Skybox Creative Blog

According to Vivacity founder Vivian Sayward, “There’s no reason women’s fashion can’t be as good as her game.” This can also be said for web design. There’s no reason that a simple design can’t be as good as the company it’s showcasing. Our web package concept for the newly launched sportswear line, Vivacity, not only helps showcase how the fashion line makes golf look good, but it also displays the sophistication that Vivacity targets in women 35 years and older.

At first glimpse you’ll notice how the photography grabs you. The custom designed javascript slider takes over with a rotating photo sequence of the “busy yet exciting” women in sportswear that can be worn in the office, on the course, or out on the town. It’s a mural bar of images that grabs your attention like a vibrant piece of street art. Just beneath it, the tag line tells us exactly what we’re thinking “Bet you didn’t think golf could look this good…” It’s true, we didn’t.

Just above the photo mural is a simple, easy-to-navigate menu that includes a “Get Inspired” section to showcase the women of Vivacity as well as a “Lookbook” that allows customers to view their seasonal lines. All of the pages can be managed and updated by the client using WordPress as the CMS (Content Management System). All of our web packages include a 1-2 hour training post launch to enable our clients to manage their own websites.

The color blocking of the site is consistent with the concept of the clothing. The black and white creates a streamlined, simplistic contrast. On the lower half of your screen you’ll notice two attention grabbing boxes, including a call out for the Recent Videos page and Featured Ambassador page. To the right, we included an RSS feed pulling the most recent blog article into the home page automatically, keeping the content fresh (which we know Google loves). We integrated sleek little social media buttons to the two most commonly used social networks on the planet – FACEBOOK & TWITTER, reminding the visitor to share and share alike. They are tastefully placed and keep with the hip look of the page.

Multimedia also plays a vital role in any modern web design. After clicking “Recent Videos” on the home screen, you will arrive at the Videos page. Using Vimeo or YouTube as the video hosting source, clients can easily embed video and make updates without having prior knowledge of video compression or server requirements. There are also huge social media and SEO benefits to embedding a video from a social video community like the ones mentioned above.

By definition, vivacity is to be vivacious and to be vivacious, you must be lively in spirit. Skybox Creative allowed the vivacity of this sportswear line to express itself within a simple design that allows the spirit of the clothing speak for itself. It’s bold. It’s sophisticated. It’s basic. And I think you’ll agree that it’s DEFINITELY not boring.

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

When Applied Fiber, the world’s leading provider of terminated fiber tension systems, noticed Skybox Creative’s online portfolio, they knew they’d found a fit for the re-branding and web design they’d been looking for. San Diego-based Skybox began work on the rebrand in April, 2011.

The client was looking to develop a more modern, masculine look. New products and growth in the Florida-based company prompted them to reconsider the message they were sending with their old color palette – soft blue, light gray and a thin font.

Applied Fiber Logo - Before + After

Skybox jumped in to give the company the look and feel they aspired to. Keeping the icon on the left of the logo was important to Applied Fiber — it’s the universal symbol for fiber. But we identified darker tones of blue and gray to give the design a more modern feel. The darker shades really hit on the growing company’s maturation and expanding business. It also adds gravity, masculinity and sophistication to the look and feel of the brand. We also designed new typography for the brand. Slightly thicker, it has a more substantial feel and really fits an established company that is growing its brand along with its business.

For the website design, multiple layout, design and color options were explored. A few of the initial design comps are shown below.

Web Design Study - Multiple design directions and color options were explored.

Web Design Study - Multiple design directions and color options were explored.

For the final website design, the client chose a simple, clean design direction focusing on the products and expertise.

Applied Fiber Final Web Design

Part of delivering that sleek, modern feel, too, was simplifying the design. Each web page now features simple, clean design and easy-to-navigate web pages. The photography we chose is sleek and the close-up product shots foreground the technology without losing the visual appeal.

Our design choices were in-step with the company’s goals for growth and their forward-looking philosophy. For Applied Fiber, reaching out to a San Diego-based company for rebranding and redesign turned out to be a good move – and we’re proud to be working with them!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Fonts equal personality. If you’re a San Diego beachfront motel, your sign’s going to look different from that of a Napa Valley spa. If you’re a San Diego scuba outfitter, you’ll choose different typography from an Aspen ski lodge. So what typography a web or graphic designer chooses will say a lot about the personality of the company. And now, just as happened in the shift to high-def television, our high-def screens are showing every wrinkle in our existing fonts. So . . . what to do?

Get a facelift! Recently, the world’s most common fonts — Verdana and Georgia – did just that.  In the time of high-def, high-resolution screens on tablets like iPads, mobile devices laptops, Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., has released updated versions of Verdana and Georgia fonts.

These fonts were originally commissioned by Microsoft in the 1990s. And the typefaces were designed by typographer Matthew Carter. The typefaces then only featured four weights.

But with the move to tablet and mobile internet usage and higher screen resolutions on the iPad or iPhone, for example, users expect cleaner, clearer design. So Microsoft decided it was time to update the font. Carter returned to work on revising the font families and worked with David Berlow of The Font Bureau, and Steve Matteson and Tom Rickner of Monotype Imaging. Microsoft owns the pro versions of the typefaces, but Monotype Imaging and Font Bureau will distribute the fonts.

The new Georgia and Verdana typefaces include 20 different weights and extend sets of characters to help web and graphic designers adapt to the higher design demands of tablets.

The updated typefaces include weights light, semi-bold, and black, each with italics, small caps, old-style figures, and condensed sizes (for the smaller screen space on tablets and mobile devices).

You can download these typefaces now from Fonts.com, linotype.com and itcfonts.com.

Try out the new fonts to show off that “in the know” personality!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825.

If you’ve ever bumped into a parking meter while updating your Facebook status, you’re not alone. Everyone’s accessing the internet on their cellphones these days. In fact, according to Mobithinking, worldwide, half a billion people hopped online with their mobile devices back in 2009, and they predict usage doubling within five years as mobile overtakes the personal computer as the most popular way to get online. The question for designers, as the screen shrinks and orientation shifts, how do you keep it pretty?

Easy.

Make it Easy

Ease of use is key to web design for a mobile device, whether it’s an cellphone or a tablet. Keep in mind that some users have data limits — if sites are bogged down with too many slow-loading graphics, they’ll move on to another site. This can be tricky as designers now need to use graphics at a higher resolution than 72dpi, lest they come out pixelated on high-res screens. Designers need to be mindful of making sure image files aren’t too large.

Clean, simple design can also help the mobile user experience. Easy-to-read fonts and simple layout mean you don’t make the user work to find what he wants. Part of keeping web design simple is to limit the depth, or number of layers, on the site. The rule of thumb, according to a designer at Computer Arts is to build a website with no more than two layers. To do this, you need to know why users are coming to your page. Do they want to see a menu? Check the San Diego weather? Do they need to make reservations? Give them what they want as early in their user experience as possible. Don’t make them work too hard for it.

Keep Em Coming Back

If the user experience is quick, easy and gratifying – that is, if it’s clean, loadable and lets users do what they came to do – chances are, your customers will keep coming back. When in doubt, of course, it’s never a bad idea to check the competition. Sites like MobileAwesomeness feature stand-out mobile web design and let users rate the best of the best. There are some great ideas there — just don’t forget to watch where you’re going.

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825.

Free PDF Download!

We all know that colors provoke feelings. When we’re mad, we say we “see red”; when we’re down, we’re “blue”. We describe jealous people as “green with envy”. And we’ve become comfortable making our color choices reflect out personality — from the early days of personalizing pages on Myspace to colorful backgrounds on mobile devices. With customer-facing web and graphic design decisions, choosing the right color scheme is critical. The last thing we want is to have our design choices saying something that conflicts with our brand.

Skybox Creative recently published a Color Theory report that explores the implication of color and design choices worldwide. As a graphic design and branding company based in San Diego, we know that blue skies can suggest tranquility and golden sunsets bring happiness. But how does that translate to the branding, business strategy and the web design choices you make?

What’s Your Message?

The first thing you want to decide when making design and branding choices is what “message” you want to send. In other words, what’s the “vibe” you’re after? (I mentioned we’re from San Diego). If you were to loosely name the “themes” behind your business, what would they be?

If friendly and personal is an important part of your business, consider pinks and oranges. If you want to express health, healing or nature, green’s the way to go. If you want to convey trust – consider blue. Ever noticed how many banks use blue in their designs?

The Web’s a Small World After All

Since an online presence means a global presence, it’s important to know what your color themes mean to cultures around the world. It may not be what you think. Yellow, which to US audiences suggests summer, sunshine and optimism signifies mourning in Mexico. And red – sexy and dangerous in America – is a sign of purity in Asia. For more information about what colors mean around the world, download the report from Skybox Creative.

Apart from our Color Theory report, there are other great web and graphic design resources like Computerarts and Designtaxi that regularly report on the best approaches to color including reviews of software that can help make those colorful fantasies a reality.  A Google search of “color theory” will also return results with tutorials where you can read more and even try out color combinations without going public in mismatched clothes!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Brand Consultancy with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

San Diego Based Award-Winning Creative Studio, Skybox Creative, launches it’s first video to give you a sneak peak into their branding strategy, design process and proven results. Our documentary-style video includes a bit about our services, work samples and testimonials from a few happy clients.

Best Web Design and Branding Studio from Skybox Creative on Vimeo.

Watch the video and get in touch with us today! info@skyboxcreative.com

Skybox Creative, an Award-Winning Web Design Studio in San Diego, has moved offices. We are located in Mission Valley, the heart of San Diego – within 10-15 minutes from pretty much anything in San Diego. We invite you to visit our new space and learn about the services we offer!

Map provided by Google

In August 2006 Angelina Sereno started Skybox Creative out of a spare bedroom in her home. Eventually she moved into a small office and then a larger office. Now on to the 4th office for the ever-growing company, the team finally has the space they need to spread their wings. Noticing a disconnect in the advertising and web design industry, she decided to start her own firm. She noticed that there were plenty of branding studios and fair share of web development companies, but there weren’t many companies that mastered both. With a background in advertising and print design, she brings with her over 10 years of experience building strong, lasting brands. Through her vision and inspiration, she attracted a stellar group of like-minded designers and tech-savvy programmers to create the Skybox team.

Our Web Design Portfolio has a great balance between function and creativity. We believe that if we don’t help your business grow, we’re not doing our job. Making sure your selling points are compelling and easily understood, while improving the public perception of your organization are our primary goals.

Skybox also added a printing division called Skybox Ink. Skybox Ink has a wide variety of printing products and options, including green printing (recycled paper and soy-based inks). From business cards to tri-fold brochures, corporate folders to vinyl banners and vehicle wraps, we’ve got you covered. Contact us for details!

Skybox Creative is celebrating our fourth year in business in August 2010 – Annual Mixer date to be announced (See Mixer photos)! Subsequently, we will be opening our east coast office then as well! Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in the loop with Skybox news!

Great Web Design is just the beginning! Being found on the search engines, particularly the leader, Google, is critical to growing and sustaining your business – that’s why SEO and social media are such prevalent topics these days. Understanding SEO can be complicated, but luckily there are tools that make it easier!

One such tool is SEO Doctor for Firefox. This tool will help you understand and diagnose SEO problems on your site as well as understand factors of success on competitor websites.

At glance

SEO Doctor is made with both beginners and experienced SEOs in mind and it’s scoring system and recommendations are based on official SEO documents, namely Google Webmaster guidelines, Google Image guidelines and Google SEO starter guide as well as my own experience from years in the profession.

Main features are:

• Points out to potential problems and assigns a score for your pages based on common SEO methodology
• Shows link structure and helps track page rank flow for your pages
• Detects and warns you about pages not indexable by search engines using comprehensive methods
• Quick one-click access to most popular SEO tools allows you to additionally inspect a site
• Fully customizable

Features

By default SEO Doctor will place itself in the browser status bar, immediately providing you with the following information (see image).

SEO Score represents the result of on-site optimization analysis of the currently viewed page. Maximum score is 100 and the green flag will indicate everything is OK. Yellow flag indicates warnings and red flag suggests that concrete SEO elements can be improved. In a special case when the current page is not indexable at all by search engines, the icon will show a special ‘no-trespassing’ icon.

Flow shows how much of the Page Rank has been preserved on the site. 100% means that you preserve 100% of all the Page Rank on your site, while 0% would mean that all outgoing links are to other sites.

Links shows number of external links/total links on the page.

Visits show estimated number of daily visitors for the site (data is retrieved from Compete.com and is available to you if you register for a free API key).

Clicking the nofollow icon allows you to instantly highlight all nofollow links on the page on and off.

Click here to read more and DOWNLOAD.

Source: www.prelovac.com

Skybox Creative (Branding + Web Design) and Skybox Ink (Green Printing) are moving! Due to our growing success and need for more wiggle room, we are moving to a larger suite. We love the central location of our office, so we’re staying in the same building, just moving a few doors down. Please take note that our suite number is changing from 111 to 127 starting next Monday – May 24th, 2010. Our new office has a nice welcome area for clients to lounge and for small meetings.

We’d love to have you come visit us at our new location, so give us a call or email if you would like to stop by info@skyboxcreative.com or 619.381.3825

Clients and business associates, please take note of the change:

Skybox Creative
1081 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 127
San Diego, CA 92108

To a prosperous and successful 2010!!

Spread the Word About PayPal and Earn Extra Cash!

As a PayPal user, you can collect up to $1,000.00 USD for each new merchant you refer. The Merchant Referral Bonus program rewards you for bringing new businesses to PayPal.

Here’s how it works:

• Log in to your PayPal account
• Get your personalized referral link to send out in emails, add as a banner to your website, or incorporate into your e-commerce application.
• Each time a new merchant signs up for a PayPal Business or Premier account via your link or banner, you’ll immediately start receiving 0.5% of their payment volume – up to $1,000.00 USD.

Here is an example of the PayPal banner you can incorporate on your website:

For more info, click here. If you don’t already have a PayPal account, make sure to click on our banner and sign up, then get your own link and share with your friends and business associates!