Archives for 2014

Widows, Orphans, Rivers, and Rags

April 3, 2014 by Mark Mapp 1 Comment

Introduction:

In my last blog we discussed the importance of kerning and tracking in creative design. We explained their meanings and differences; in addition we gave visual examples of each. Besides kerning and tracking there are other key factors to keep in mind when formatting text in creative design. The key factors I decided to focus on in this blog are: widows, orphans, rivers (also known as text rivers), and rags. Although these issues are very common in print design, they can also be as problematic in a digital design space.

Definitions:

We will begin by defining these terms. First, widows are paragraph-closing lines which were pushed to the next page/column and left dangling and separated from the rest of the paragraph. Second, orphans (which are often confused with widows) are paragraph-opening lines that appear by themselves itself at the bottom of a page/column. In addition, it can be a word, part of a word, or very short line that appears by itself at the end of a paragraph. Orphans can result in too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page. Third, rivers (or text rivers) are the white gaps (or white space) that can appear in columns of type (especially justified text), when there is too much space between words on consecutive lines of text. Rivers are particularly common in narrow columns of text, where the type size is relatively large. Last but not least, rags can be defined as the imbalanced alignment of text lines. Ragged is the opposite of flush. A text block may be formatted (or justified) to be evenly flush (align) right and unevenly aligned (ragged) on the left. Now that we have defined these terms let us now view visual examples of these terms so that they make more sense.

How to avoid or fix these four issues:

Some techniques you may use to avoid or fix widows and orphans are by forcing an early page break, hence making the page shorter, adjusting the kerning and/or tracking to produce tighter or looser paragraphs, or even adjust the hyphenation of words within a paragraph. Rivers, or text rivers can be avoided or fixed by adjusting the hyphenation and justification settings, commonly called the “H&J” settings, which can be found in most high end creative design suites. Also note that H&J settings can vary from one program to the next. Like rivers, rags can also be minimized or fixed with the use of H&J settings. You may also want to avoid using justified type as much as humanly possible.

Conclusion:

In this blog we defined widows, orphans, rivers, and rags, we also went over some differences and similarities among these terms. Although they several different ways to minimize or avoid these issues in creative design, I came across three ways which I thought were pretty consistent throughout my research on these issues. First, it is best to rewrite portions of the text so your copy can fit the way you intended it to fit. Second, utilize the H&J setting within the design program you are using. Last by not least, adding kerning and tracking values to text maybe the most common practice when dealing with these issues.

Traditional vs Cloud: Small Business Environments

March 26, 2014 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

‘The cloud’ is a scary phrase to just about everyone in an organization. When the idea of the cloud was released, industries went haywire. Some people feared data security, while others were simply unsure of what the idea of the cloud was.

Today’s idea of the cloud has changed drastically, with more and more services being offered in this platform. Various companies, such as Google, have improved security of data centers to quell users’ fears of security.

“Traditional” Office

The traditional office is a setting that any office worker is probably used to. The setup is simple. Usually there is some sort of server. This server may manage email, file backups, the primary domain, network policies, or any number of services. The server can be in house, remote, or in house with a remote backup. The combinations are endless, but the unifying factor is that there is a secure network for all computers, and that they are unified by a server environment.

There are some super awesome things about having a traditional kind of setup. The most obvious positive trait of a traditional office is the comfort factor. New people who are coming in are more likely to have used the software, understand the infrastructure, and know how to use office software. If there is software that is specific to your organization, a new user may require training on it. Otherwise, they will probably be good to go.

Another great thing about the traditional office is that it is managed locally. If you need to get something off of the server, it might be in the next room. That same server can define rules for the entire network, and keep users from looking at pictures of cats all day. The server itself can run local services, and can be easily protected within the network.

One definite downside to a traditional environment is its cost. Large organizations can foot the big bill of operating systems, office software, and server software. However, a small business or a small business that is growing quickly might find that this sort of environment is not feasible to stay in the black.

In addition to base cost, the cost of managing and maintaining such an environment can be very costly, and it is imperative that maintenance is continually performed. IT firms can charge over $100/hr, while hiring an internal IT worker could cost up to $30/hr depending on their specialties. Experienced IT professionals always come at an increased cost. Large companies may be able to afford an entire team of IT people, while a small firm looks at outsourcing that expertise at over three times the cost.

A final difficulty of a traditional environment is the disaster recovery. IT professionals are trained closely on disaster recovery. A DR plan is not only important for planning purposes. You may have to use that plan some day. If the backup of the server is local, and the building is irreparably damaged or unusable, all the files will be lost. Having a remote backup is an option, but depending on the level of security and redundancies, this can be extraordinarily costly.

The Cloud Office

The cloud is another way to look at office productivity. Cloud opportunities such as Google Drive, or any other software that is not hosted locally, can provide a higher level of freedom from the burden of high costs and being tied to a server.

The easiest way to describe a cloud environment is to think about it just like a traditional setup. There are still servers, there are still local computers, and there is still a network. However, instead of a local server, applications are both hosted and stored on a remote server. In the case of Google Drive, the documents and the office software are both accessed through a browser. The functionality is the same, or very similar, to a traditionally installed local piece of software, but it can be easily accessed from anywhere you have internet access.

This brings me to the biggest positive point of the cloud: flexibility and connectivity. If you are in Brussels, and your office is in New York, it doesn’t matter! Just hop on the internet and get to work. If your small business has a catastrophic event, you’ll only have to worry about the structure and finances, which are the things you should be worrying about. Your important files will be in the cloud and your employees can continue work from anywhere.

A major concern about the cloud is security. Services like Google not only encrypt data (and are even HIPPA compliant!); they also store it on multiple servers to ensure that disaster recovery planning is easy, or even nonexistent.

IT people? You might not need them. Cloud services are often managed already, or use an admin panel that anyone within the organization would easily be able to use.

Unfortunately, as with any technology, there are definitely downsides. Cloud services and cloud based infrastructures are still relatively new, and therefore many people may not be comfortable with using the software. Someone who is used to a Microsoft Office environment may have some difficulty getting used to Google Docs.

In addition to familiarity, cloud services for large organizations can be just as costly, if not more costly than a traditional environment. Users may need training on the new environment, and may not take to it easily.

Finally, some software may not yet (or ever) be available in the cloud. Do you have users of very specific programs (like, Adobe Software)? Are your programs hardware intensive? If yes, then the cloud might not suffice for all of your needs.

Other Cloud Products

Cloud usage is not limited to ‘all or none’, and is definitely not only limited to office software. Project management solutions such as Mavenlink (the one we use!) are completely in the cloud. At DMG, this allows us to be able to keep our tasks in check, and for our project manager to keep us moving forward. For more information on cloud project management, see Deb Wagner’s article on making the move to Mavenlink!

Cloud project management isn’t the only solution. Bitnami will host a development server for you (in pretty much any platform) which means no more local installs. Services like Gliffy even allow the creation of complex diagrams, something that only local software has done in the past.

Which Path is Right For My Organization?

There really isn’t an answer for this question, because there are so many possible combinations. You could use one solution or maybe the best of both. Some software may be unavailable in the cloud, and therefore you have to at least keep one traditional environment in your office.

The cloud opens up the freedom to move away from consistent operating systems or supplement an existing infrastructure with flexible, always available software, with no IT department required.

Is your organization considering a switch to a cloud platform? Were there any hurdles you had to jump to complete the transition? Tell us about them in the comments!

The Positive of Negative Settings in PPC

March 19, 2014 by Justin Miller 1 Comment

All marketers know the importance of reaching their target market. However, what is just as important is missing, or not reaching, those outside your target market. It seems like simple logic, but accomplishing the two are not always one in the same. When it comes to PPC there are settings to reach your target audience, and negative settings to ensure you avoid those outside your target market.

Negative Keywords

While keywords make your Ads eligible to be shown for given searches, negative keywords disqualify your ads from being eligible to generate an impression for a search. This is helpful when there are keywords and/or phrases that are unrelated to your products/services, but are similar or overlap with your long-tail keyword phrases. This is a great way to weed out similar but unrelated products/services, and people not in the part of the buying cycle you are targeting. For example, if you are an online retailer of computers, then you might want to consider using product review and price comparison, as well as brands names that you do not carry (i.e. Apple, Dell, etc.) as negative keyword phrases.

Negative Placements, Topics, and Interest

If you are advertising on the display network, then you have many more negative settings than just negative keywords. Negative placements allow you to select specific URLs to not show your ads, while negative topics will eliminate an array of websites based upon the content on the site. Finally, negative interest filters out users who have frequently visited sites within the given interest group.

All This Negative Could Lead to Positive Results

Multiple benefits come from using negative settings. First, fewer impressions shown to people outside your target audience will lead to fewer unwanted clicks. Therefore, whether you are using Cost per 1,000 Impressions (CPM) or Cost per Click (CPC), this results in lowering cost, or at least spending more of your budget on wanted impressions and clicks. Second, more targeted impressions will lead to more clicks. This means a higher Click thru Rate (CTR), which will ultimately lead to better ad positioning and/or cheap CPC. Finally, a greater number of more targeted clicks will lead to more conversions. This will be a great boost to your ROI. With all the benefits, there is no reason not to be negative inside your PPC settings.

If you found that being negative has, or could, help your PPC results, then let us know in the comments.

Does My Business Need to Be on Instagram?

March 12, 2014 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Everywhere you look (including our own blog from time to time), agency insiders, marketing pros, and influencers post blogs and articles following this general formula:

“(x) Tips to Solve ”

Personally, I think this format is a little overdone, even hedging on passé. Sure, it’s approachable, skimmable, and a decent way to deliver lots of info in a structured way. The problem is a majority of marketing problems aren’t this cut and dry. So why don’t we try something different? As I cover the topic of whether businesses should use Instagram, I’m going to break the question down—literally. Let’s tackle this issue piece by piece, starting with…

”Does my business…”

For me, this first piece boils down to the matter of intent. Is your company prepped and ready to simply give Instagram the “ol’ college try,” or will you consider your options and proceed with tact? Will you evaluate your track record for pursuing new marketing channels or rushing in guns blazing, ostensibly throwing caution to the wind?
As you move forward, just know that something that starts as a poorly-planned whim will likely end up poorly executed, poorly measured, and more trouble in the long run. If, however, your answers all point toward the positive, we can move on.

”…need…”

Next, I’d think it best to determine exactly how you and your company define “need.” Do you need to achieve your business goals this year? Do you need to spur a more meaningful, influential social media presence? Do you need to humanize the brand identity you’ve helped to create? Do you need more likes, retweets, and “doubleplusgood”’s from everyone who takes a liking to a piece of content you’ve developed?

Yes, I do realize that these questions were rather simple at first glance. Now for a curve ball. To what end do your company’s goals, presence, and social media accolades lead you? What do such things mean in the context of helping or hurting your business?

In other words, do you really need them at all?

”…to be on…”

Now, are we talking “on” like the opposite of “off,” or “on” as in “on like Donkey Kong”? In any case, we’ve now made our way to the approach itself. How inclusive is your strategy to the digital channels in your arsenal? Have you consulted with an outside resource or someone with more strategic field experience than you?

Frankly, it’s not enough to just be “on” anywhere anymore. Your customers are smart, and you can’t rely on their falling for something that may potentially disillusion them. You’ve got to firmly plant your brand identity into every avenue through which you plan to reach your audience, especially if it’s somewhere you know a majority of them have been flocking. When (not if) they reach out, will you be there? How proactive vs. reactive will you be, or can you be, given your available resources?

”…Instagram?”

If you think about it, we could easily be talking about Vine, Tumblr, Snapchat, or any number of networks seeing a burgeoning level of popularity. The thing is, this is the part of the question that matters the least. If your customers are there, and you know you can fulfill a need, offer insight, or somehow “contribute to the conversation,” this choice should be on the bottom of your priority list.

If anything, this point lends something to the evolving nature of social. Sure, some behemoths will be around for years to come, but as marketers, we all need to understand that whether our message goes out in print, a social media post, or a tiny filtered photo, we should first ask whether we have something to say. That, really, is the most important question of all.

What do you think; did this post ask more questions than it answered? Feel free to yell at us in the comments!

Tips for Choosing Cloud-Based Project Management Software

March 5, 2014 by Dabrian Marketing Group 1 Comment

So You’re Moving to the Cloud--Now What?

You put in the time to research the idea of cloud-based project management solutions—you know they are secure, provide amazing accessibility, and give you the ability to work from home on snow days—so now what? As impatient as you may be to dive in head first, remember your first project management best practice – proactively plan – and follow these tips:

Determine Your Budget

Whether you have an annual budget to work with or you’re lucky enough for a special circumstances budget to move to the cloud, you have to know how much money you have to work with. All cloud services are not created equally, and you need to be prepared to field some standard questions:

1. Is it better for you to pay monthly by user or space limits?

2. Are you committed enough to pay annually to get the discount they’ll surely offer you?

3. Does your budget have any wiggle room or is it set in stone?

Determine Your Needs

Regardless of whether you’re managing a team of 10 or 100, there are suitable options for cloud-based software. Important questions to answer before reaching out to any company are:

1. How many users (team) do you need logins for?

2. Will your clients need access? If so, what all do they need to be able to do (file upload, communication streams, approval functionality, etc)?

3. Do you need integration with any other platforms (Google Apps, Salesforce, Quickbooks, Office, etc)?
The cloud is a competitive space—being up front and clear about your needs will ensure you get the best software to fit them.

Do the Demonstrations

Alright, you’ve narrowed it down to some potential companies to work with…I know, I know—you’re busy. But this part is super-important: make time available to do demos of the software you’re looking into. You’ll gain not only a better understanding of the company’s offerings, but also their company culture, and how responsive they’ll be to your needs. The ultimate factor in what led to me choosing Mavenlink as our cloud-based project management solution was not how great of a solution it is (which it is, and no, they’re not endorsing me) but how great they are—I felt confident starting a partnership with them based on how they held themselves during the demo (and of course the meetings after) I made time for.

Go Forth and Research!

Now that you’re armed with some useful tips to get the ball rolling, you’ll soon be able to tack a closed sign on your traditional project management software and officially change your address to the cloud. Determine your budget so you don’t get caught up in wanting something you can’t afford. Determine your needs so you have all your bases covered and hunker down for some software demos (you won’t regret it when you find the perfect solution). Just remember to let your team know you’re diving into Research Land and try to have some fun along the way!

Have a question on cloud-based project management or a tip we missed? Fire away in the comments!

Importance of Kerning and Tracking

February 18, 2014 by Mark Mapp 6 Comments

Some Background

When designing a project for digital or print, there are a couple of important aspects in design which must be taken into consideration. These important aspects to remember in design are namely kerning and tracking, known to most people simply as letter spacing. So what do these terms mean? Do they really make such a big difference in design? And how do we tell them apart?

We will start by defining these two design terms. Kerning by definition simply means to adjust the spacing between a letter pairing. Throughout history, characters of the alphabet were never designed with any type of letter spacing in mind; therefore, some letter combinations would appear awkward without applying any type of spacing to them. Presently, a designer can accomplish this process through the use of various page layout programs such as, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Quark Express . In most page layout programs, a designer can choose to apply two types of kerning options, namely auto kerning or manual kerning.

Auto Kerning

Automatic kerning refers to the kerning applied automatically by a program, as opposed to no kerning at all or the kerning applied manually by the user. There are two types of automatic kerning, namely metric and optical.

Metric kerning utilizes the kerning tables that are built into the typeface. When you select metric kerning in your page layout program, you are using the spacing that was intended by the designer of the typeface. Metric kerning usually looks good, especially at small sizes. Cheap novelty fonts or free fonts often have little or no built-in kerning and will need to be optically or manually kerned.
Unlike metric kerning, optical kerning uses the shapes of letters to determine what spacing is adequate between a pair of letters rather than a kerning table that is built into the typeface. There is some level of control with optical kerning, but this option will not space letters as accurately in comparison to kerning them manually. However, optical kerning can be a great option when mixing and matching different fonts.

Manual Kerning

The final kerning option is manual kerning. This is considered by many to be the preferred option for most designers and typographers. When kerning type manually, the designer’s eye is what determines the letter spacing between letter parings. This process can be very time-consuming and should only be used to kern large, display-style type.

Tracking

While kerning refers to adjusting the spacing between letter pairs, tracking refers to the overall letter spacing in a selection of letters. This can be a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire document. When applying tracking values, the spacing throughout the text will be equal.

As a rule, designers should adjust the tracking to a body of text before applying any kerning value. If you kern your text first and then apply your tracking values, you will negate the kerning values that were previously applied.

What Designers Need to Keep in Mind

Now that we have discussed and defined the differences between kerning and tracking in design, the following are some things to remember when manipulating text’s kerning and tracking:

Always start with the difficult pairings, like capital/lowercase pairings, diagonal letters (like X, V, and Z) and round letters (like O, B, and D).
Adjust kerning values as a last step in your design, especially after you choose a font. Remember every font is different.
Try kerning your text upside down. Kerning text upside down can help to focus on letter pairings rather than the entire word..
The goal of kerning is for the type to appear optically correct. There is no secret formula to this process, and often times it just takes practice.
Here is a game to test your kerning your skills.