Friday, 15 January 2010
Italian Aroma Coffee
We have had a busy start to 2010 in the internet department and so far we have designed and launched 3 new websites.
The latest site we have designed is for Italian Aroma Coffee. Based in Glasgow this is a highly respected producer of tailored roast coffee and they supply to the restaurant trade throughout the UK. Within the first week of the newly launched site they have received several quality new enquiries.
The latest site we have designed is for Italian Aroma Coffee. Based in Glasgow this is a highly respected producer of tailored roast coffee and they supply to the restaurant trade throughout the UK. Within the first week of the newly launched site they have received several quality new enquiries.
Labels: coffee, web design
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
W3C - The Right Web Standards
A website that looks good on the surface, may not have been built in such a
way behind the scenes. If the HTML code has been built poorly or is
out-of-date, it will affect your search engine rankings and could
cause major problems with future Internet browsers.
A good web designer or agency like us, will build a website that complies
with the standards set out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C
are trying to get everyone to build to a set of rules, which will ensure
clean, precise and proper code. This should eventually solve the issues of
websites looking dissimilar in different browsers, as they will all be able
to process the code in the same way.
Search engines will naturally favour websites using the standardised code
and thus rank them higher.
To see if your website validates according to the standards, you can type
the URL of the website into the W3C’s validator. Alternatively, why not give us a call?!
http://validator.w3.org
way behind the scenes. If the HTML code has been built poorly or is
out-of-date, it will affect your search engine rankings and could
cause major problems with future Internet browsers.
A good web designer or agency like us, will build a website that complies
with the standards set out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C
are trying to get everyone to build to a set of rules, which will ensure
clean, precise and proper code. This should eventually solve the issues of
websites looking dissimilar in different browsers, as they will all be able
to process the code in the same way.
Search engines will naturally favour websites using the standardised code
and thus rank them higher.
To see if your website validates according to the standards, you can type
the URL of the website into the W3C’s validator. Alternatively, why not give us a call?!
http://validator.w3.org
Labels: browsers, build, SEO, W3C, web design
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Tips for building a Show, Exhibition or Expo website
We have just launched the new website for The British Leisure Show, a brand new outdoor leisure show hosted next year at the Royal Windsor Racecourse.
We had a large amount of crucial information that needed to be presented to users in a clear and concise, yet fun way.
These type of Exhibition websites are aimed at three main user groups, all with different requirements:
- Visitors to the show, especially families, who need to be persuaded into buying tickets by the quality of events, exhibitors, highlights or celebrities attending
- Potential exhibitors, who need to be attracted into buying stand space by the quality of the show, the other exhibitors, sponsors, venue and packages on offer
- The media or press who need to be convinced to promote the show through their media channels.
We split up the website's navigation into these unique user areas, so users know exactly where to look for the information they require. Although some information (such as travel directions) is repeated, users do not have to leave their "area" to find any extra details.
The design, which utilises a colourful palette but with a basic white background, appeals to all users and ages without being too childish or too corporate.
It is also essential these days to market a show website via Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking sites, bookmarking sites and forums. We have offered all users direct links to some of these channels on every page. There will also be a Community area launched soon promoting the Blog, Facebook Group and Newsletters.
As many exhibitions or expos are fully accessible to disabled visitors, it is very important that websites are accessible and follow the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) to ensure the website complies with the Disability Discrimintaion Act. We made The British Leisure Show site follow all of Level A, and a large number of Level AA guidelines.
View the British Leisure Show website at www.britishleisureshow.com
Labels: build, web design
Friday, 13 March 2009
Internet Explorer 6 - Why Upgrade?
EC have noticed that 10-20% of our website users are viewing the site on Internet Explorer 6. With Internet Explorer 8 in beta stage (soon to be widely released), and other browsers such as Firefox or Chrome increasing in popularity, are there any benefits to using IE6 and why should you upgrade?
IE6 was originally released in 2001, and therefore in many ways the browser is 8 years out of date. Not only does this have an effect on the speed of browsing the Internet, the look of websites and website compatibility, but there are also major security issues. IE6 is still potentially only able to cope with with virus, malware and other security threats circa 2001-2003, and therefore it does not always have the capacity to deal with the modern, more complex threats that the newer browsers do.
Other criticisms of IE6:
• It does not support new web development technologies so web designers must use workarounds for IE6 to display web pages correctly, costing time and money in the process
• Any new websites not taking IE6 into account, may be displayed incorrectly or not work properly
• It tends to crash easily
• It takes longer to display webpages, as the software which takes HTML code and outputs it visually as a website is out of date
• It does not use tabbed browsing so a new window has to be opened for every website being viewed, and this may slow down the users' computer
• It does not 'anti-alias' text on webpages, which means fonts looked ragged at the edges
• It has always been very unpopular, and was voted the 8th worst technology product of all time by PC World in 2006
EC will continue to develop IE6-compatible websites until the software is obsolete, however if you agree with any of the criticisms, or are concerned about the security issues, it might be time to upgrade your browser:
IE7: www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx
(or through Windows Update)
IE8 beta: www.tinyurl.com/cwk87j
Firefox: www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox
Google Chrome: www.google.com/chrome
IE6 was originally released in 2001, and therefore in many ways the browser is 8 years out of date. Not only does this have an effect on the speed of browsing the Internet, the look of websites and website compatibility, but there are also major security issues. IE6 is still potentially only able to cope with with virus, malware and other security threats circa 2001-2003, and therefore it does not always have the capacity to deal with the modern, more complex threats that the newer browsers do.
Other criticisms of IE6:
• It does not support new web development technologies so web designers must use workarounds for IE6 to display web pages correctly, costing time and money in the process
• Any new websites not taking IE6 into account, may be displayed incorrectly or not work properly
• It tends to crash easily
• It takes longer to display webpages, as the software which takes HTML code and outputs it visually as a website is out of date
• It does not use tabbed browsing so a new window has to be opened for every website being viewed, and this may slow down the users' computer
• It does not 'anti-alias' text on webpages, which means fonts looked ragged at the edges
• It has always been very unpopular, and was voted the 8th worst technology product of all time by PC World in 2006
EC will continue to develop IE6-compatible websites until the software is obsolete, however if you agree with any of the criticisms, or are concerned about the security issues, it might be time to upgrade your browser:
IE7: www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx
(or through Windows Update)
IE8 beta: www.tinyurl.com/cwk87j
Firefox: www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox
Google Chrome: www.google.com/chrome
Labels: browsers, web design
Friday, 21 November 2008
Website hosting resellers
Website 'hosting' is essentially the space you 'rent' for your website to be housed. This space has to be on a physical server somewhere, which then provides Internet connectivity so that your site is on the World Wide Web. Hosting companies (such as Fasthosts, Easyspace, UK2 etc) own a series of servers, where they rent out space for a monthly or yearly fee. Web servers are very expensive, and technically complex, which is why few companies own them.
Many smaller web companies who offer hosting are actually 'resellers'. Despite acting as if they are hosting websites, they are actually renting a larger space on a hosting company's server and then 'sub-letting' smaller spaces from this.
In essence there is nothing wrong with this practice, as it is easier for clients to deal with their web company for everything relating to their website, and the web companies can organise their hosting accounts and billing more easily. However, in some cases it has turned simply into a way of making money.
The hosting companies charge the reseller web companies certain costs, and the resellers then charge the client more. Although extra cost is justified as they are acting as managers (setting it up, dealing with problems), the amount of time spent managing often does not warrant the inflated prices. A typical Fasthosts hosting plan costs under £50 a year. And yet EC has experienced some clients paying that amount monthly for the exact same hosting plan, but via a reseller.
Another issue is that these resellers cannot fix problems themselves as they do not own or hold the servers, so any problems have to be solved through a long chain of people from the client to the large hosting company. This is time consuming and can cost the client even more.
EC deals directly with Fasthosts to host clients' websites. We do not have a reseller account; we simply set up hosting with Fasthosts on behalf of the client. The client can choose for us to deal with Fasthosts and send them any bills, or we can pass on all of the hosting information needed and let them deal with Fasthosts directly.
We only charge what Fasthosts charge us.
Many smaller web companies who offer hosting are actually 'resellers'. Despite acting as if they are hosting websites, they are actually renting a larger space on a hosting company's server and then 'sub-letting' smaller spaces from this.
In essence there is nothing wrong with this practice, as it is easier for clients to deal with their web company for everything relating to their website, and the web companies can organise their hosting accounts and billing more easily. However, in some cases it has turned simply into a way of making money.
The hosting companies charge the reseller web companies certain costs, and the resellers then charge the client more. Although extra cost is justified as they are acting as managers (setting it up, dealing with problems), the amount of time spent managing often does not warrant the inflated prices. A typical Fasthosts hosting plan costs under £50 a year. And yet EC has experienced some clients paying that amount monthly for the exact same hosting plan, but via a reseller.
Another issue is that these resellers cannot fix problems themselves as they do not own or hold the servers, so any problems have to be solved through a long chain of people from the client to the large hosting company. This is time consuming and can cost the client even more.
EC deals directly with Fasthosts to host clients' websites. We do not have a reseller account; we simply set up hosting with Fasthosts on behalf of the client. The client can choose for us to deal with Fasthosts and send them any bills, or we can pass on all of the hosting information needed and let them deal with Fasthosts directly.
We only charge what Fasthosts charge us.
Labels: hosting, web design
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Internet users slow to embrace Google's Chrome
It was predicted to be a giant among the many Internet browsers, but Google's Chrome has failed to impress users. At time of writing, the percentage of Internet users on Chrome is only 0.78%*, 6 weeks after its release.
The initial release had crashes, video playback issues, and very odd quirk when writing in a blog or comments field (see Computer World blog).
The latest version released this week promises to be more stable, and as Chrome is still in the beta stage Google predicts a much faster uptake in the months to come. However, at this stage EC are not re coding or testing Chrome compatibility until the number of users increases.
The broadening browser market is a test for web designers and developers, as each browser engine parses their code in a slightly different way. However, as new browsers or browser releases are developed with this is mind, we may be getting closer to a standardised browser engine, or at least a series of browsers which follow the same rules. We hope it does as this will reduce client costs as we have to test less and less for compatibility.
*According to netapplications.com
The initial release had crashes, video playback issues, and very odd quirk when writing in a blog or comments field (see Computer World blog).
The latest version released this week promises to be more stable, and as Chrome is still in the beta stage Google predicts a much faster uptake in the months to come. However, at this stage EC are not re coding or testing Chrome compatibility until the number of users increases.
The broadening browser market is a test for web designers and developers, as each browser engine parses their code in a slightly different way. However, as new browsers or browser releases are developed with this is mind, we may be getting closer to a standardised browser engine, or at least a series of browsers which follow the same rules. We hope it does as this will reduce client costs as we have to test less and less for compatibility.
*According to netapplications.com
Labels: browsers, web design
Friday, 10 October 2008
iPhone websites
The iPhone is the perfect platform for companies that wants to get “friendly” with their customers that are on the move! We are increasingly being asked to advise on iPhone friendly websites and how they work.
Most websites are still viewable (but are NOT “friendly”) on the iPhone, because the user can zoom in so that text is legible, however this is not ideal for the user when they have to scroll across the screen a great deal more. You have to build your site specifically for mobile media. It is best not to exceed 320x480 pixels, which is one reason for having a separate website specifically for the iPhone.
The main reason for adopting a website dedicated to the iPhone is if your current site is purely flash based, or contains any Flash elements, such as Flash banners or embedded videos it will not be viewable on the iPhone or any other mobile devise. Also users are now wanting information on the move and companies need to be seen to be technologically savvy.
At EC Design we have tackled the issue of mobile friendly websites and believe companies should be seen as “early adopters’ to this new technology. If you are thinking of becoming an early adopter of an iPhone site, here are some useful tips:
- The iPhone site should mirror your main site visually for design consistency
- Design no larger than 320x480
- Correct page size code - add a meta tag (<meta id="viewport" name="viewport" content="width=320;">) in the header section of your website code, makes your webpage compatible and friendly with iPhone browser
- Minimize the code to as much extent as you can
- Remember less is more
- Prioritise key information
- Contact details should be prominent
Labels: HTML, new technologies, web design
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
HTML emails
It could be said that one of the hardest jobs in web design at the moment is the task of creating HTML emails (or e-Flyers, EDMs and so on) in which the design and build works perfectly across all browsers, web-based email clients, computer-based email clients and operating systems. I will outline a couple of the more unknown problems I have found and possible workarounds for these problems.
Cellspacing in web-based email clients in Firefox for PC
So you've managed to build a HTML email using tables, even though you feel like you are leaping back towards the late 90s. It looks great in Outlook 2007 (a mammoth task just on its own) and seemingly on all of the popular email clients (Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Google Mail, Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Entourage). And yet, viewing it on Hotmail and Gmail in Firefox 3.0 on a PC completely strips all of the cellspacing with no explanation.
So there isn't full support for margin, padding or now cellspacing (cellpadding seems to work perfectly).
The workaround?
The only way I found to make this work was to use a spacer.gif (a 1x1 pixel transparent GIF image) and increase the width and height of the image to force table cells to create the illusion of cellspacing. I remember doing this kind of workaround 7-8 years ago!
Background images or floating images in Outlook 2007
For some unknown reason, instead of Microsoft using the Internet Explorer engine to parse HTML emails as they did in Outlook 2003, when it came to Outlook 2007 they decided to switch to an MS Word engine. This means very little support for HTML (and almost no CSS); the main problem being how you can get the most out of images in your designs.
Background-image is not supported. Background (the non-validating bygone property for tables or tds) is not even supported. And you definitely cannot float text around an image. What does this mean? Very structured tabular designs with structured tabular images.
There isn't one. Just make sure that every image can be in its exact place without overlapping text or other images, and you can work it into a table structure without the need for text to float around it. Good luck!
Cellspacing in web-based email clients in Firefox for PC
So you've managed to build a HTML email using tables, even though you feel like you are leaping back towards the late 90s. It looks great in Outlook 2007 (a mammoth task just on its own) and seemingly on all of the popular email clients (Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Google Mail, Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Entourage). And yet, viewing it on Hotmail and Gmail in Firefox 3.0 on a PC completely strips all of the cellspacing with no explanation.
So there isn't full support for margin, padding or now cellspacing (cellpadding seems to work perfectly).
The workaround?
The only way I found to make this work was to use a spacer.gif (a 1x1 pixel transparent GIF image) and increase the width and height of the image to force table cells to create the illusion of cellspacing. I remember doing this kind of workaround 7-8 years ago!
Background images or floating images in Outlook 2007
For some unknown reason, instead of Microsoft using the Internet Explorer engine to parse HTML emails as they did in Outlook 2003, when it came to Outlook 2007 they decided to switch to an MS Word engine. This means very little support for HTML (and almost no CSS); the main problem being how you can get the most out of images in your designs.
Background-image is not supported. Background (the non-validating bygone property for tables or tds) is not even supported. And you definitely cannot float text around an image. What does this mean? Very structured tabular designs with structured tabular images.
There isn't one. Just make sure that every image can be in its exact place without overlapping text or other images, and you can work it into a table structure without the need for text to float around it. Good luck!
Labels: HTML, web design