integrated marketing

A Brief History of Web Design & Usability

In the early days of designing and building websites there were very few conventions to follow; everything was new, exciting and uncharted. Elements that we are now familiar with on the web, like search boxes, buttons, headings, navigation, layouts and logo positions were often interpreted & presented in a wide variety of new styles, some good, some not so good- standards had yet to be set. The web was a difficult place to find your way around; a dark room full of unknown signs, signals and doorways.

It’s the unavoidable catch 22. Finances are tight so the last thing you want to do is spend more, but people still need to know about your products and services. The secret to surviving any budget crisis is not to stop spending altogether, but to spend smarter. Find new ways to communicate with your audience and your campaign will pay for itself. We’ve pulled together a few tips that will stretch your imagination, not your budget.

I’ve had a book on my desk for some time now, called “Connected (The Amazing Power of Social Networks and How they Shape our Lives)”. It was sent to me by the ‘nice and bespectacled people at Rubber Republic‘. (It conjures up images of them filing away books in a quiet library somewhere). I don’t know if they are bespectacled, but I do think they’re nice – they sent me a free book :-)

Recently (OK not that recently), I was lucky enough to hear Sienne Veit speak at the How Do Mobile Marketing Conference in Manchester. Sienne is Social and Mobile Commerce Development Manager at Marks and Spencer and had plenty of interesting insights to share about the challenges for brands like M&S working across new online channels, such as mobile. She was a pleasure to listen to and was clearly very passionate about weaving Mobile and Social into everything M&S do.