Stop. Look. Listen.
Last summer I gave myself a personal challenge: become a better designer. I didn't sign up for any design courses or read books on typography or color theory. I didn't attend any design conferences or subscribe to a trade magazine. Instead, I applied an old elementary-school lesson for when you approach a set of train tracks: Stop. Look. Listen.
Interactive source control and visual comparisons
By standardizing the way that we individually use Git to manage our own work, a system develops which not only is easy to follow across different teams, but also starts to add value to our process in unexpected ways.
4A’s Webinar
How to Test a Website in Ten Minutes
Usability testing is the most important thing you can do to… well, really, I think the sentence can end right there. If you are a designer, usability testing puts you in direct contact with users and the information you need to make the right thing the right way...
Why We Ask Our Clients So Many Questions
Planning is a central part of any Newfangled project, and good planning starts with a lot of questions. In order for us to build a strong web platform that really represents the unique nature and value of our clients, we need to first understand who they and their prospects really are.
The way you design web content is about to change.
Six months ago, we began rethinking how we create web content. We were tired of the limitations that page templates and content management systems constantly introduced into the creative process, and tired of the power they had to turn an excited client into a disappointed and resigned one. We wanted to bring freedom and creativity back to web design. This is the story of how we did it...
Casual Fridays: The Changing Landscape of Content Marketing
Chris and I have decided to finally act on an idea we've been batting around for years. Starting today, we're going to regularly publish short, unrehearsed video conversations that touch on whatever topic interests us at the moment.
How Gmail Image Caching Is Affecting Your Email Data
Gmail is now loading all images by default. Good news, right? Here, we're taking a look at both the good and the bad when we observe this change through the eyes of an email marketer.
Search Engine Optimization Outlook: Trends for 2014
I have a confession to make: I almost always skip over articles that claim to offer the latest advice on improving SEO. It’s not that I don’t believe in the importance of SEO best practices, it’s just that advice around this topic so often feels — forgive me, all you noble SEO professionals — borderline gimmicky. And, given the secrecy around Google’s (and other search engines’) algorithms, even the most reliable SEO guidelines can tend to be a bit fuzzy. But there is still plenty to think about when it comes to search and the shifting platforms in which folks find and access content. With that in mind, I thought now would be a good time to review some best practices in the context of projected SEO-related developments for 2014.
2013 Year-End Design Resource Review
A quick review of my browser bookmarks reveals a crowded menagerie that rivals anything you'll see on the show Hoarders. I can't help it. Any time I come across a new tool or resource that I think will (however remotely) help me be more efficient or creative, I add it to my ever-growing stash. In the spirit of the season, I am sharing some of my favorites that I've discovered this past year.