Veer’s Summer Activity Books for Creatives.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Graphic Designers.
On June 20, 2008, we performed a Google search using the phrase “Seattle graphic design.”
Out of about 722,000 total results, we carefully studied the top 10 websites Google identified as the best match for our search keywords.
Then we compared Google’s results to a list of the top 10 Seattle design firms drawn from the 2008 edition of Media Inc’s annual Northwest Graphic Design list.
It’s instructive to consider the differences between these lists. Large prominent design firms such as Hornall Anderson, HL2, Fitch, and Methodolgie are largely absent from Google’s results. While smaller (some relatively unknown) studios managed to grab Google’s top slots.
How do they do it? How do smaller studios like Page 3 Design, Eben Deisgn, and Design Hovie Studios beat out the big Seattle design firms in Google’s search results?
More importantly, can you learn how to accomplish the same results for your own studio?
Preview Color Separations in Acrobat.
Grow your Studio with Google Webmaster Tools.
If you want to attract visitors to your studio’s website (or if you design websites for clients) you really must understand and use Google’s collection of Webmaster Tools. This free service from Google provides you with detailed reports about your website’s visibility on Google, as well as giving you valuable ways to influence how your website appears in search results.
Link: Google Webmaster Tools
In this tip we’ll dig into this powerful resource that is key for harnessing Google as a marketing vehicle for your creative studio. As part of that discussion, we’ll show how you can answer the following questions:
- When was the last time Google indexed your website?
- Are there any bad links or missing pages on your site?
- Does your website’s content reflect your brand and target market?
- Who is linking to your website?
- How can you make your Flash-based site more findable?
- Can you stop Google from indexing photos in your portfolio?
- How do you remove something from Google’s search results?
Personal Note: Farewell to Tim Russert.
Apple WWDC 2008 Keynote Video Now Available.
Apple’s Word Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) sold out this year for the first time ever. For those of us who aren’t lucky enough to be down in San Francisco this week, Apple has posted the 1 hour and 45 minute video.
Watch it online on Apple’s website:
Link: Apple WWDC 2008 Keynote
Or download the video to your own iPhone/iPod from Apple’s new Keynote Podcast in iTunes. This latest video has been posted along with many other historic presentations:
Link: Apple Keynotes Podcast
Too busy? Read past the jump for a great 60-second version of the WWDC Keynote.
Free Editable iPhone Design Elements.
Welcome to our special iPhone tips edition. This Monday in San Francisco, Steve Jobs is kicking off Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference with a keynote that should unveil Apple’s new second-generation iPhone.
If you find yourself with a hankerin’ to start designing the next big iPhone gadget, we’d like to direct you to a free set of templates from Yahoo Developer’s Network. This free download includes (among other things) an editable collection of iPhone interface elements. Open their PDF iPhone stencil in Illustrator and you can snap together your own iPhone design from dozens of editable elements.
Embed iPhone Friendly Videos on your Website.
It is pretty easy to embed an iPhone-optimized video in any website you are designing. Which can be a nice flourish to welcome the growing hordes of iPhone users who might be visiting your site soon.
Sound hard? It’s not. Apple has added a special Export to Web option to QuickTime Pro ($30) that makes the process nearly automatic.
