E&I Presentation

Maximizing your website

I have stated that my website will be maximized after reading through various website and magazine i found that meta tags when designing the website can be helpful thinking careful about words that your work will link with. I also found that the word GRAPHIC DESIGN is on general search more than GRAPHIC DESIGNER. I have taken this research into account when naming my business as MARTYN WOOLLEY GRAPHIC DESIGN.




Maximize Your Site

1. Step1

   Choose a good domain name. It should be easy to remember and reflect the content of your web site. eHow, for example, is a great domain name for this site because it contains how-to articles. eHow would not be a good domain name for a site full of information about antiques, however.

2. Step2

   Think about the people who are going to visit your site: your audience. Give them the information they will be looking for. Think about the words they might use to search for you and make sure that information-those words-are there. The next few steps explain more about how to get those all-important keywords into your site.

3. Step3

   Use keywords in natural places: page titles, navigation, page headings, and in the body of the content. Don't try to sneak them in using nefarious methods such as hiding strings of keywords on a page in the same color as the page background so they are invisible to the eye. The search engines are on to tricks like this.

4. Step4

   Make sure your site is accessible. The search engines are often called your most important blind users because all they do is read and index the text. If your site can't be used by someone who relies only on the text, then it won't be providing any important information to search engines either. That means you need to make sure the site will work without JavaScript, with no images visible, and with important content not hidden away in a Flash movie.

5. Step5

   Use meaningful words as link text. Don't say "click here." Provide some meaningful words for the user and the search engine to follow. Links are a good place for keywords. If you sell rings, pendants, bracelets, and earrings, those keywords would be great words to use in your links.

6. Step6

   Give each page a unique title. It can have your site name in it, but it should also contain important keywords about what the content of the page is. For example, a site named Jewelry Store with a page about pearl rings could have a title like Jewelry Store : Pearl Rings.

7. Step7

   Use the keywords again in the page heading tags and in the page contents. For example, a heading such as "Cultured Pearls from Japan" and then some text using words like "our stunning collection of cultured pearl rings meet the highest standards . . ." means you have the important information on the page several times. But keep it natural. Work it in so that it appeals to the humans reading the page as well as to the search engines.

8. Step8

   If you have a business to promote and the budget to do devote to search engine optimization there are some links in the resources that will help you choose a reputable company.

   
   

   Taken from: http://www.ehow.com/how_2149400_maximize-search-engine-placement.html

SWOT. NICK DEAKIN

Nick Deakin

Strengths

- Website shows a range of work showcasing potential avenues of design motion graphic, editorial, exhibitions etc.
- A well presented large online portfolio, availible for a client to view.

Weakness

- No pricing policy or information about pricing
-

Oppurtunites

- Put something about pricing giving clients chance to compare prices with other freelancers.
-

Threats

-

Branding, website and digital portfolio.

Eureka-Motion graphics. PROPOSED POSITION STATEMENT

After looking at a business plan i have made decision's about who i want to work for, what type of work i want to produce and where i want it to sit.

I have decided that my main focus will be motion graphics as i feel this a strength. I also feel that there are more clients where work can be gained due to the fact that digital design is at the cutting edge of technology and clients like to communicate through this medium ie. Internet, I Phone, interactive TV etc.

As well as motion graphics i shall be also identifying my self with key skills in, Illustration, editorial, advertising, typography and branding, this way i can produce range for client in turn turning more money over making a profitable business.

I have also identified the sector within i would like to work. For me it is important to have a interest or understanding of the work that you are producing, there for i intend to gain work and clients that are in the culture and entertainment sectors. This breaks off into TV, Music, the arts, and in some cases retail where a culture is present.

I also though i'd redo my proposed position statement updating the position of my practice and what i think i reflect.

1. Ehtusiastic

2. Dedicated

3. Punctual

4. Creative

5. Moving Image

6. Editorial

7. Music

8. Culture

9. Entertainment

10.Humour

PROPOSED POSITION STATEMENT

I consider my self as a bit of a 'all rounder' of graphic design and want to work in a number of areas of graphic design. My main intrest would be design for music but i also want to work in a range of areas to gain knowledge and understanding in vaired areas of design.

1- I want to design in a large number of media's (digital+print), not limiting my self to one area will increase my knowledge and design skills.

2- I would like to use my design skills in the music industry, designing artwork for artist's and creating identity's for records labels.I would also like to work in the area of publishing and layout, again something in the music industry either with large major labels such as Def jam or Sony but also with smaller underground labels like Tempa or Cadenza who are pushing there selves in the music scene they are in.

3- I want to work with both small local privately owned business's and with large corporate business's, which will increase my knowledge of audience and clients.

4- I would like to work with international client's, this again will increase my understanding of different clients and audience's.

5- At this point in time i would like to work as a freelance graphic designer, working with a design agent.

6- I don't want to limit my slef to working in one area, so along side working closly in the music industry i want to be able to reach and design for a varied client base. A good exmaple of this would be Un.titled who i have referenced in my SWOT analysis who work with local institutions in there area and large corperate companys such as puma or nike.

7- I would also like to work with the area of fashion and clothing. Designing image or type for company's such as Crooks and Castle's, Electronic Poet, Stussy etc who use freelance designer's

8- I feel my own morals and veiw should not be present in the work i do. Instead i should be expressing the audience's or client's veiws even if i don't agree with them.

9- Working with a large number of clients will hopefully give me a good source of income and also a good professional reputation.

10- I feel that the best way for me to work with clients will be through personl selling and networking, this way i can understand what the clients wants throughly.

Task 4- Who else is out there - how good are they

I have decided to look at design agency's that are a interest to the area of work i would like to work in. These company's work both in design for digital and design for print. I have chosen a local company Impression DP who are based in Harrogate, Un.titled who are based in Leicester and have a international client base and finally bcreative who are based in skipton and work with a lot of local business's.

Impression DP

Strengths

- Work with both private sector and public sector providing experience with a large client base.
- Includes print management to make savings cost's for the client.
- Useful, clear information on different area's of website making it easier for the client to understand.
- 17 years of experience.

Weakness

- Not enough pictures of portfolio work.
- No pricing policy/info on design work.
- No website design portfolio.

Opportunities

- A more professionaly presented portfolio of work including context pictures.
- A piece of infomation on there price policy or a online quotation form.
- A web/digital design portfolio with client base.

Threats

- Clients could see the work showed in portfolio as a reflection on the design work.
- Clients could be intimidated about asking about price as there is nothing on the website about it.
- The client has no exmaple of web design so might dismiss the company as not doing webs design.

Bcreative

Strengths

- Offer design for all budgets
- A large about of useful relative information for the customer making for a better buisness experience.
- Make a point of using personal selling to create a trust with the client.

Weakness

- No portfolio of work available on the website, only as PDF.

Opportunities

- A Online portfolio available to view on the website rather than PDF.

Threats

- The interent, other conpetitors could steal the buisness.


Un.titled

Strengths

- Large international client base.
- Work with a number of media's including print,web, moving image and nbew technologies.
- A well presented large online portfolio, availible for a client to view.

Weakness

- No pricing policy or infomation about pricing.
- Just a uk based studio.

Oppurtunites

- Put something about pricing giving people to chance to compare prices with other company's.
- Open a studio in another country opening opportunites for more work with a different global client base.

Threats

- Currency movment may effect working in different country's this would have to be taken into consideration.