The TH Design Blog!

I had initially given this post the title “Easy & Simple CMS” as I was going to comment on how, given the complexity and sophistication of many web technologies, a CMS (Content Management System) interface would invariably fail at making such technologies completely accessible to the kind of computer user for whom CMS systems are targeted. However, after a moment’s reflection, I realized “easy and simple” when applied to computers in general touches on a topic near and dear to my heart: the marketing and selling of computers and software to the general public overstates capabilities and oversimplifies usage thereof.

As computers have become more omnipresent in our lives, they have also grown immensely more complex. This complexity is often hidden behind user interfaces that attempt to make common tasks as easy as pressing a key or a (virtual) button. In some instances or applications and within specific contexts, this “press the key/button and magic transpires” approach does work. Certainly, computer usage has not fallen off and if anything, continues to grow almost exponentially as cell phones, iPads, tablets and other mobile computing devices become ever more prevalent.

Unfortunately, at some point, the underlying complexity of an operating system or of the myriad technologies an operating system must address rears its ugly head and a user finds there is no magical fix. Anyone who’s been around a computing device for any period of time has encountered something like the following: “Sorry, your—insert peripheral device or software application of your choice here—is no longer supported, please upgrade to version #, blah, blah, blah.” Far more common (and pernicious from my perspective) is when a user decides they would like to move beyond the basic functions of their device or software application to take advantage of a custom feature. Almost without exception, the user soon finds there is no simple interface or “click here” button to make the custom feature magically appear.

In a certain sense, I earn my living by constantly maintaining a knowledge base that allows me to understand the computer interaction process at a level beyond the basic “click here/press this key” lowest common denominator approach. Still, there comes a point when it would help if computer manufacturers and software developers would stop marketing their wares as though the underlying complexity didn’t exist. It does and it doesn’t help the end user to pretend otherwise.

I was looking for a photo or illustration to use in our early-summer homepage banner when I came across this illustration by Andrey Pavlov, via Istockphoto. He described it simply as “team of ants launching astronaut to the moon, teamwork, fantasy” and I was charmed.

There was a message for me in the image but I couldn’t quite articulate it. So I went into my poetry stash looking for verses that would somehow relate, and found the poem The Seeking of the Waterfall by John Greenleaf Whittier, which begins:

They left their home of summer ease
Beneath the lowland’s sheltering trees,
To seek, by ways unknown to all,
The promise of the waterfall.

It then tells the story of how the seekers, venturing out of their “sheltered trees” and embarking “by ways unknown to all” climbed and toiled and followed the beckoning hints of success, but never found the waterfall. They despair, but “one with years grown wiser” consoles them by reminding them of all the beautiful places they saw during their quest. He expresses the idea that seeking is its reward—both because people discover other wonderful things along the way (out in the world and within themselves), and because people benefit from trying to find that which is beautiful, whatever form it takes, even if it is unattainable. Such efforts inspire the imagination and engender flashes of the divine.

There are two verses from the poem on our homepage. The first ends with this line:

We follow where before us runs
the vision of the shining ones

I thought for awhile about who or what represents “the shining ones” to me and ultimately decided that to me, “shining ones” are people who not only try to do things, they try to do good things. People that improve the world by their presence and their actions. Little things, big things. Things the world will notice and things only a few will notice. Things maybe animals will notice, or rivers or eco-systems.

And I thought the poem meshed perfectly with the image of ambitious ants, trying to get to the moon. Obviously they’ll fail, but who knows what they’ll gain in the process of trying?

Awhile back I tweeted the following (roughly): “no matter how inconvenient it may seem at the time, always register your domain yourself.” Today, a client emailed she’d seen that tweet and agreed with my advice (having just gone through a hassle with her domain).

I want to elaborate a bit. For those who aren’t clear on this, your domain is your www.nameofwebsite.com or .net or .biz, etc. Your domain has to be available and registered through an official registrar in order to work. Once your domain has been registered it may take a few minutes to a few days for it to “propagate throughout the internet,” but once that process is complete, people will be able to type your domain into their browser and will be taken to your website homepage.

The domain can be registered for and paid for by you, by your web developer or by your hosting company. (Those are the typical scenarios we most frequently run into). It is in your interest to register your domain and pay the registration fee yourself. Then, and this is important, you need to keep a record somewhere of where you registered the domain and what login and password you entered to set-up your account.

With the domain under your control you can then change hosts and/or developers when the need arises—e.g., when a developer or hosting provider goes out of business—without losing your domain.

Many times people will register their domain before they’ve hired a developer or know where they’re going to host their website. That’s not a problem. You can register your domain through one company and host your site with a different company. Often it’s cheaper to register and host through the same company—many hosting packages come with a free domain registration. In the best scenario you will have found a developer to work with and they will be able to recommend a good hosting company. Many developers will offer to register your domain for you, just say “thanks, but no thanks.” Hosting companies will sometimes offer to register your domain as well. Once again, “thanks but no thanks.” If a developer or hosting company requires you make them the official registrar, seek another developer or host.

The point is to stay in the driver’s seat. A good functioning website should become a true asset to your business or organization. Furthermore, your website should accrue value over time in terms of search engine rankings, incoming links, general visibility, etc.. All of those things hinge on your domain. So, if—for whatever reason—you need to change hosts or web developers down the road, you won’t be forced to change domains too. Having to change your domain would, in effect, be akin to starting over from scratch in terms of building web visibility. (In addition, a new domain might create a need to change business cards and other print materials etc.)

Now, chances are you wouldn’t be forced to change domains if you choose to change your web hosting or use a different developer. However,  you would have to get your host or developer to transfer the domain to you. If you’ve registered the domain yourself  you can avoid having to try to get cooperation from people or companies that may not feel motivated to be helpful or available to honor your request to transfer the domain. Others may seek compensation—sometimes exorbitant—before they will relinquish control. Hence, it’s always best to be on top of the game when it comes to the control of your domain.

Rarely does a day or week pass in which we are not asked—by existing and/or potential new clients—to provide some explanation or justification as to why companies/organizations should start utilizing social media channels in their marketing efforts. Usually our response has been structured along lines relating to the tremendous potential inherent in some of these channels (Facebook specifically) to reach new customers. Or, more frequently since many of our clients provide business-to-business services, we talk about the indirect and somewhat intangible benefits accrued from being perceived as au courant with the latest internet communication technologies. At this point in time, data does not yet exist to provide a definitive “this much investment of time in social media channels will yield this much return in business” response to queries concerning participation in social media.

However, following a recent, general discussion with a client about the impact the internet has had on the way companies conduct business, it occurred to me what social media tools really provide is a way for companies, organizations and individuals to firmly establish and support their credentials and credibility. Because participation on the web is (for the most part) anonymous and unregulated/policed, it has become a well-worn maxim that “you can be anything or anyone you want” on the internet—any company, organization or individual can create a website and make claims about their academic credentials, experience and expertise.

Social media channels provides a mechanism whereby a company, organization or individual can demonstrate the claims they make about their knowledge and experience is legitimate and solid. For business-to-business transactions, trusting a service provider’s expertise is critical particularly in the absence of a direct referral. Creating a Twitter account or Facebook page may seem like a pointless exercise, but is actually an opportunity to firmly establish one’s bona fides.

At a recent meeting with a new client, a request to share my thoughts about logo samples (provided by another designer) under consideration for the client’s new business identity prompted a mini-lecture on my part about the design discipline of typography. While not delving into some of the more arcane aspects of typography, I did touch on a few topics non-designers never consider much less encounter during the course of their lives.

On the drive home after the meeting, I began to think about how we are awash in an ocean of typography yet, paradoxically, its ubiquitous presence renders it (in a sense) invisible to the public at large. I realized to even broach the topic of typography, to indicate letter forms have a history and are designed for specific purposes or to evoke or convey certain moods, feelings, associations is—for most people—to cross into the realm of providing too much information. Sometimes, a simple “that doesn’t work” or “it looks nice” is all the information a client really wants (or needs).