This is the last official article in this series unless I decide to crank it up to 11. The current mission statement of my company is organizing and securing your information with the most up-to-date portable media and web technologies. (I may change that slightly in the near future to say compelling content instead of the generic term, “information.”) One of the most overlooked or last things that come to mind in regards to design is preservation or in a broader term, security. Is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear security someone stealing your assets? That is certainly a consideration but it’s important to remember all of the following;

• Preserving original files
• Backups
• Protection from theft
• Legal Precautions

Before you even consider official backups you need to consider if you are deleting or throwing away assets that should be saved. It’s tempting to throw away original material once a project is done in order to save space or even get rid of things you think are not worthy of being saved.

Backup media is cheap. If possible, save original files and even if you think something is junk it may have a use down the road. This goes beyond digital assets. If you are restoring an old photo that is scratched, yellowed, torn, etc. hold on to it! Yes, You may be able to restore it nicely in Photoshop but who knows what kind of technology advances in the future might be able to do an even better job? Scott Kelby has a great book out called the 7 Point System for Photoshop CS3.  It’s amazing what can be done with seemingly mediocre files however a lot of the tips in the book require using the original file in the original RAW or at least the original image size.  Look the the 7-Point Flickr group to see what people have done with images that otherwise may have been deleted.

How does one go about preserving and securing your designs or the creative assets of others? As far as digital assets go the most important thing you should be doing on a regular basis is creating frequent and dependable backups. I tell people over and over that insurance can cover and replace equipment but no amount of money will ever bring back data lost through natural disasters or more frequently, accidental over writes and deletions. While it’s important to have a good local backup to quickly retrieve data it’s even more crucial to store your backups “off-site.” This can be done by manually taking backups to another location or better yet using an online backup service.

Finally, theft can take many forms. The first thing that comes to mind is a sneaky individual coming into your home or office and running off with valuables like televisions, stereos, laptops, jewelry, wallet, etc. Of course the worst of those things to be stolen, in my personal opinion, is computers like laptops or wallets, because they contain valuable information that can lead it identity or intellectual property theft.

Yes, it’s important to protect yourself and company in such instances but the greatest danger doesn’t come from your typical crook. That sad and scary thing is most intellectual property that is stolen is actually “given away,”  maybe not given away on purpose but it’s really easy to put things on the Internet without thinking of how it will be used.

I’ve told clients if they are concerned about someone accessing their creative works and using them then don’t put them on the Internet in the first place. Even by putting things in a password protected area is not a 100% guarantee your assets will be safe. A lot of people think that by just converting a document to the PDF format will make it non-editable. That’s not exactly true. Converting a document to PDF makes it harder to edit unless you take extra security procedures.

Are you taking the legal precautions by registering copyrights and trademarks, etc?

Look at your practices.  Are you preserving assets for potential future work?  Are you backing up to secure location, not only away from your computer but also away from your home or office. Are you taking legal precautions? and finally are you keeping thinks you don’t want people to access away from the Internet?

Great value or attention is often placed on the flash or the look and presentation of the media that delivers information but how much attention is given to “designing the content?” You may be asking? Designing content? You don’t “design content” content is just content! I disagree. If anything the design of the content is in my personal opinion the most crucial aspect. A web site or brochure may look like the most fantastic work of art but if it contains nothing except “fluff” or maybe even worse, words or images that are overly complicated the point of the whole message will be lost.

In college my major was Mass Communication and my minor was  Creative Writing. It’s interesting that only now am I starting to use a discipline I enjoyed but sadly at the time considered useless, that discipline? Poetry. Yes Poetry. I’m not talk about alternating verses with a rhyme but rather concise blocks of text so vivid that they can create a solid image and evoke strong emotions in the mind.

While writing for the web and small print jobs like business cards and brochures is not exactly poetry, I  find myself considering the value of each word I use so I can get the most “bang for the buck”. Business blogging (what I am doing write now) has more than anything, caused me to consider what words I include and refrain from posting in my articles. Why is this important? Search Engine Optimization. Let me make it clear however I don’t believe in tricking the system. Their is no value in that but if something is appropriate then is worth considering what to use. For example if I am trying to target my local town or area I might want to keep in mind to mention Greenville,SC or Upstate,SC in the text of article if  appropriate.

I mentioned in a previous article how important it was to give images descriptive names. This also is part of the design of content but the image itself is important to the design of content. Is it in focus? If on a web page does it load quickly but most important, does it “tell a story?”

What makes content compelling? Content must be easy to read, quick to view but at the same time it should inspire, motivate, educate or yes, even entertain. How it is presented helps. Means of presentation to consider are;

• Lists
• Text formating like bold, italic or color text
  • indenting and even the consideration of
• White Space

All of this may seem like a rehash of a language arts class in school (I almost said English and quickly realized I was writing for a world wide audience) but in the world of technology and face paced business meetings the art of language… the design of content can often be over looked.  What else do you consider as the “design of content?”

One disadvantage of starting a design career as a web designer is fonts tend to take a back seat to other considerations at least in terms how the actual text of your content is displayed. Thankfully I had friends and mentors in my early days of design who taught me the value of fonts. Web designers generally have to design for the broadest possible audience and that means taking into account a lot of people will only have a select series of fonts installed on all computers be they Windows, Mac or Linux. Yes, in the text of a web site the choices can be more limiting but greater consideration can be taken when it come to general graphics, logos and print design. Why are fonts so important? Fonts are an interesting and compelling mix of pure text and imagery. Fonts can look and feel to the eye totally different in print as opposed to an electronic device like a computer screen, TV or cell phone. Also the purpose can dictate the font.  Is this a professional document or something more radical or fancy? Is it meant to be read from a distance or up close?

They are many things to consider when working with font and it’s not just about finding a “pretty font” in fact that’s a big mistake a lot of people made when desktop publishing on a personal computers became popular. Just as early web site creators would put anything on their web because they could and they often did and also made a mess of things.  choosing a font without thinking about why you should use it defeats the purpose.  Yes, the proper font should draw attention but with clear meaning as opposed to making people go huh?

Think about the fonts you see everyday.  Some are even lifesaving.  Yes, lifesaving.  Imagine if someone decided to abandon the Sans Serif style and accepted fonts of street signs just because they thought it would look cool.  I’m reminded of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer decided to bring home street signs and paint over the lines in the road as a “service” and special attention to the part of the highway he adopted.  Needless to say while a nonfictional comedy the results were disastrous.

The fonts you chose for your projects may not cause a wreck (unless you poorly design a billboard) but they could lose sales of your company or organization.  If you want to use something just because it “looks cool” think twice and ask someone who works with fonts daily what you should do especially if it involves your companies brand and identity.  Trust your web developer when he or she recommends keeping certain documents in the PDF format if it means preserving the originally intended fonts. Text on a web site is usually restricted or defaults to a limited set of sans serif fonts that everyone has as is easily read.

Want to learn more about fonts and reasons for using them?  Here is a list of helpful resources;

• Typeface - wikipedia
• Type 101 - Fonts.com
• The Principles of Beautiful Typography

Beginning January 1st, 2008 we will present a series of articles called, The Aspect of Design. I will share the many aspects of design beyond the obvious topics of graphic and web design and what all the aspects mean and how they fit into our work flow. The more I work in this field and communicate with friends, family and potential clients the more I am aware of the misconceptions as well as the limited view of the different aspects of design. The following is a list of the articles we will be presenting on this blog in the next few days;

• The Aspects of Design - Part 1: Layout & Navigation - probably the aspect of the design that most people associate with design but even with that their is more than meets the eye.
• The Aspects of Design - Part 2: Graphic Design - probably tied with layout and navigation as what design work is perceived as. Even so it’s more that “pretty pictures.”
• The Aspects of Design - Part 3: Photography - Often perceived as easy and all you have to do is “point and shoot” but so much “design work” is needed in the set up and often in post processing.
• The Aspects of Design - Part 4: The right fonts for the job - You would think their wouldn’t be much of an issue in “just displaying words” You will be surprised.
• The Aspects of Design - Part 5: Clean and Documented Code - computer programmers/web developers and not usually thought of as “designers” but learn and share what it means to write, “beautiful code.”
• The Aspects of Design - Part 6: The Design of Content - The content (articles and other textual information) is not often associated with design but come and learn how designing with words is crucial to blogging, Search Engine Optimization, a positive response to various print publications, etc.
• The Aspects of Design - Part 7: Conversation - How can you craft your content, images and questions in such away to foster conversation about your product?
• The Aspects of Design - Part 8: Sound Design - Learn and share the aspects of sound design from clear recordings, music tracks and times of silence
• The Aspects of Design - Part 9: Interactive Design - How can the right design make the difference between total confusion and falling in love with the product?
• The Aspects of Design - Part 10: Preservation - When all is said and done is the creations of communications preserved for future generations and protected from theft?

I look forward to starting off 2008 with this series. It’s a series I have been wanting to do for a while not only to provide information but also to engage in a conversation where we can learn the many dimensions of design beyond the perceived views. I have now finished the series and added a “Part 11.”

One of the products we offer as a company is business cards. Business cards are a tried and true method to leave your contact information with people you meet in the business world, be it clients, fellow business people in networking situations or even for  family members or friends to keep or pass along.

However we are not always in a business situation or sometimes giving out a traditional business card gives the impression of being stuffy or you are only attending a social event to make yet another business connection. Just as it’s not appropriate to wear a coat and tie or other business attire to a weekend barbecue or other casual gathering neither is it entirely appropriate to take and hand out business cards in those situations.

This idea is not entirely new. HAM radio operators have been know to pass out cards with their radio call sign and I’ve also seen Christian lay people hand out cards with an encouraging saying or favorite bible verse. We always recommend our clients include their business web site address and e-mail on their professional cards so we have similar recommendations for social cards. These days they are many opportunities to interact in a more relaxed manner on the Internet. “Micro-blogging services like Twitter are becoming more and more popular as well as social networks like Facebook and MySpace. Ning and Mahalo have also added a social feature to their web sites as well. I do recommend that if you are going to hand out “social cards” you act responsible in the groups you advertise being a part of. Even in a casual setting it’s important to act professional.

Remember, a lot of people are turned off by the fact they may be just another potential customer and nothing else. People however do tend to respond positively and give business to those they consider friends and can trust.

Jeff Pulver recently wrote an article called, “Will Business Cards still be used in 2015?“, He makes some great points. I think however their will always be a need for traditional business cards but it’s important to break out of the mold and tell people how they can connect with you in a more casual sense if appropriate. If you are considering ordering traditional business cards from us please consider ordering a second set of cards to let people know about your personal blogs, social network accounts, micro blogging accounts, etc. This is also a good idea for local networking groups to offer their members. This will not be appropriate for everyone but you might be surprised at how new and often longer lasting business relationships are fostered through casual connections. Think about it, how often have your clients come from family, friends, former classmates, fellow club members, etc?