and banner stands to bespoke folders, car vinyl to shopfront design, just contact us. We will see your project from design conception through print, right to your door wherever you are in the UK.