If you do ever have this kind of project on a big scale, your usual design process may have to come with some changes as you will need to adapt to the needs of younger generations and different age groups, which will influence the whole project.

Before starting on your project, ask yourself some important questions, as not only are you creating an application for children, you will also have to consider their cultural and geographical situation. Think about how you can develop a design for such an extensive and varied cultural group, as it is not likely you will be able to create a digital application that will suit everyone.  However, you can narrow the field down quite a bit by classifying your audience into user-types through research.

When you start researching user trends for children you should consider several points:

Pick a team of researchers that speak the children’s native languages, although many of the children may speak English or any other language as a second language. This will help put the children at ease during the sessions dedicated to research, especially with children younger than twelve.

Ideally you should organize research sessions where your design team can visit the locations where the children live in despite the fact they do not know how to speak the language. By doing so your research team will understand in more depth what the children’s mental models are based on the demographic groups and their cultural habits.

Forums or message boards and other online communities may be of help when testing users from different locations in the world. This may help you research more widely when using the web-based research panels as you will be able to access a higher number of users.

These different platforms sometimes include major applications, which may be virtual worlds and online game communities and are sometimes created with the main objective of testing and sharing information with a certain category of users. These applications can be very useful, as once the main ideas are conceived, these can be tested with an interactive trail product, thus providing a solid feedback on what should be modified in the actual design application.

Keep in mind that when you are conceiving the layout and planning of an interface for a global digital product, it is important to consider how the layout may change once the content that will be included in the web pages is translated. As a web designer you should also consider if you should develop a different application for each area in the world that the company wishes to cover.

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It can be very satisfying to work on your own and achieve different tasks that would need a team of web designers, but tiring if you have to do so yourself. This is why it is essential you have ht support of specific tools to make working easier.

So, how can a web designer handle these multiple tasks? What you need to do is create your own team of personal design tools, which can help you tackle each task and achieve a high quality level in your work.

First of all, we should consider that there are four different tasks that web designers need to work on: the wire framing, the gathering of data, the design patterns and design resource sites. There are tools that can help web designers get through these tasks easily such as Axure, Clicktale, 365psd and Designmoo. These are just suggestions, for other tools are available for the four main tasks, however, the way you set these up will make a difference.

It is true that tools cannot work as effectively as a team of web designers; however, if you are an independent web designer then they are of great help.

Data-gathering tools such as clicktale are powerful tools for research and analysis, which will tell you how users interact with the pages of your website. This tool will allow you to track the page viewings and provide you with simple analytical reports, which are similar to Google Analytics, although they offer enhanced features. By studying the detailed reports you can find ways to improve your page layouts and applications.

Design pattern libraries will be needed once you have collected all the data you need. These will help you develop the elements of the website including web page layout, the web form designs and site navigation and transform them to adapt with the data you have collected beforehand. Design pattern libraries can be helpful to see how other web designers have overcome various problems, although these cannot replace a creation based on the needs of your specific project and objectives you need to reach.

Your next step is prototyping and wire framing, which you can tackle with the user of Axure. With this tool, you can generate functional HTML prototypes directly from your wireframes and develop specific functions from the wireframes you have created. This means you can create documents and wireframes at the same time.

Design resource sites are essential tools to help you get through a project and keep up with the schedule, especially, if you do not have visual design as a specific skill and is used to user design experiences. Like the design pattern libraries they can help you get ideas and create visual design effects to enhance and get through your project faster.

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History is important as it is through time that achievements have been made and by analyzing past work we can improve how we perceive web content. By passing on and recording all important data we can preserve our digital knowledge and avoid that it disappears along with a fundamental source of help.

Websites go through constant re-designing and renovation and it is important to value even the past content as it is an essential source of information for future web development and improvement. We tend to think that if a website and content do not come up when searching on the Internet then this content is no longer relevant or no longer there. Unfortunately, the web simply erases all unusable content and there is no library where this can be stored in, for there is not enough request by users or copyright laws simply do not allow the conservation of content.

However, there are some excellent digital archives such as Wikipedia, Google and Internet Active, which do safeguard fundamental web content from being lost or redundant. Unfortunately, there are other schemes that are being closed down and as these disappear they cause a great cultural damage to the web’s wealth of data. Other important bookmarking services are also in jeopardy of extinction and this could also lead to a loss of important user bookmarks.

All the gathered data that relates to passed web content and users, helps educate those who come after us in improving the web development, and should be kept and preserved as a library for the modern world of digital technology.

With the enormous amount of web content that can be found on the Internet, it has become more and more difficult to find quality information. Blogs are a very good source of web data as they provide direct and useful bits of information, which clearly reflect our present day and needs. Although businesses know how important a website is for branding their company’s name and increasing sales, it is surprising how many are neglected with many broken links, which makes browsing through the Internet difficult offering poor quality for web users. More effort should be needed to improve websites with quality content so that they can serve as a valid archive for future web users and developers.

Our society is unluckily orientated on information that is not a valid source for long term use; this means that there is no real interaction to provide the continuation of content on the web. There is not much left of the content created in the late 90s to relate back to and this tendency has paved the way for the lack of maintenance in today’s web world. Although web designers spend hours working on sophisticated websites, there is nothing to support these creations once they are online, which makes all previous work redundant.

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Time is Money

There is more time spent developing copyright for a website than on the actual design of the website. If your company is not involved with the copywriting process you are missing out on over half of the website creation process.

Writing content for the website takes up more time than anything else, from newsletters to blog posts, all of these are great opportunities for your business to add revenue. By providing copywriting services to your client you are keeping in touch with them, which make them more likely to recommend your services.

Choose your Writers Wisely

When it comes to choosing copyright writers it is important to choose wisely. Remember, their work is going to directly affect your relationship with your client. You do not want to hire a writer that is incompetent and insists on keyword stuffing or takes months to write suitable content for the site. If bad copy shows up on your client’s website, you are going to be blamed. Make sure that you choose people to work with that are going to help increase your business, not lose it.

Getting Results

One of the biggest frustrations for copywriters is working on websites that are poorly designed. A well thought out and put together team of people can be very successful in the website design and copywriting process. A quality copywriter will be able to reflect the tone that your client is looking for and deliver work that will improve business for your partners.

How to Select a Copywriter

There are a few qualities that you should look for in your copywriting partner, depending on the type of work that you need to be completed.

Split Testing: for sales copy, look for an individual that has experience working with multivariate and split testing. They should be able to speak about the topic coherently and make suggestions about testing to increase conversion rates.

SEO: It is important to judge a writers capacity when it comes to SEO knowledge. Look carefully at their work and judge how they weave keywords into the topic without losing quality. Keyword selections should be sophisticated and balanced. Try quizzing them on a wide variety of topics as well.

Technical Skills: there are copywriters that are really good, but have poor technical skills. You will want to work with someone that is comfortable working with HTML and can easily work inside your client’s CMS.

Social Media: Have your prospective partner show you how they have succeeded at viral marketing. Simply having an account on Facebook and twitter means nothing, they must be able to use these accounts effectively.

How to Work Copywriting into Your Business

Once you have found a copywriting partner, there are two different ways to go about incorporating this into your business. The first is to sell copywriting services to your clients directly. You will set the price, bill the client, and pay for the copywriting service. You should be able to get decent price discounts and have a very comfortable margin of profit. The second way is through referrals. You will introduce your copywriting partner to your client and then be paid commission from the copywriter for the referral.

How to Double Your Sales

In order to add a copywriting service to your business and be successful, there are a few things you will need to change in your selling process.

1.    Always ask: Whenever you are negotiating prices with a prospective client, always ask them if they would be interested in copywriting services as well.
2.    Recommend: You will have selected your copywriter because of their skills, so make sure that you share this information with your client.
3.    Partner Proposals: Make sure to pass on the details of the client to your copywriting partner whenever the client asks for a copywriting quote. Your copywriter should produce a proposal for your client for free. If you are in charge of billing the client, have your copywriter send the proposal to you first so you can markup the price and then send it to the client.

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While everyone agrees that customer satisfaction is the key to a successful enterprise, it can be hard to satisfy all of them, especially, when you are dealing with the “difficult” ones. So all things considered, it is best to drop those who are going to give you a hard time and stick to those who can appreciate good dedicated work.

So how do you recognize if a client is a good one or not? Searching for good customers starts right from the beginning of your venture. This is when you should decide who your ideal client is likely to be. Not all enterprises have the same characteristics, standards and even principles, so you should consider these when seeking your ideal clients.

Consider your budget first and calculate what you expect your lowest project budget to be. You should also consider if it is worth working for someone who offers you a minimum budget if this client can bring you more future projects, which is an issue worth considering for the future of your career.

Would you be happy enough to accept end of project payment or will you always request a down payment for your project? If you are a freelancer, it is important you stick to the rules you have decided on and even consider an upfront payment as you do not have the support of a large venture.

How big would you like the company you wish to work for to be? Would you prefer to work with smaller enterprises or bigger companies?

You should also consider whether you prefer a more straightforward exchange where the client provides you with the specifications and you simply deliver the work or if you prefer a more interactive relationship with your clients. To decide which is best, you should test the two possibilities to find out which projects turned out best, the more clear-cut ones or the ones with more interaction.

Another issue to consider is whether you are aiming at long-term business exchanges or if you prefer to change client on each project. If you do prefer the long-term option then you have to check whether that particular client can provide you with enough work to go on for a while.

Personality traits are also important as are really better off interacting with people you like to work with. You can do this by asking other people who have work with a client before to find out if they could be suited to your personality.

Once you have classified your principles and decided which ones come first, you will find that you are gradually having more success with the clients you are working with. This simple process can help you save a lot of time and allow you to work in a more relaxed and pleasant environment.

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Photoshop Tych Panel

The Photoshop Tych Panel is a great help when you need to resize and put the images to scale. This tool will automate the process of creating the image, offering plenty of layouts you can use to format your images in.

Mr. Stacks

Mr. Stacks is used to create storyboards, PDF documents and stacks rapidly for all types of presentations and CDs you want to provide your client with. This script is useful for animation series and storytelling for design usage and advertising.

How to generate CSS positions for Sprites

Generating CSS positions for Sprites is a Photoshop plug-in which creates sprites using the CSS file you have made. With this tool you can add the sprite locations and create special effects including hover and click.
Pixel Proliferation is a special tool for the management of screen resolutions and will simplify your work greatly. The toolset offers a range of PS5 marquee-tool presets for all the more common screen resolutions.

Golden Crop

Golden Crop is a Photoshop Script which makes using division rules and simplified visual guides. You need to have either, Photoshop CS2, CS3, CS4 or CS5 installed to use this tool.

Automatic Tile Cutter

The Automatic Tile Cutter will help you create and name each unique image amongst hundreds of tile images saving you a lot of time if you were to do it by hand. Each image and tile will be named and ordered as you wish, avoiding tiresome work.

The Image Processor Script
The Image Processor Script in Photoshop CS4 allows you to quickly and easily change the size and convert many images into the PSD, TIFF and JPEG formats.

Open With Photoshop 0.8

Open With Photoshop 0.8 is a Firefox add on and a new tool for both graphic and web designers. With this tool they can open up an image on the Web using Adobe Photoshop just by clicking it, saving a lot of time and work.

foxGuide

FoxGuide is an extension of Firefox, which will display guides both horizontally and vertically. It allows you to move about or take out floating guides on a webpage as you would do with Photoshop. These guides will help to lay out all the elements symmetrically and improve the overall layout of the page with enhanced structure and design.

GuideGuide 1.0

GuideGuide 1.0 is a practical extension of Photoshop that helps web developers to work with rows and columns as well as midpoints in CS5 and CS4. Downloading Cameron McEfee’s GuideGuide will help you locate mid-points; create rows and margins as well as columns, making it easier when you work with Photoshop.

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Your client needs to understand what you are presenting and how it works as well as how to interact with the website. It is important that the client should stick to pointing out where he or she feels there is a problem, rather than suggesting a solution. They hired the web designer for that. However, by pointing out problems they may feel that the good functioning of the website can help a web designer to find a remedy.

A web designer that can effectively explain the various phases and options of a website demonstrates his or her ability in the field and makes a client more confident that they have hired the right person. There are, however, common arguments that systematically crop up during a client session, and these can be foreseen and solved beforehand. One of these involves the problem of an effective logo. You can be sure that all clients will ask you to make the logo bigger, place everything above the fold or use another font, usually comics sans MS. All web designers know these questions come up, so you should try and tackle them first, so the client cannot. These are just a few arguments common to first meetings with clients, the more you manage to foresee the better chance your approval will be instant.

Once your project is in the creation phase there are still other issues you can anticipate, especially, those concerning the design. Avoid simply showing the design to your client, but accompany it with a presentation about its use, with reference to issues you have both previously agreed on. This is true for almost all other work and elements. If you present them to a client underlining that this is what you had signed-off for, the client will find it hard to reject your idea.

It is essential to have a correct attitude towards your client, after all a client is not your enemy. Many web designers feel they should fight for their rights as creative developers, and do not see how this new relationship can provide an exciting opportunity offering the means to improve their creativity.

Modesty is the key to success, as is being able to think and work on the same plain as your client. Establishing a good relationship with a client will allow a project to work more smoothly avoiding constant hitches in your work.

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Websites that can provide useful tools

DesignersMX

Designersmx is where you should go to keep in touch with the latest web designer trends. It is a great source that provides insight and is easy to sign up with, allowing you to contribute with your own creations and glance through other contributors’ work.

Method & Craft

Method and craft proposes a view of how various web designs are created and what lies behind the process of achievement. Techniques are also explained and presented in detail and how these have contributed in the different qualified professions.

Shady Characters

Shady characters is actually a blog, whose main objective is to clarify the functioning of punctuation marks in web designing and offers an interesting point of view of how punctuation works within a Website.
An Illustrated guide provides a resource of reviews that covers famous picture books. These are divided into categories, such as reading level, art styles and covers.
Where do you want to work today is where web designers should go and browse to find contractors and freelance work. Here one can find different work settings that offer a change of milieu, which can stimulate creativity.

Little Big Details

The little big details provides facts that will help to improve the handling of websites as well as mobile applications. This website is extremely useful and offers design samples, which you can also impart with others and provide personal propositions.

CV PARADE

CV parade is helpful for web designers who wish to learn the process of creating a resume. It offers a unique collection of web designer CVs that are of great inspiration when you are new to the web designing world.
Weekend hacker will provide mailing lists that can help you when you need to find more work to develop your portfolio, whether you are a developer or designer.

Node Cloud

Node cloud offers a resource directory, which lists all Websites concerning Node.js and the possibility to order them by their Alexa traffic, which allows an insight on how popular a project will be.

Designers & Books

Designers and books is a venture that provides brief reviews on books by notable web designers and those the community considers as worthy experts of the web designing industry. This is where designers propose valuable books that have contributed or influenced their styles, ideas and values.

Let’s Swap

Let’s swap is a great Website that can help you find another colleague who wishes to swap your creative piece with his or hers. This is useful if you have had a particular design that has up to now been useless to you. You may swap it for books, prints or any other creative work or pieces.

ideeeas

Ideeeas is a venture that collects concepts from those who propose original and innovative ideas on any subject or area. You will find many constructive ideas on social interchanges that can boost the human edge of your creativity.

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WebReader

This is a desktop reader for use with RSS feeds. It functions properly on Windows, Mac and Linux systems. There are several different tools that you can use to manage your RSS subscriptions. If you are into RSS feeds, this is the application for you.

CSS Shadow Generator

This comes from WordPressThemeShock, and has over eight blurs, shadow styles, opacities and position handlers. You can preview them in real time, either viewing the source code or the actual design.

TN3 Gallery

This is a new project from the good people at WebdesignerDepot. It is a customizable jQuery image gallery that comes complete with transitions, slideshows and an option for multiple albums. It will work on any modern desktop and should work on your mobile devices. You can either choose to use the free version, or pay the very reasonable fee of $37 for the pro version.

PhiRatio

This is an iOS application that allows you to calculate various proportions. It can calculate 16:9, 4:3, 3:2 and the golden ration. It’s another very useful tool for all of you designers out there.

LucidChart

This one has been around for a while, but it is still very good. They have recently included an offline mode as well.
Tumult Hype

This is a tool, which operates on Mac OS X, and allows you to create interactive and even animated content in HTML5. You best part is that you do not have to do the coding yourself, as this application will take care of that for you. You can buy it at the Mac App Store for the relatively low price of $29.99.

Inkpond

This is a newly created application that lets people share greeting cards, flyers, posters and even more online. You then encourage other people to build upon your work, which gives a great sense of collaboration to the project. If you find that you are stuck for inspiration, having someone else tweak your work for you is a great way to get good ideas. It might even get you out of any creative rut that you are stuck in.

Textify.it

This takes any image and remakes it using colored text. This is an interesting application that lets you customize every aspect, including the font and quantity of characters used.

Tildee

This is a site which lets you make your own “how to” page on any topic that you like. The pages are voted on and you can use the ranks to see which pages have been the most useful to visitors.

Valley in the Vinyl

This is a great site which has articles and inspiring ideas for designers. There are even some free textures that you can use in your own work, or just to get ideas.

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This forum offers one main forum, which is subdivided into 32 different sections. Each section deals with a specific aspect of web designing, including graphic design, web design, photography, typography, illustrations and many more. This forum also proposes other outlets for discussion on popular subjects, such as important world events, music and latest movies.

There are various sections within the forum’s website that can provide further reference and aid web designers to keep up with news and trends. The article section is where the members of the forum have various options, such as upgrading specific post in the forum transforming it into an article for viewers to browse through. Articles provide more concise and practical information as well as a rich source of knowledge for web designers. The posts can be labeled as articles in just one click and members can also contribute their own articles using the CMS management tool.

This forum is an excellent launch pad for web designers who do not have their own blog, as they can choose to create their fully incorporated blog within the Estetica platform, allowing other members of the forum to comment and share tips with the owner of the blog if the latter wishes to.

In addition the forum also allows members to upload images of their work, offering a gallery through which other users can scroll through and admire the web designers’ samples. Other images and designs can be shared as points of interest that offer ideas and direct help to all other professional members.

Once a member profile is created, this will act as a data bank and social meeting point where all users can comment, leave feedback. Members can customize this area adding a friend list and any social associations or groups they wish to keep in contact with.

The great aspect of Estetica Design Forum is that although it is a rapidly advancing design forum and one of the most developed on the Internet, it still retains that friendly touch, which is important when exchanging advice and looking for professional tips. There is a general friendly mood that is welcoming and encouraging, which can be a great help for those just starting in the web designing niche.

It is also a good platform to use for advertising your web designing business as well as finding good job opportunities to take advantage of extra training and experience if new to the web designing industry. In addition, for those who are new to the world of web designing and the marketing of their products, there are a list of discussions in the forums relating to the graphic design and web design critique. Here members can ask other web designers for a critique on their graphic and web designs.

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