Web Design, Graphic Design, UI/UX - Rediscover Your Brand℠

ArtVersion Named Leader in Clutch Global Awards

Clutch, the DC-based ratings and reviews platform, just released their annual Global Awards, and we are excited to announce that Artversion was named as the #1 Digital Design Agency worldwide. We are also very excited to be named to the Clutch 1000. In fact, we are among the top 15 companies on the entire platform, which features over 5,000 companies with reviews. The ranking criteria were rigorous. Independent Analysts at Clutch spoke with our clients to conduct case study-like reviews. Artversion was also evaluated for our market presence, past work experience, and our client list. In the past two years of partnering with Clutch, we have an impressive average of 4.8 stars for 18 client interviews. In a recent website redesign project, one client, a CEO of an archival service, highlighted our white glove approach: “ArtVersion was a true collaborator, responding to our unique needs and helping us make the…

MAGENTO: CHOOSING THE RIGHT CMS FOR ECOMMERCE

For any business, whether brick and mortar or solely web based, choosing a content management system for your eCommerce store is a hot topic these days, and it’s critical to understand that they are simply not all created equal. Magento eCommerce is one of the more popular platforms available and has distinct features that make it a solid choice with companies reporting between a 10 to 80% increase in sales due to robust Magento functions. Users also consistently report good experiences with the ecommerce platform, and Magento’s growing popularity reflects this. While Magento can be built to suit any sized organization, according to Forrester’s Q3 report, Magento is aligned as a B2B leader for mid-sized business. With some of most advanced features that an eCommerce platform can offer, Magento’s enterprise-grade features provide the flexibility needed any need a business may have. Here are some of the reasons companies should optimize…

A Plan to Launch: Strategic Mobile App Design

A great idea, enthusiastic innovators, a solid development team, and a great UI design. It may seem simple to gather the core elements of a winning mobile app, however, the result is only as good as the makers behind it. A creative and strategic team must ideate and collaborate from concept to launch in order to deliver the most optimal user experience possible. With that first-of-its-kind idea in place, the journey and design are the next most important factors at hand. Sticking to a set of user-centered design guidelines can help to ensure a design will be used successfully and propel the app to a high rate of usage and download. Keeping a consistent layout from screen to screen will allow for a seamless flow for the user. Once the user becomes familiar with the interface, a consistent design will allow them to adopt new interactions throughout the experience. A user…

CREATIVE PERSPECTIVE: BRANDING CONCEPT, STRATEGY & DESIGN

There are many parts of branding from strategy, positioning, culture, to the brand statement. However, design is obviously the most recognizable aspect of branding. Design and branding are inseparable but businesses often confuse the relationship between the two. The award winning design team at ArtVersion is no stranger to tackling branding efforts including brand launches and brand refreshes. Working with a global set of clients has taught the collaborative group many lessons on how to best approach branding to turn out the best brands possible. “Clients will approach us with a project – a new website, white paper or – and give us initial direction that isn’t in alignment with their existing branding. It’s here that the ‘aha’ moment happens and they realize their branding is stuck and needs to be reworked to align with new standards and their own growth strategies.” Erin Lentz, ArtVersion director of design Here are the…

Digital Authenticity: Building the Ideal Brand Voice Through Web Design

Brand culture embodies the core value of what a company offers and what they stand behind – so it’s critical that the digital persona reflect this accurately. One of the most powerful branding tools to express this point of view is through web design. It’s these channels that drive us to connect with a brand – if we choose to engage, and ultimately make a conversion. Trust reigns supreme in the digital environment – and at the end of the day, it all depends on the users view of the brand. For web designers, content strategists and marketers, this presents a true challenge: How can we ensure an authentic user experience unless we are completely immersed in the brand being represented? What truly makes an organization stand out is when their brand is relatable. Once that style permeates into a company’s design process, it connects the brand to a unique…

5 Reasons to Implement WordPress for Enterprise

Because of size and reach, enterprise businesses must be equipped with a scalable and secure web presence to compete in their markets. As a result, new enterprise WordPress VIP and plugins are being developed to provide a more robust system and streamline processes for brands of all shapes and sizes. If you’re already an alternate free theme or third party theme for your WordPress site or another platform altogether, here’s are some strong reasons to invest in WordPress for enterprise. Digital Content Management Infrastructure Developing a custom theme will make it easier to build and manage your website. With a central content hub or decoupled CMS, you can customize the admin user interface to your company’s needs, you won’t have to waste time trying to figure out what to do or having to deal with an unintuitive setup. You can add shortcuts, tools such as Edit Flow and apps like…

Scaling Up: Design that Achieves Business Goals

A single truth for businesses everywhere, whether it’s realized or not: is that every company is a brand and every business owner is a marketer. Many consider themselves as simply salespeople representing a product or service, which is why – all too often – branding can be overlooked. Consciously or not, businesses are making branding decisions every day and it’s critically important to make these decisions with the overall company goals in mind. One Design, Multiple Goals In order to align with business goals, creative assets need to be developed around the overarching strategy that surrounds the needs of the company. Marketing goals should be determined, for both short and long-term achievements. Upon engaging in a design initiative, these goals should be explored in the initial stages of a project to ensure the right delivery methods. Market Analysis Whether it’s web design, logo, overall brand image or print collateral –…

How Web Presence Impacts Overall Brand Positioning

Recent research about how small businesses use websites and social media suggests some striking trends: One in five small businesses use social media in place of a website, yet 24% of small businesses report that they do not have a formal strategy guiding their social media presence. The findings come from Clutch, a research and reviews firm based in Washington DC. “Sometimes business owners think web design is the last thing they need to think about,” says Vanessa Petersen, ArtVersion’s Executive Director of Strategy. “But once you make that decision to put in the work to [build a website], it’s amazing what it can do to ease some of the burdens of doing business.” One such burden is managing a small business’ online reputation, which is significantly easier when a small business manages their own website and tends strategically to their online presence overall. Build Trust and Credibility By providing…

Cultivating Innovation: Viewing Constraints As Opportunity

With business growth as the goal of most brand strategies, innovation has become a necessary aspect of making market impact. Within the creative industry, stakeholders are faced with a daily challenge – given a set of guidelines to create the next big thing. To some, this process can be seen as daunting, cumbersome and even stifling with no creative outlet. But the reality is that creativity can actually flourish under pressure. When it comes to design, campaigns and brand initiatives – constraints may actually enable true innovation. Without this material direction – the process can continue without resolution, and therefore continues to loop. Giving form to the process ensures that the ideas and material that make it to the top can be realized, turning into projects that can authentically support the brand. Creative Positioning Once constraints are viewed as opportunities, there arises a positive tension that can be seen as an…

Design DNA: Achieving Brand Transparency

Creating the pathways to deliver the optimal brand experience through design requires the careful and meaningful integration of strategy and creativity to produce the ideal outcome for both company and consumer. There’s little question as to what a brand needs to serve it’s user – information, trust, intelligence, and speed – just to name a few, but it’s a level of transparency, delivering authenticity that is essential to creating meaningful engagement. An open view into an organization breeds a level of extreme trust not found easily. Whether explaining a manufacturing process in detail, providing clear deliverables on a service or offering true costs of goods sold – these are the aspects that can even go as far as to build a mission and become what a company is known for. One of the biggest questions for organizations operating, particularly in the digital sphere, is how to not only give the perception…