1.  Internet 2 will be at 100 times the speed of the current Internet

Internet Two the second version for the Internet. Internet 2 will be at 100 times the speed of the current Internet. Internet development. Internet the future. Internet Progress.

This will bring Interactive Video for use for distance Engineering and Medical development as well as 3 D visual displays in Real time.

It is said that Internet 2 will have the same impact as the Internet has had on Business, People and Society. The take up of Internet 2 should be a lot quicker because the Internet has been proved to function and work.

The impact will be the same level, or more as moving for using DOS to using Windows. Think how we access Video, Even with broadband this can be slow. With Internet 2 Full screen Interactive display should be possible.

Internet 2 will bring the possibility of; engineers turning out a part on a lathe remotely; a car plant construction technical manipulating robots to build a car, doctors able to support medical teams from different locations.

Data flow both, or more, ways should become possible in read time increasing the online gaming experience.

It is difficult to predict the total impact of Internet 2 but think about the Impact of the Internet now; Online banking, shopping, email and other forms of communication.

We may use it to have Full screen Video conferencing with a number of people or even big groups. Interactive Television is one area waiting for this level of data flow and feedback.

It may be possible to use some spare the bandwidth for radio, news and other information.

Streaming Video will be a thing of the past because we will watch videos just as we watch DVD films now but we will not need to store the physical DVD disks.

Internet 2 will bring a whole new customer base of people who have never used the Internet before.

2.  Choosing a good web design / development company

Choosing a good design / development company is a bit like finding a good builder. There are plenty out there but how do you find the good ones?

Before contacting a web design and development company, decide on the limits of your budget and have some idea of what you want. Don`t forget your web site is an investment, servers as your introduction, selling tool and image recognition.

Ask yourself:

Do you want a corporate brochure, an information site, a magazine site, or an online store?

Do you want database access, to store product details, which can be searched and displayed online?

Do you want an animated web site with moving graphics and user interaction?

Do you have all the information that a designer would need?

Although your first impact of the company will usually be their own website, make sure you look deeper into their portfolio. Every designer is capable of producing one great website - but can they produce twenty great websites in succession?

Is their portfolio of work sympathetic to my business?

Do I like their style of design?

Do all their websites look the same?

Who Is?

No that`s not an incomplete statement it`s the name of a directory that you should familiarize yourself with. Using the WHOIS database you can search and find out information about an existing domain name such as the owner, how long it`s been registered and other useful information. The WHOIS database will provide you with the contact information of the person or organization that registered the domain name you are inquiring about, you can check here.

If you have any doubts about the size of the company, largely speaking, the size of the company provides you with no indication to the quality or work they can produce; or the services they can provide.

There are a lot of freelance web designers who can produce far superior work to large companies, but there are also freelance web designers who charge much more than large companies. Don't let your preconceptions about the size of companies get in the way of the facts.

How much will they charge me for website design?

Website design companies can have very different ways of charging. Some may charge high set-up costs and low recurring fees. Some will pull in customers with a low set-up cost and then charge high recurring fees and then it is not easy pull back.

Bear in mind that most professional web design companies work on a bespoke basis - and will therefore not be able to publish specific prices. They will however, be able to provide you with a approximate figure based on a technical and/or design brief. They should also be able to provide you with an indication of what their hourly/daily rate is.

When you contact a designer or web developer the important questions to ask are:

1. Is the company a full time design company? Some 'hobbyist' designers build webs as a second or weekend job.

2. Can you contact them during working hours? Again this will show if the design company is full time or part time.

3. Do they have their own web domain? Any self respecting designer will have their own web domain if not you should ask why not.

4. Do they charge for an initial consultation? Some companies will try to charge a fee just to discuss your requirements, others will try to do business over the phone, whilst others will offer a free initial consultation and build further consultations into the price of the contract.

5. What is the main revenue for the company? Some companies offer web sites in addition to their main business. A number of graphic designers and printers have branched out into the web design business. There is nothing wrong with this but ensure that they understand the technical issues.

6. Can they build what you want? Do they have the right resources and technology? Do they offer web hosting and diagnostics for your requirements? How they plan to assist you in promoting your website?

7. What kind of support do they offer when things go wrong or need changing? Do they charge for support?

8. What are the addresses of their reference sites? You must see some published work. Starting with the design company's own web site, and some of their clients.

9. Do they have clients willing to talk to you? Is their service of a standard that their clients will recommend them? If they are good and competent designers then they should have clients who are prepared to discuss their experiences.

10. Can you visit them at their offices? If you are entrusting an important part of your company strategy to a stranger you need to build a relationship. You are more likely to get a good web site if the designer understands your business, products or services.

Compiled by GO-Gulf.com

3.  7 opinions to avoid Flash like the plague when web designing a site

At a recent Legal Marketing Italia seminar, the question arose as to why a company's web site doesn't rank well, even for the company's name. In Italy, the most common problem encountered with websites is the use of Macromedia / Adobe Flash to develop most or all of a company's website. This case was no exception.

Italy has a b history of excellence in visual communication, including graphic design. Indeed, the very successful New York City subway signage was designed by an Italian. Many Italian graphic designers have worked on web sites, adopting Flash as their preferred technology when moving from the printed media to the web. Flash allows "pixel perfect" control over web design, including font specification.

Unfortunately, Flash technology is a poor choice for most commercial web sites. A proprietary technology, Flash breaks most web standards and conventions. While Flash sites are generally beautiful to look at, the fail to meet a number of minimum criteria for business-oriented websites.

1. Information embedded in Flash is often invisible to search engines

Most Internet navigators begin a web session with a search engine. Even when they know a domain name, they start with Google or a similar search engine. With all the possible confusion of .com, .net, .eu, it’s better to trust Google to find the "right choice". As search engines are the gatekeepers to the Internet, it is imperative that companies maximize their natural visibility in search engines.

Search engines work by scanning information on the web, processing it, and retrieving the best match for each user query. Search engines are fine-tuned to process text, semantically wrapped in tags. The markup in hypertext markup language is our specification of a document title, headings, paragraphs and links – structural meaning which helps search engines place appropriate importance on each text element.

Information hidden in graphics formats, such as Flash, is difficult, if not impossible, to find and process. While search engines such as Google try their best to extract links and textual content buried in Flash objects, the process is far from perfect. Sites constructed completely in Flash often offer very little textual information – consequently what information a search engine does find ranks poorly. Even sites partially constructed using Flash often "hide" their internal site links using Flash based site navigation.

Search engine optimization practitioners can help companies with Flash based web sites overcome Flash limitations without violating search engine guidelines.

2. Website reporting on Flash navigation is problematic and cumbersome

Web analytics systems help marketing professionals evaluate website visitor behavior in and around a website, providing actionable information valuable in improving a website's business performance.

Basic web analytics reporting tells marketers where their visitors came from, the pages visited and where in a site visitors abandon a site. One type of web analytics reporting uses web server based data – log files which track every page, image and download served to site visitors. A second type of reporting system relies on JavaScript tags that need to be inserted in every site page and on every downloadable object. While both types of web analytics systems have advantages and disadvantages, Flash based websites present real problems for both types of web analytics reporting tools.

Web server log based systems are able to track when a Flash object, typically a swf file, is viewed. They are not able to track navigation within a Flash object – so if a site is composed of one Flash object which contains multiple site sections, the web analytics system will see a swf download, but will have no idea which parts of the site a visitor viewed nor where the visitor abandoned the site.

JavaScript tag based solutions, such as Google Analytics, rely on web developers inserting a small piece of JavaScript code in each page, usually in the site header or footer. Most sites have a single shared header and footer meaning that the code just needs to be put in one file for an entire site. A basic installation then takes less than 30 minutes from account setup and configuration to page tagging.

As all or most of the navigation in a Flash based site occurs within the Flash object, page tagging solutions require that each user action (such as clicking on a button to view different "content") be tagged with an ActionScript call to the web analytics JavaScript code, providing a pseudo page name which then appears as a virtual page in Web Analytics reports. While this sounds complicated, the Google Analytics on-line help system provides a good example.

In the real world, this approach breaks down very quickly. Web analytics tagging is often an after thought. Flash ActionScript coding adds extra implementation cost and complexity. Flash designer(s) are often unfamiliar with web analytics requirements and thus don't consider Flash events tagging requirements during site design. Implemented tag verification is a tedious process as it requires waiting for data to appear in the reporting system – hours or days later. Flash does not provide referrer information, making it very difficult to track navigation paths.

3. Flash breaks web usability standards

Flash sites might look great, but they start to fall apart when visitors try to use them. Consider a site for a professional services company. The site contains information about the company, its services, case studies and contact information. It is clear that the company invested a lot of time in planning and developing their web site. The site deserves an excellent rating for content and appearance.

* While navigating through the site, try to use the browser back button. Unfortunately, it is disabled.
* Try highlighting contact information to paste into your contact manger, such as Thunderbird or Outlook – you cannot.
* Try increasing the font size to make the text more readable (Firefox: Ctrl +; IE 7: "View -> Text Size". You cannot.
* Try bookmarking a page within the site (or deep linking to a page from an external site). You cannot. Keep in mind that deep linking, the ability to link to a specific page in a site, affects a site's visibility in search engines and the overall web ecosystem.

Ouch! These are all problems that could be avoided by using standard html and css instead of Flash. Sites that have these types of problems usually also have problems with web accessibility.

There are (too) many examples of Flash designed sites which present the same problems:

* Syneo. A context design consultancy.
* Exile Solutions. Online Professional Services.
* Studiodynamis. Audiovisual Communication for the Fashion Sector

4. Lack of consistent cross platform support

One of the keystones of the web is that a website should work in any browser on any computer – it is openness and standardization which has made the Internet universal. Flash breaks the basic tenets of website design. While most Internet users have Flash installed – they don't necessarily have the right version installed. Indeed version 8 wasn't even released for the Linux platform, locking those users out of sites developed for Flash 8 and 9 (Flash 9 for Linux has finally been released, months after the Windows version).

5. Code embedding Flash objects doesn't pass w3c validation

The World Wide Web Consortium, the primary web standards organization, provides a free tool to ensure a page's html is syntactically correct. While search engines and web browsers do tolerate bad html code, a business oriented site usually wants to minimize the risk that an improperly coded page won't render correctly or will be rejected by a search engine's parser. Validation of pages removes this risk.

Unfortunately, standard Flash object embedding in the current html version, xhtml, doesn't validate correctly. Fortunately, the fine folks at alistapart have documented a solution.

6. Some users disable Flash to avoid flash based advertising.

Savvier web users have learned to disable Flash in web pages to avoid animated advertising and / or to improve page-loading times on dial-up connections. Regardless of the reason, a disabled Flash website looks much like this:

Browser with Flash disabled.

Another reason to stick with html and css.

7. Website updates continually require Flash skills

One characteristic better performing websites share in common is fresh content - they are continually updated to reflect the latest company news and industry trends. Pure Flash and Flash navigation sites constantly need to use a Flash designer every time new content needs to be integrated into the existing site. If this skill-set doesn't exit in-house, site maintenance becomes needlessly complicated. More information about web design.

4.  How to Tell if You Need Graphic Design Help

How skilled are you at diagnosing diseases? Sure, you d be able to tell if someone is sick if they re coughing and sniffling all over you, but if you re not a doctor, you d be hard-pressed to scientifically establish that your patient has, say, a bad case of "Holoprosencephaly." The same goes with Graphic Design. It s easy to notice the symptoms that go along with having bad design (dwindling sales, poor brand recognition), but it can be quite difficult to get to the root of the problem.

Consider the following statements to help you determine if your current communications strategy is in good shape. Answer "yes" or "no" if the following statements apply to you:

- I created the company brochure myself, in Microsoft Publisher
- Our company doesn t have a logo, we just use our name in ALL CAPS
- The boss s son put together the company website for free, when he was 12
- I have no idea how to update our company website
- Our logo doesn t really show up very well on faxes
- I always put our logo on documents, but whenever I change the size, it looks squished

If you ve got mostly "yesses", you need some help. Here s what a Graphic Design studio can do for you:

+ Develop a professional and cohesive identity package that ensures that your business cards, stationery and PowerPoint presentations all have a cohesive look
+ Create a new logo that speaks for your company, and give you the tools you need to use it without distorting it
+ Provide clear and attractive signage for the inside and outside of your building
+ Develop a website that s easy to navigate and even easier to update
+ Create promotional materials like brochures, HTML emails, and advertisements that look professional, and represent your company well ... (by kevan)

5.  How to go about online shopping

The idea of online shopping has created a major interest in net users. It is simply buying and paying through internet anytime anywhere. You can purchase almost anything online and need not bother anyone. You can purchase clothes, cars, computers, groceries, books, machineries etc. along with real estates. Generally, the transactions are done through credit cards only. However, there are some sites, which offer cash on delivery. Though online shopping is easier and cheaper as they often offer discounts, yet you could be in trouble at times. Have you ever thought of choosing a secured and safe site for your shopping?

Are you sure your transaction is safe?

Let us think about certain facts before going for online shopping,

Are you using a secure browser?

The browser you are using should abide by the industry security standards. There are Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Secure Electronic Transaction (SET). These systems encrypt the purchase information you send over the net. Safe sites show the symbol of an unbroken key, a picture of a closed lock or a web address started with https://. Remember the letter “S" after http is very important. Along with that, most of the browsers also display a warning message before you click to send any information to a site.

Go for Certificate check:

It is also easy to verify a secure site with a “certificate". Presently Verisign,Inc. is a provider of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). This company has formed long-term partnerships with a large no. of other companies. You can check out www.verisign.com for further information.

Do not reveal your very personal information unless required:

Always try not to send your password anywhere if you do not know the receiver. It’s even secured to use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols in your password instead of using birth dates, phone numbers etc.

Always pay with a credit card or charge card:

Online shopping is done by credit card or charge card in order to make the procedure easy. If you pay with a credit card or charge card, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Building Act. According to the law, consumers have every right to dispute the charges against certain situations.

It is always better to invest small amount while buying online for the first time. Try them a couple of times and then go for more investments. Using one card only for online shopping will make your life much comfortable. Do not forget to keep hard copies of your purchase order and confirmation number.

Think twice before filling up a form online:

In maximum websites, you need to register yourself in order to buy things. This form is sometimes very risky as with just a click of your mouse all your information could be sent to anywhere. If you are sending any private information then it’s better to think twice. Generally the sites want to know whether you are new to online shopping or what kind of products you are interested in etc. but sometime they ask for your e-mail id, password, mailing address and phone number.

Ask yourself before pouring out all such information:

1) Are they at all required?
2) Should I trust the owners of the site?
3) What about the site’s privacy policy?
4) Is it a secure site at all?
5) What my friends/ relatives/ colleagues feel about this site?

After giving yourself proper and satisfactory replies, you can go forward.

Shopping online is definitely enjoyable and interesting. Your online shops are open for 24 hours a day under any circumstances. It gives you the pleasure and comfort to buy with just a few clicks on your mouse. You can go for research before buying a product, such as can check out the price range, utility, others’ opinion and many more things. As everything has its good and bad sides, online shopping is not an exceptional case. Sometime you might have to pay more as the price includes shipping charges and other delivery options. Even it takes time to open up pages where you could be able to see the products.

Along with all the pros and cons, online shopping is just “in". Maximum people prefer getting things delivered at their doorstep even if they have to pay more. However, before ordering anything online, think and try these out. If you feel you are secured, go ahead and happy shopping! (by Paromita)

6.  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on Packaged Web Sites

It seems like a good idea to buy a pre-packaged Web site where all you have to do is plug in your name and phone number and it s up and running. The Web company supplies all of the forms, templates, and sometimes even news feeds for your Web site. But is it effective? Do you get business from this Web site? Does it form a favorable impression with clients? In this article, we ll list the advantages and disadvantages of packaged Web sites.

Experience Makes the Difference

The biggest difference between buying a pre-packaged Web site and building one from scratch with a Webmaster is the amount of experience you need. You don t need to know HTML code, but you do need to know online marketing. You ll need to know how to craft your message online in order to be most effective in the marketplace. Five to ten years ago, it may not have been necessary to market CPA and bookkeeping firms. Today, however, the competition is more intense. Now many medium-sized firms even have marketing departments with multiple employees to work on the messages that go out to the marketplace. Unlike traditional marketing, the online message is a bit different: You only have about eight seconds before a Web visitor decides if they want to find out more about you - or leave your site forever. You have to get the message right the first time or you will lose business. Therefore, when you buy a packaged Web site, you must have this expertise in-house or hire it additionally when you fill in the site forms.

Speed of Installation

The biggest advantage of a packaged Web site is how fast you can launch it. You could get your site up in a matter of hours if you have your content ready. This is a tremendous benefit to launching a site. On the other hand, I see hundreds of pre-packaged sites that are live but have never been completed. You click on a menu link and nothing is there except the page title. This always confounds me when I see this. Would you send out an incomplete proposal to one client? Never. Then why would you send out an incomplete Web site to millions of viewers? You re sending the message that you can t get a project finished. As long as you complete the launch of your pre-packaged site, you will benefit from the speed of getting your message to the marketplace.

Search Engine Optimization

Will prospects be able to find your pre-packaged site in a search engine? It depends on a couple of things. Again, in-house experience with search engine optimization, the process of getting your site to rank high in a relevant search, is necessary if you want your packaged Web site to pay off. Does the package allow you to adjust HTML tags that are critical to search engine placement? Do you have the expertise to know how to adjust these tags? For example, the title tag is one of the most important tags for search engine placement. You, your staff, or someone you hire should work on this feature of your Web site for maximum effectiveness.

Updates

Whether you buy a pre-packaged Web site or build one, be sure to update it so that the site does not go stale. Web packages that have a news feed have an advantage here. However, make sure the news feeds or newsletters are relevant to your customers and that they reflect the viewpoint of your company.

Buy vs. Build

In 1998, I used to tell clients that they could build their own Web site, but soon after that I changed my advice. Eight years later, I may change my advice again. The online marketing world is now so complex that I m not sure a pre-packaged Web site is the best way to go for some situations. It gives practitioners a false sense of security thinking that putting up the Web site is all they have to do. It really depends on you. As long as you can supplement your pre-packaged Web site with great online marketing skills and search engine optimization assistance, whether it s in-house or hired, your Web site will be on its way to generating new business for your company. (by Sandi Smith, CPA)

7.  Why You Need a Website by GO-Gulf.com, Dubai

When you are running a business, whether as an individual or as an organization, your single goal is obviously to make money – and to make increasingly more money as your business grows with time. Expanding your business does not necessarily imply that you simply increase the range of products/services offered by you; more importantly, it requires you to expand your reach to more and more customers. Before the emergence of the WorldWideWeb, the standard – and the only available – business practice to realize this was via commercial ad campaigns launched on radio/television, or in the print media.

However, in today’s world of Internet it is your presence on the Web that can make all the difference between you and your competitor. Having a website is neither an extravagant fad nor the latest fashion, it is an absolute necessity if you do not want to lose out to your competitors. Period. A website is not just your calling card – it is your permanent billboard that boosts your business on a global level.

Here are some top reasons why a website is of paramount importance in any business:

1. A website is the most cost-effective way of generating publicity for your business if marketed properly using new-age web techniques like SEO, Blogging, RSS Feeds, etc.

2. A website establishes your credibility as well as your presence in the global markets. Why limit your clientele to your immediate locale when the whole world is just a keystroke away?

3. There are approximately one billion Internet users across the world! How can you afford to ignore access to such a massive potential clientele? That too at a fraction of the cost incurred in standard ad campaigns.

4. A website gives the impression that your business is open and responsive 24/7. And that really helps increase sales.

5. Your website can act as a catalogue for your products. Once you display your products on your website, they are there for all to see. You save on the huge expenses of printing and distribution of hard copies of catalogues.

6. Your website provides your customers an additional communication channel to your business plus a room to share ideas and post their feedback. It gives them valuable information about your business – your background, your policies, FAQs, and much more. Giving so much information in person, whether on telephone or face-to-face, is just not practical. It also provides you with sales leads.

7. Your website can double up as your shop if you build e-commerce into it. This means that your products can be sold and money made even while you are sleeping!

8. A website can throw open new frontiers of business for you. For example, if you are selling a product that is in great demand in another country, then a business house from that country may write to you and ask for a franchise or distributorship.

9. A website will help you release time-constrained information at the right time, e.g., an urgent communiqué to your employees, a press release, or a special event planned for customers.

10. A website helps get feedback from customers, employees, or other visitors who want to suggest an idea.

So, what are you waiting for? GO and develop your website before your competitor, and watch your business zoom and cash roll in ;-)

8.  Logo Simplicity + Small Business Logo Design

It is important to understand that your logo is primarily designed to appeal to external parties (your site visitors, business clients, friends, etc.). Let them vote to find out which logo is the favorite.

When it comes down to the best logos, they all share one thing in common: logo simplicity. Logo simplicity usually results in a one-color simple design that is easily readable, reproducible and scalable. Learn how to make Creative & Effective Logo design if you haven't already. Here we are going to focus on making simple logo designs that will compete with the best branded companies.

A Logo Simple Enough for Any Size

Will your logo work on a golf ball and on a pencil? Golf balls and pencils both have challenges, they are small, they don't have smooth services, they are different sizes and there are millions of them. Golf balls are round, pencils are long; Golf balls have dimples; pencils have ridges. Golf balls end up on the same green as other golf balls and pencils end up in the same pen & pencil holder as others. How would your logo look on a golf ball and a pencil?

Would it stand out?

There's not room for much detail or color. There would certainly be distortion from those bumps and ridges--how forgiving is your logo? Your logo needs to be unique and simple enough to make an impression while people are whacking your ball hundreds of yards or writing a paper with your pencil.

A Logo should work as well in Black as it does in Full Color

Gradients and photos are wonderful but when you put them in a logo, you're asking for disaster. Not only will lots of colors look bad on your golf balls and pencils but they will cost a lot more to make and reproduce.

A Logo with Type and a Symbol

The Nike Swoosh did not become recognized world-wide over night. In fact, Nike used swoosh symbol with the word NIKE for years before using the swoosh symbol on its own. If you're designing a new logo or re-designing an existing logo, you should probably include both type and a symbol so that people will begin to associate your symbol with your company, organization or product. Overtime, there may be enough recognition to drop part or all of the name.

Remember to make sure your type and symbol have a good size ratio so that they can both be easily seen when the logo is reduced in size to fit on those golf balls and pencils!

Small Business Logo Design

Small business owners are often uneducated when it comes to logo designs and their role and importance in the operation of their business. In this guide about small business logo design we will answer common questions, look at small business logo design pitfalls, talk about how to find a logo design company and how to promote your new small business logo design.

Why You Need a Logo Design for Your Small Business

There are many reasons that your small business must have a logo design. Below we've outlined a few of the common pitfalls small business owners fall into when thinking about logo design.

Pitfall #1 - Cost: My small business can't afford a logo design, I'm just starting out.

With the internet logo design is more affordable and cheaper than it ever has been. There are dozens of companies that will design quality logos for your small business for under $200. You might even know someone that does logo design that would be willing to design a logo for your small business for even less or free. Don't let high costs be an excuse for not having a logo. The return you will get from having a logo over the long run will far exceed the cost to create it.

Pitfall #2 - Selection: I can't get the perfect logo design for my small business, so I'll wait until later when I can.

Many small business owners don't want to settle for anything less than the perfect logo design for their business. Almost every logo goes through revisions over time and this is all part of the process. Get a logo that is professionally designed and represents your company well and start using it. As time goes on and your business grows, you can have your logo further revised to fit your business better.

Pitfall #3 - Necessity: My small business is just starting out; I really don't need a logo design.

Just about every business starts small. Microsoft started with just one person: Bill Gates. McDonald's started with one restaurant. Many of the companies you recognize today started small and could have used the excuse that they didn't need a logo but what would McDonald's be without the golden arches? What would Nike be without the swoosh? As stated before, you can always revise your logo as time goes on, but at least start with something.

Small Business Logo Design Principles

There are six logo design principles to follow for small business: color simplicity, versatility, legible typography, memorable & unique, simplicity and connection with the qualities of your small business. These logo design principles are universal, not just for small businesses. Read more about leveraging these six logo design principles.

Finding a Logo Design Company for Your Small Business

Your logo. Your letterhead. Your business cards. Your marketing. They all represent you and your small business. Appropriately designed, they will communicate to your customers that your small business is reputable, reliable, and professional. Your small business image depends on a quality logo design that is unique and memorable. Your logo is the foundation of your brand. Read the Nine Qualities of the Best Logo Design Firms.

Promoting Your New Small Business Logo Design

Once you have a professional logo design for your small business, you're ready to start branding your new logo design. The most essential places to utilize your small business logo first are on your business cards, letterhead, website, products and business location. These are great places to start using your logo design to gain recognition from your customers. As time goes on you'll want to utilize your small business logo design in a variety of ways. Read about ways to successfully brand your new small business logo design.

Small Business Logo Design Secrets

Although these secrets are surprisingly simple, you'd be amazed at how few of small business owners use these logo design secrets to promote their business.

Have a Logo Design For Your Small Business

By simply having a logo design for your small business you are doing better than a majority of small business owners and have a head start in marketing your business. Whatever it takes, make sure you have a logo design that represents your small business.

Use Your Small Business Logo Everywhere

By using your small business logo design everywhere, you will get your name out faster and better than most other small businesses. Actively using your logo design on your website, business cards, letterhead, products, business location, apparel and other items you will be achieve a snow ball effect in marketing your business.

Don't be Afraid to Revise Your Logo Design

Finally, as time goes on, don't be afraid to revise your small business logo. That doesn't mean scratching your logo and starting over (although that may be necessary in some cases), just make slight revisions to improve your identity. Hire a professional if you weren't able to at first and have them evaluate your logo and give you suggestions. Many small business owners have a logo and use it everywhere, but they refuse to make changes to it because they or someone close to them designed it or they're afraid because they don't want to change the company image. (by Johnny Flash)

9.  Difference between a good website and a bad website

Sometimes in life you face people who really don t understand what you want to say, it just doesn t goes through their heads. Theses people are self-absorbed. They just say things about themselves but won t listen to what other is saying. Same things happen with websites too. Many websites are egocentric. Rather than solving customer problem or helping them find right information and result, they keep talking about themselves. However in Internet you can escape from such sites than in real life.

Many webmasters while developing their websites really don t care about user interaction which starts hurting them in long run. They a more about their office structure, working staff, latest technology but keep the customer`s problem in secondary place.

Since visitors see website as a whole rather than reading every word and when they don t find what hey need in seconds then that offends they must and they don t mind to turn off the website as fast as possible.

While, a good website does not confuses a visitors, its gives them what they want as quickly as possible. A good websites always gives straight forwards statements than are customer centered, it gives the support it claims, they give priority to potential; problems and they try to start user interaction with the website. A good design and error free writing does not makes a good website a good website need to have all that things which can attract repeating visitors and can keep them engaged in itself. (by DigBack)

10.  What Makes a Good Logo?

A successful logo can't be just creative or clever. Because a logo ends up being an important guest at many occasions, it absolutely must perform and behave well no matter what. In this sample chapter, you'll learn what makes a good logo and how to design one that's right your business.
The most successful business logos share valuable characteristics. Here are some of the most important.

A successful logo can’t be just creative or clever. Because a logo ends up being an important guest at many occasions, it absolutely must perform and behave well no matter what.
It is a tricky balancing act, but one that you can achieve. All you have to do is consider what makes a logo effective. Make sure your design follows these guidelines.

1. It Is Simple
The “too busy” logo is a roadblock to communication, so don’t crowd it with stuff: green, flag, fairway, golfer, peninsula, borders, circles, curving type. It’s easy to get carried away, but you’ll create a stronger image with fewer pieces.

2. It Is Bold
Fine lines make lovely illustrations but poor logos because 1) they’re difficult to see, and 2) a fine line will often break up or even disappear when reproduced.

3. It Works Well in All Sizes
This one is often overlooked by designers who make presentations on large format paper: The logo that looks great at billboard size must also work on a business card.

4. It Is Appropriate for the Business
This seems like common sense, but in the throes of artistic rapture, common sense often goes out the window. Make sure the whimsical crop-duster that was so much fun to draw is suitable for the client, in this case, a regional commuter airline.

5. It Is Distinctive
Don’t settle for the ordinary (let other companies be ordinary). Your company is unique—that is, it has a distinctive culture and market presence; capture this intelligently and thoughtfully.

Circles Are Strong Design Elements
A circle is a familiar focal point which the eye can interpret with little effort. Its soft edges are more often pleasing than those of angular squares and triangles. Cousin to the circle is the ellipse.

Avoid Trendy Typefaces
Unless you’re in the fashion business, the type you choose for your corporate identity should still be suitable years from now. Laser printer standards—Times, Palatino, Helvetica—are always appropriate; in general, low-key is best.

Avoid Extremely Tall or Wide Logos
Odd shapes are hard to fit into common spaces—business cards, advertisements, and so forth—and as a rule they aren’t as pleasing, either. A good proportion for a logo is roughly 3 units by 2 units tall, about the ratio of a TV screen (a 1-to-1 ratio also works quite well).

Design Logo and Name as a Unit
If the company name will be part of the design—especially popular on signage—look for ways to integrate the two.

11.  What is a “logo”?

There are many words flying around today, all of which relate to logo and identity design. We’ve isolated some of the most common catchwords to help you use the right word at the right time.
So what is a logo? It’s slang for logotype, which usually refers to a company signature or mark. It derives from the Greek, logos, or word.
In graphic design parlance, the word marks properly refers to the broad group of designs that are used as corporate signatures. Marks without type are called symbols, but symbols used to communicate (like traffic signs and on restroom doors) are really pictographs.
When marks are wholly typographic, they can be lettermarks, wordmarks, or monograms, which are usually initials or abbreviations, or logos, which may be entire words or the company name. When symbols and logos are used together, they are referred to as combination marks. And when any of the above are registered and protected by law, they are referred to as trademarks.
In publishing, many people use the words logo or masthead to refer to the publication’s name on its cover, but the correct term (especially in reference to newspapers) is really nameplate or banner. And a masthead, or staff box, is a column of type that lists the publishers, owners, staff members, and address and phone numbers.

12.   3 Rules to Follow in Your Logo Design

Your logo can be used on web sites, banners, printed material such as business cards, t-shirts and coffee mugs, however when designing your own logo or getting it done by logo design professionals, ensure the following three basic rules and you will have a great and memorable corporate identity.

RULE #1: KISS the logo
The first and foremost thing to remember is to keep the logo design really, really simple, hence the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) reference. Simple logos are identifiable and easy to remember. You would be surprised to learn that good logo designers spend 1/4th of their total project time creating a logo concept, then spend another 1/4th of the time in simplifying the same logo from its current, relatively complex form. (the remaining time is spent on working on the revisions and finalizing the logo) A case in point is Microsoft’s logo, which is nothing but simple text written in italics. However, the clever use of the typeface makes it unique and identifiable.

RULE #2: Color it bad, but color it proper!
The colors used in your logo are also of supreme importance. You should identify the colors which are usually attributed to your industry, for example, choosing fresh green colors and shades when you are a gardening and landscaping business seems a logical choice. Also remember that the colors you will choose will be used on all elements of your visual identity, that is, business card, web site, packaging, signage etc, so choose your colors wisely.

RULE #3: Make it as flexible as an Olympic gymnast
Your logo design should be flexible in several respects. First of all, it should be able to be reproduced in both multi-colored and single-color (black and white) versions because there will always be media on which reproduction of your logo in color would either not be possible or downright inappropriate. It should also be scalable enough so that it looks equally good in all sizes, whether it is on a small business card or on a giant IMAX cinema screen.
In conclusion, remember that your logo design will tell your customers who you are, so make sure that you send them the right message. This can only be ensured when you follow the above three rules when either designing the logo yourself or through discussing these with your logo designers. (by John Bladeus)

13.   15 Reasons Small Businesses Need a Brand Identity System

Business and marketing experts urge small business owners to "brand" their businesses with a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials — a brand identity system. But they rarely explain the reasons behind this advice. A logo and consistent marketing materials can increase your sales and revenue, because they convey the following impressions:

1. To convey that you are established. A logo and professionally-printed materials show that you are committed to both your business and your clients. It also makes you look like you've been around for some time, and that you're stable.
   
   
2. To attract more clients. Some clients look for a well-defined company, and "look and feel" may be one of their criteria in making a purchasing decision. Others are "wowed" by professional-looking materials, and your logo may impress them into buying.
   
   
3. To increase your credibility. A logo makes you look experienced and professional, and can go a long way towards making your business appear credible. And, if you'd like to be known as an expert in your field, this type of credibility is the first thing you have to establish.
   
   
4. To be more memorable. Forty percent of people better remember what they see than what they hear or read. So having graphics associated with your business and having consistent graphics on your business materials make you more likely to come to the forefront of potential clients' minds when they have a need for your goods or services.
   
   
5. To stand out in your field. A well-designed logo and an identity system can put you far above the competition, especially if they are paired with a strong marketing program.
   
   
6. To look "bigger." Home-printed business cards with perforated edges or cards printed with standard designs available through Microsoft software or online business card vendors scream "small-time vendor" to your potential clients—and that is how they will want to compensate you.
   
   
7. To improve your chance of getting venture capital or selling a business. If you present a well-rounded business package, including marketing materials and graphics, your business will look more complete.
   
   
8. To brand yourself. Especially if you are a consultant, you need a logo in order to build an image and a brand that is bigger than your individual identity. If you're running a larger business, the logo will begin to create a "brand" or "face" for your business, and to personalize the larger business entity.
   
   
9. To give clients a sense of stability. You may not have been in business "since 1908," but if you have invested in an identity, you are much less likely to fold in the eyes of your customers. It goes a long way toward building that all-important "trust."
   
   
10. To explain your company name. If your company name contains a little-known word or an acronym, the logo can give visual clues to its meaning.
    
    
11. To endear your company name to your clients. A difficult-to-pronounce or hard-to-remember company name may make it challenging for your clients to hire you. When potential clients have the need for your services, they might not recall who you are. But if you reinforce the name with interesting, compelling graphics, they are more likely to remember you, pick up the phone, and hire you.
    
    
12. To describe an unusual line of business. If your business is nontraditional or in a hard-to-explain industry, a logo can help to explain exactly what it is that you do by offering a visual reference.
    
    
13. To show what practices differentiate you from your competition.  A well-designed logo can have many subtle meanings and can begin to tell the story of how you do business, including the special practices that make you stand apart from the competition.
    
    
14. To comply with expectations. In some industries, a logo is just expected. In the creative services industry especially, having a logo is an industry standard.
    
    
15. To show your commitment and for the sense of personal pride it will add to your practice. In other words, do it for yourself. A logo will increase your confidence, and that will show through in all of your business interactions and practices.

These benefits will boost your business and your confidence, so start thinking about developing a logo and identity as soon as possible. (by Erin Ferree)

14.  Importance of having a quality Logo and Web site

If you run a serious online business your website is probably the major contributing factor to your success, especially if it’s well-designed, user-friendly and informative. The company website is the prime connection between you and the all-important customer base, upon which every business relies. So it makes sense that everything a person sees on a website should project an image that is consistent with your corporate identity.

In particular, a logo is a visual design element that works as a symbol of a company’s goals, attitude, and target market. It represents a company and, if chosen well, can work wonders for your business. Over time, a well-chosen logo becomes synonymous with your company and will take you a long way. Think of McDonald’s golden arches, or Coca Cola’s famous red and white swirl design, and you’ll understand the power of a logo.

When designing your website and trying to select a fitting logo, there are many features to consider, so take the time to find just the right one – it’ll be worth it. Remember: a good logo works simultaneously to convey a professional first impression to new customers and strengthen brand loyalty in returning ones.
First, decide what kind of logo suits your business best. Some companies make use of text-based logos, for example. With this type of logo a unique look is achieved by creating a distinctive font and color combination that sets it apart - this is called a type treatment.

Another type of logo illustrates exactly what the company does through graphic representation. For instance, if your business sells ice cream your logo might be the picture of a triple-scoop ice cream cone. This type of logo works well for businesses that can be easily summed up in a specific piece of imagery.

Lastly, a logo can be abstract. It could be a curly line, a shape or something in that vein, which represents the company brand. This type of logo takes time and money to be effective, as it starts off meaning nothing – only when a company grows and becomes more well-known can this type of logo come to symbolize the product you are selling. For the start-up company looking to gain exposure and break into the business world, a logo that clearly sums up your business is probably a better choice.

The process of choosing a logo

Selecting an appropriate logo will take some time and effort, but it is this crucial initial investment that will ensure your business logo design will do its job over the long term. You might start off by brainstorming about the image your company represents, or the message you want to express to the public. This will help you focus on what’s important about your company’s product and come up with an apt visual representation of all it stands for.

Next, check out the competition to discover what you’re up against. What logos do other businesses in your field use? Are they professional and formal or creative and flashy? Once you determine the image your competitors have established, seek to differentiate your own logo and separate yourself from the crowd. If your logo and corporate identity differ from everything else on the Internet, people will want to see what you’re all about.

Keep it simple. Don’t go overboard when choosing a logo because this is always a big turnoff. Keep your logo crisp, clean, focused and easy-to-understand. It should also be functional and focus on the overall feel of your website and company in general.

Also consider how your business benefits your target market. Why do you provide the best product or service online? If you can convey this message easily and clearly through a graphical logo go ahead and do so. If your customers recognize your logo and associate it with the main crux of your product, they will bring you repeat business time and time again.

Choose a logo that looks good in black and white. Colors are great, but when you need to send faxes or make photocopies the company logo needs to show up strong and clear for everyone to see.
Whatever you do, stay away from clipart. Even if you want to avoid the high costs of hiring a professional designer, there are better ways to create a memorable logo that will last you for years to come. Many design companies, for example, sell logos for discounted prices that you can use as is or manipulate to suit your specific needs.

Finally, don’t choose a corporate logo that follows the latest trends. A logo is something you should expect to last a very long time, as it will come to stand as a symbol for the quality and trustworthiness of your name. You don’t want it to look outdated in a few years and have to change it entirely. Loyal customers look for a familiar logo and don’t take too kindly to logo changes. (by Katerina Mitrou)