Design in small communities.
I grew up in Northeast Nebraska in a small town called Winside. I’m constantly visiting my hometown and travel to talk to clients Wayne, Columbus, Norfolk, Fremont and Hastings. I keep an eye on what businesses do with advertising and web design and while it’s impressive how many companies realize its importance, I think there’s a tremendous opportunity to do better.
It’s easy to think, “okay, I set up a website in ’99, I’m good, right?” I disagree. Trends come and go for design just like they do for fashion and automobiles. It may be functional, but do you really just want to get by with the minimum?
Websites are the face for your business. As consumers grow and evolve, you want your brand to as well! You don’t want to be perceived as stuck in decades old technology and design when your business isn’t. Even if it’s minor updates a good rule of thumb is to really review your website every three years. Decide what works and what needs improvement. Does your brand and website represent more today than it did when you last designed your site? Are your competitors ahead of you when it comes to style?
Online capabilities are so different than ten years ago. Back then we were hampered by programming limitations, browser compatibility and download speed. Now there are so many options to create interactivity with your clients. Design of websites doesn’t have to be limited to just few images. With more people than ever having broadband you have a much larger chance to really showcase what your business can do.
Take a look, you might be ready to evolve and not know it!
Posted by: John Holtgrew.
John Holtgrew was trained in Illustration at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He's been working as a designer and graphic artist in the Midwest for the past 8 years. During that time he's provided graphic design and branding for marketing agencies, local businesses and large corporations. He currently is the Owner and Creative Director of PowerBand Graphics LLC.
