The ZONE
HELPFUL HINTS: Web Content Management Systems

By Zoltun | Published: June 13, 2011

CMS LogosWhat kind of website is right for your company? Do you know that you have options? What’s the difference between a static (aka, hard coded) website, an open source content management system, and a custom content management system?

There are three primary types of websites widely used by corporate and business environments. Where static websites used to be prevalent, content management systems have sidled in and are becoming the primary go-to way to establish and manage your company’s website.

Today’s trends are moving to custom-built content management solutions and open source content management solutions. Here’s what you need to know.

Open Source CMS

“Open source” means “computer software that is distributed under a licensing arrangement and that allows the computer code to be shared, viewed, and modified by other users and organizations,” says Zoltun’s web director, Sam Menchyk.

Simply put, anyone can update his or her own content. This is a HUGE advantage to the customer as well as to the developer. The most popular content management packages are WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal. They provide state-of-the-art open source framework with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, SEO friendliness, and usability.

By employing these development tools, we can decrease development time and cost while maintaining high-level performance, function, and design. This is advantageous to our clients because they are able to update and maintain content, events, images, documents, and any other relevant information in “real time” on their own, without having to contact the developer. And because it is open source, this option typically costs less than a static site to develop.

While an open source software package is less expensive, there are, however, some trade-offs. When building a website in a pre-built framework, the design is constricted by what this framework will allow. While it is more affordable and possible to have a very attractive and creative website with great functionality, the design must be kept within the realm of what is technically possible.

Custom CMS

“Custom CMS websites are the Cadillacs of web development,” says Menchyk. “These are built to be fully customizable to meet your company’s exact specifications and needs.” To develop a custom CMS, we meet with our client to discuss needs and expectations, and how we can provide an all-inclusive solution. Based on those established goals, we design and program all aspects of the site from the ground up. Custom CMS solutions can be built in several different programming languages to suit the specifics that a business may require. The creative freedom is restricted only by your imagination.

Which is Right For You?

Basically, the choice is this: A custom site is great for some companies, but it’s not the only option available anymore. A content management system allows for faster and easier self-management of content, can still have the right look and feel for your business, and is much more affordable to maintain. We encourage you to talk to one of the gurus on our web team. For more information about the pros and cons of custom vs. open source web content management systems, check out this blog post where we really break it down, and check out some of our work in website development.

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The ZONE
PHOTO OF THE MONTH

By Zoltun | Published: June 13, 2011

 

Here’s Kylie Michalski, daughter of art director John Michalski,
sporting the Zoltun “Z” while hanging out with her bear, Mister B.

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The ZONE
RANTS AND RAVES: Monitor Calibration

By Zoltun | Published: June 13, 2011
Monitor Calibration

A Monitor Calibrator and Pantone Color Book

Have you noticed that the color of the document on your screen never matches what comes out of your printer? Or how your neighbor’s screen colors look drastically different from yours?

It’s always bothered me how much care goes into matching colors for print, and how difficult it is to match colors on the web. This has nothing to do with “print designers vs. web designers.” It’s simply a result of our medium: the monitor. No two monitors are calibrated the same way, and, almost inevitably, the colors that I see on my monitor will be different from the colors you see on yours. And it’s almost guaranteed that what prints out of a printer will be different from what can be seen on anyone’s monitor.

I will always remember going on a certain press check and bringing the client along. “Oh, wow!” she exclaimed. “I never knew that text was orange. It always looked brown on my screen.” Fortunately, her exclamation was one of delight — she liked the orange. But it had come as a surprise to her because her monitor wasn’t calibrated, so it displayed distorted, muddied colors.

There are many tools that aid designers when it’s time to go to print, helping to ensure that the colors we get on paper are exactly what we intended. There are Pantone® books, press checks, and even online paper simulators for non-white and off-white papers. All of these are essential to achieving just the right color. After all, if you’re using a corporate color or printing multiple pieces, you want them all to match each other.

Even though all monitors are calibrated out of the box, they’re all drastically different from one another. How do we know whose is correct? Are there standards for monitor calibration? Fortunately, there are monitor calibrators (they look a bit like mice) that hang over your monitor and detect the colors that it emits. The calibrator can tell you how far off your monitor is and how to adjust it. There are also quizzes and checks online that you can use to guide your calibration. These tools are useful in improving the state of your monitor — but, as anyone with dual monitors knows, you’ll never get two monitors to be exactly the same.

My hope is that both designers and our clients will acknowledge that what we see on a monitor will not be exactly what prints. Also, my hope is that there will be a wider effort by all computer users to calibrate their monitors… even just a little bit. The latter is only wishful thinking; I know that not everyone is aware that they can do that, let alone how to go about it. I can just hope that when I’m on a press check in the future, it’s not with a client who has been working with a severely color-distorted monitor.

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The ZONE
ZOLTUN PROFILE: Community Brochure

By Zoltun | Published: June 13, 2011
Zoltun Design Community Brochure

For more photos, visit our website at zoltun.com/work

You may be familiar with Zoltun through work we’ve done together to promote your company or organization.

Or, you may be familiar with some of the genuinely talented people who comprise our design team. But you may not know about some of the causes that enkindle our support, and that often go unnoticed. A year in the making, this brochure is a labor of love.

This compendium of imagery and information shines a light on what can come of good work and meaningful partnerships. We are proud to be involved with the organizations listed and featured in this brochure. We are thankful for the professional and personal friendships that have transpired as a result of our work with them on design campaigns for a common cause.

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7 Reasons “Crowdsourcing” Your Company’s Logo Won’t Work

By Zoltun | Published: June 3, 2011

photo courtesy safran-arts.com

The practice of using freelancers has been around since the beginning of the advertising industry. Agencies have relied on available talent to boost their production abilities during times when there was more work than people to do it.

It’s also a great way to ‘test drive’ a relationship with a potential employee.  Both the agency and the designer have a chance to experience working together before either side commits to a full-time relationship.

The Internet has made the practice of hiring for a project even easier.  There are hundreds of websites that run contests for everything – from logos, to brochures, to complete branding campaigns.

You develop a description of what you want, you post the amount you’re willing to pay for it, and people from all over the world submit their entries in the hopes of being chosen and winning the money.  The practice has been dubbed ‘crowdsourcing’ and there are even agencies built around crowdsourced talent – no full-time designers on staff.

So, you do a little bit of work writing the brief, and then you receive hundreds of logos to choose from for a fraction of what you would pay an agency – sounds great, right?

Wrong.
Here are 7 reasons why “crowdsourcing” your work is actually a bad idea for your business.

  • Strategy - Successful logos are built on strategy. Who is making sure that the logo will work on a strategic level?  If the design is coming directly from your brief, there’s a chance that it might be too close to your own opinion. Your logo needs to work from all peripherals and all angles.
  • Consumer – If you are writing a brief about your business from your perspective, who is looking out for your consumer?  Who is making sure the design will compel them to choose you instead of the competition? Also, keep in mind the fact that the same “crowd” designing your logo could be designing your competition’s as well.
  • Pay - So, hundreds of people are working for free in the hopes that they will win a few hundred dollars.  Again, the question of strategy comes up. Is this the best strategic choice for your company? Are you sure this is the level of talent that you want working on your logo?
  • Experience – Most of the people that participate in crowdsource work are students looking to increase their portfolio or hobbyists that are self-taught on Photoshop.  More often than not, they do not have the ability or experience to be working on such an important project without the guiding hand of an art director (By the way, Zoltun’s creative director and art director are award-winning!).
  • Trademark – There have been a number of instances when work that was submitted violated trademarks, in some cases it’s been alleged that it was done on purpose.
  • Recycling – Without proper pay, designers don’t have a lot of time to spend creating custom work that will connect with the consumer.  Instead, they submit recycled work that another client has rejected.
  • Research – Great logos are great because they are WELL researched.  Lengthy discussions with experts go a long way to getting a feel for your company and its place in your industry.  The brand identity has to connect emotionally, and that won’t happen from a pretty logo.  That comes from really knowing the consumer and the company.

These are simply a few of the reasons why crowdsourced work – logos or ad campaigns – might produce pretty work but it won’t build a brand.  To build a bond with the consumer, you really need to have insight into who they are and what compels them.  Don’t waste a few hundred dollars and get something that won’t work.  Make a good investment on your brand identity – it’s important.

Check out our award-winning design in brand and logo development, advertising, and Web!

This article was adapted from razorbrandingblog.com.

 

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Zoltun Takes Home Platinum and Gold in Hermes Creative Awards

By Zoltun | Published: May 20, 2011

Zoltun wins 4 prizes from the Hermes Creative Awards, an international competition for creative professionals.

In May, Zoltun Design submitted three internal marketing pieces to the Hermes Creative Awards.

We are proud to announce that we are the recipients of four awards in four separate categories.

The Hermes Creative Award is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. The award recognizes outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals. The pieces were evaluated by a panel of judges from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, an international organization consisting of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production, and free lance professionals.

  •  The Zoltun team’s outstanding work on the Community Brochure was recognized with a Platinum Award for Best Overall Design in a Publication, and a Gold Award for Overall Best Writing in a Publication.
  • Zoltun’s Dry Cleaning Door Hangers won a Platinum award in the Advertising category.
  • Zoltun designed a Trade Show Handout for Philips Respironics, which received a Gold award in the Trade Show category.

Only about 15% of the entries won Platinum awards, and approximately 19% won Gold awards. We are very grateful for the prestigious honors. We’re looking forward to more of these tremendous opportunities to showcase our talented designers’ work!

To check out more of our designs, visit our website. Browse around, get inspired, and contact us to see how we can work together to get the best design for your company!

 

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Ten Years of Innovation Highlighted in One Night

By Zoltun | Published: May 2, 2011

Bryce Roberts, co-founder of O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures offers insight on the advancement of technology from September 11,2001, to May 1, 2011. 

We simply couldn’t have said it better.

“On the morning of September 11, 2001 I walked into my living room, flipped on the TV and saw scenes playing out in NYC that I will never forget. Both local stations and cable outlets were abuzz with speculation, stories and facts as they became available. As I drove to my office that morning under an airplane free sky, I listened to the radio for additional commentary. Over the course of weeks and months the story behind that attacks on NYC and Washington DC began to unfold. Names were named, actions were taken and lives forever changed.

Last night, after having been offline all day, I pulled out my iPhone and fired up Twitter around 9 pm. As I worked my way through my stream I began to see tweets speculating that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed. Speculation turned to confirmation as I clicked through to view the President’s news conference on YouTube. Further upstream Google Earth views and Google Maps traces of the Pakistani compound he’d used as a hideout surfaced. Further clicking saw details being added in realtime to Wikipedia as individual contributors synthesized the available information. Bloggers surfaced a Twitter users who, unbeknownst to him as the time, had documented the scene as it unfolded the night prior with descriptions and emotions of a nights uncertain events. My stream roared with commentary, jokes, fake Osama Twitter accounts updating from hell, people chastising those celebrating creating a 360 degree view of ways people were processing all of this information. It filled with images from strangers and friends in front of the White House and at Ground Zero in NYC celebrating, mourning, remembering those people and events that this moment signified. And before climbing into bed, I’d already seen the cover of the NYT planned for this morning’s print edition.

The TV and radio that solely fed my information flow less than 10 years ago were noticeably absent. In their place were services like Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Foursquare, Instagram, Twitpic, Google Maps and more. All accessed on an untethered mobile device in real time.

As I woke this morning I was struck by that fact. In less than 10 years the world and the technology we use to experience it has changed so completely. On September 11, 2001 there was no iPhone, there was no Twitter, there was no YouTube. But there was a basic human desire to connect, to share experiences and to have our experiences shared and understood by others. These shifts in technology happen over time in such a way that they seem to evolve naturally. Sometimes even imperceptibly.

But, having these two events bookend 10 years of experience shines a light on just how much innovation we’ve been a part of in such a short amount of time. So this morning I’m grateful for the innovators pushing forward technologies that bring us together and enable us to share these human experiences. And, I can’t help but be hopeful for what the next 10 years will bring.”

See Bryce Roberts’ full blog here

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Fighting the WAR Against Hunger in the South Side

By Zoltun | Published: April 15, 2011

Join the WAR Against Hunger - Saturday, April 30 along the South Side Trail!

For many people, decisions concerning what or where to eat dinner are more common than how the food will get there.

In 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households; 33 million adults and 17.2 million children.

“Food insecurity” and “food insecurity with hunger” are terms referring to the tens of millions of families in the U.S. who do not know where they will find their next meal, and who are sometimes completely without a source of food.

Zoltun Design is a proud sponsor of the 7th annual Rainbow Kitchen Community Services Walk and Ride (WAR) Against Hunger on Saturday, April 30, 2011 along the South Side Trail.

The WAR Against Hunger is a walk and bicycle ride fundraising event to raise money in support of Rainbow Kitchen’s anti-hunger programs and services. The event begins at 10 am and includes a Health and Wellness Expo. FREE PARKING is available for all who participate.

There will be prize drawings and all participants will receive a free t-shirt.

Zoltun Design has had the pleasure of working with Rainbow Kitchen Community Services on several projects, most recently the development of their brand-new website, www.rainbowkitchen.org.

Here’s how you can help!

  • Participate! You can walk or ride the trail – and bring as many people with you as you’d like.
  • Collect pledge donations
  • Make a contribution – We’d love to see you on April 30th, but if you can’t make it to the event, you can still support our efforts. You can donate online at www.rainbowkitchen.org, or mail your donation (checks only, please) to the address below.

Rainbow Kitchen Community Services
135 East 9th Ave.
Homestead, PA 15120
(412) 464-1892

To participate in the Walk and Ride, the rate is $15 for adults and $10 for kids and students.

For more details and to register online, visit Rainbow Kitchen Community Services’ website. Walk-in registration is also available and welcome.
It should be a beautiful day, and we can’t wait to see you there!

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Zoltun sponsors the Galloping Gietelbugs in the Walk for MS

By Zoltun | Published: April 8, 2011

Zoltun Design sponsors the Galloping Gietelbugs in their Walk for MS!

Zoltun Design proudly sponsors one of our own, Marci Scott, and her team “The Galloping Gietelbugs” in their Walk for MS on Sunday, April 10, 2011.

Multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system, is one of the most common neurological disorders diagnosed in young adults. Its causes are not yet fully understood and researchers continue to look for answers.

“We’ve formed our team for the Walk MS because the National Multiple Sclerosis Society funds more MS research than any other private organization,” says Marci. (The name “Gietelbug” comes from Marci’s nickname as a child… and it just stuck! Her husband, Ed, came up with the whole team name.)

In addition to creating and paying for the Galloping Gietelbugs’ t-shirts, Zoltun also donated $200.00 to the cause. Not including this donation, Marci’s team has already raised over $3,400.00 toward a cure for MS!
“In addition to supporting studies which hope to reveal the cause and course of the disease,” she says, “the National Multiple Sclerosis Society also provides much needed education, programs, and services to everyone who is affected by MS – including the diagnosed, their friends and families, and the healthcare professionals who work with them.”
“The Walk MS event is a simple but powerful way to join the movement. It’s a place to be together with others in the community that care bout MS. It’s a way to support research and help people with MS move their lives forward.”  (walkpax.nationalmssociety.org)
To join the fight against Multiple Sclerosis, visit Marci and the Galloping Gietelbugs’ web page and get involved. Donate to the Galloping Gietelbugs’ team, or walk the walk on Sunday!  For more information, visit walkpax.nationalmssociety.org.

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3 Simple but Powerful Tips for Effective Social Media Marketing

By Zoltun | Published: April 1, 2011

This week, we’ve attended some webinars and participated in several chats about social media.
Trust us when we say that not only is social media not going anywhere, it’s just getting started.

Here are some of the best tips we gathered from our social media butterflying:

Today, social networking is more than just sharing photos of the family dog.

1.    Do everything a little more frequently.

This means blogging, email campaigns, Facebook posts, and Tweets. This kind of visibility is important in marketing efforts, and it’s basically free. The only investment is a little bit of time.

However (and this is a pretty big HOWEVER), you don’t want to overload your audience with content if it’s not valuable to them.

Creating Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts is a great start, for sure. But these networks are useless without the blocking and tackling of content marketing. Creating your own content not only adds value to your customers’ experience with your company, but it also increases your SEO ratings and the chance for your business to appear higher in Google searches and rankings.

You also don’t want to use your multi-channel marketing solely as a form of self promotion. “Peppering” is a good idea. By providing interesting, valuable content without constantly saying “What’s in it for us?” the customer regards your business as a thought leader. And there’s one goal reached – a relationship based on trust.

2.    Timing is everything, even in posting.

Statistically, Mondays and Thursdays in the early morning (between 6-8 am) is the best time to post new blog content. The “Linkerati,” or professional bloggers, do much of their catching up, planning ahead, and searching for new content and ideas on Mondays and Thursdays. In terms of link building and search engine optimization, this is one of those super-important bits of Best Practice information to keep in mind.
3.    Don’t be afraid of posting on the weekends.

Or during times that you wouldn’t ordinarily think to post. Basically, talk while the others are silent. If you’ve noticed that a lot of posts on your News Feed come up right around 5 pm, move your posts to a different time. Utilize contra-competitive timing and make it work for you.

Work smarter. There are tons of nifty little tips, tricks and tools out there for making social media manageable, effective, and efficient.  Decide if you want an automated message to be generated when someone new follows your business on Twitter, or if you’d prefer to handle your @messages with a more personal touch. Scheduling posts ahead of time can make life a whole lot easier, and strategically, it’s a good idea to have your ideas planned out so there is consistency within your content.

Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, and join our LinkedIn group for more timely, relevant, and interesting information!

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