Along with working closely with the office team, we’re also collaborating frequently with marketing/branding and business specialist, Jennifer Cummings. Having been embedded in the business world for the last decade, she brings a wide range of expertise and experience in this areas and is a valuable asset to the strategy side of our service offering.

On the project front some interesting opportunities have come through the door, including a massive web initiative that’s in its primary planning stages. Details cannot be revealed at this time, but the people and components coming together to make this one happen are impressive to say the least.

Also on the horizon is a major marketing push for long-time Inspire client, EMIT Technologies. With four years having quickly passed by since the original re-branding initiative, the company is now looking to firmly plant themselves as a major player in the emissions control industry and is looking to us to get help them there.

Beyond that, projects for an array of recently new clients, including the Alberta Treasury Branch, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Prime Communications, MNP and Chamco have kept our team very occupied and will continue to do so over the coming months.

It looks like there will be no slowing down this summer… and that’s just the way we like it.

Not to be out done, included in the rest of the portfolio additions are a new 20′x10′ tradeshow display design for OmniArch Capital Group, a website for Volume Beauty Bar and two new brands for Shanalta Holsteins and the Children’s Wish Foundation 2010 Gala, respectively.

Even with all of that being said, when it comes to additions, we’re not done there. On the people front, we’ve informally teamed up with a very talented and experienced designer, Wes Pohl. Even though confusion over which Wes is which runs consistently rampant, together we’ve managed to create some pretty impressive work in short periods of time. We’re look forward to doing more together as a team, as more projects from Alberta Treasury Brand, OmniArch Capital Group, Prime Communications and EMIT Technologies are scheduled to find their way into our hands in the coming months.

First of the bunch is a web application we’re building for Awaken Meditation. With phase one set to launch over the next few weeks, we’re excited to see where this project will go (as more phases have already been proposed). The site itself is centered around a live stream of meditation broadcasts plugged in from all over the world – of which users can purchase and view. Considering the variations with time zones, currencies and more, this one is turning out to be quite the complex entity, but is still easy to use from an end user’s perspective, which has been our ultimate goal from its inception.

We’re also currently working on three high profile corporate sites and a brand for OmniArch Capital Group, Prime Communications Ltd. and the Calgary Sport and Spine Clinic respectively. We’ll be launching each of those unique initiatives within the next two months.

Looking a little bit longer term, we’re ramping up for a new marketing launch for one of our largest and longest running clients, EMIT Technologies. The company has experienced unprecedented growth over the past four years that has seen their operations expand from one manufacturing center based in Sheridan, Wyoming, to a nation-wide emissions management leader in the US. In an effort to match that rapid growth we’re retooling all of their communications as well as their website over the next four months.

There are, of course, other items of interest to discuss of course, we just don’t want jinx anything too early! Stay tuned.

In the world of web development, it’s truly astonishing how many companies openly ignore the question of what their website is actually doing for them. Millions of dollars are spent each year on website redesigns and redevelopments without any thought of what value it’s providing to the company and its end users (customers, clients, investors, etc.). If your website isn’t doing anything for you, it’s time to step back and really take a look at the reasons why.

When the internet initially became a new public domain to populate, it was sufficient to simply display a little bit of information about your company and products and/or services – nothing more than a directory listing when you really think about it.

Unfortunately, in terms of the history of the web, that was ages ago. Presently, there are billions upon billions of sites online – a massive directory of visual noise that is nearly impossible to distinguish yourself within. So unlike years ago and like everything else that’s a part of your business, it’s time to start thinking about why you have a website and what value it’s actually providing for your business.

Your website, if developed properly considering the right answers as it pertains to value, will become more than a ‘directory listing’. Your website will become:

• A central tool for showcasing your company’s brand and deliver its core message.
• An effective sales tool for your company’s products and services.
• An easily accessible location for your customers, clients and investors to easily learn more about your company’s offering as it pertains to them.
• A critical component that is extremely cost-effective, constantly evolving as your industry evolves, and is at the forefront of all your marketing and communications initiatives.

Creating True Value on the Web

At the end of the day, when it comes to developing your website, no matter how simple or complex, the level of value and quality it retains is solely determined by whether one simple yet profound question is truly answered:

“Why Do I Need a Website?”

We all have things that we don’t want or need, we all have seen things created or produced and have asked ourselves “what for?”, and most importantly, we all have been frustrated with things in our lives that seemingly work more to inconvenience us rather than help us.

Anything of true value has a purpose, but like a lot of things in life, things are created, constructed and purchased without keeping that purpose at the forefront of the process resulting in wasted time, wasted effort and wasted cost with end results that don’t adequately fulfill a need.

When it comes to the development of a website, keeping this question at the front of the project at all times is critical, and ultimately determines whether a site provides value to your company, customers, clients and investors – regardless of it being perceived as low or high value.

A perceived high value site can:

•    Look good.
•    Be loaded with interactive features.
•    Deliver content.
•    Be mistakenly perceived as a true high value website.

However, a perceived high value site doesn’t even consider the question of “why do I need a website?” let alone answer it, and therefore usually ends up being a convoluted structure of fragmented content that’s neither easy to navigate through or comprehend, in the end providing little or no true value to the end user and their experience with it.

A true high value site can do everything a perceived high value site can, but what it also does is answer the all important question of “why do I need a website?” by taking into account the critical information discovered from exploring of all possible considerations relating to that very question, such as:

The main objectives of the website as they relate to the company/organization, and how do these are conveyed to the target audience viewing the site:

• What is the message you want to convey to your users?
• What do you want the user to achieve by visiting your site?
• What do you want the user to take away from the experience on your site?

The users viewing the website (personas):

• Are they consumers? investors? clients?
• What type of people are they? CEOs? Field personnel? Customer service?
• What kinds of content are they looking for?
• How do they need this content to be presented to them?
• What specific factors about this audience may change the way content is presented?

The type of content being presented and how it should be best structured:

• Is the site’s content relevant to your audience? Does it have value?
• Is the site’s content presented in a way that it’s concise and easy for the user to comprehend?

The entire process of developing a website that has true value rather than perceived value comes down to taking the time up-front to map out all there is to know about your company as it relates to the website and its various end users, then integrating that knowledge through the proper execution of the development process.

What Does This Mean in Terms of Cost?

Executing the proper development process, which can be perceived as the high end, costly option, will in most cases actually be equal or less than the cost of developing a low end option, when you evaluate it over the total lifespan of the project, as seen by the example below:

OPTION 1: Not addressing the “Why do I need a website?” question.

Base Site – $6,000

• Basic, good-looking website.
• Integration of content management system.
• Content supplied solely by client.

Possible Additions – $30,000 or more

• Revisions to site navigation and feature / section additions attempting to give the site purpose.
• Overhaul of the content management system to incorporate new content.
• Overhaul of the site’s design/programming because the scale of the site has changed.

Final True Value = Low

An endless series of patches, fixes and upgrades, addressing issues that weren’t evaluated in the beginning of the process ends up costing much more to build later on, and still does little to achieve the anticipated value because of the reactive nature of the additions being made.

OPTION 2: Addressing the “Why do I need a website?” question.

Base Site – $25,000

• Well-designed website, both visually and in functionality.
• Scalable and extensible to easily incorporate future additions.
• Easy to use content management system for continual updates.
• Smooth user experience as site is designed with all necessary user considerations in mind.

Possible Additions – up to $5,000

• Minor section/navigation updates.
• Content management system maintenance/modifications.

Final True Value = High

The site never waivers from its original objectives as all elements of the site and its users were proactively considered and addressed from the onset of the site’s development and little is needed in terms of maintenance and upgrades, resulting in a much longer life-span for the website.

Conclusion

As with most projects of any kind, it’s really not difficult to create value on the web, it simply requires the proper planning and approach from the project’s inception, adequately addressing the question of “why do I need a website?“. In the end, the value retained from the complete execution of this approach far outweighs the initial cost to develop the site.

So if you’re considering redesigning or reworking your website, or are in the process of developing a new site, please stop now and ask yourself ‘why?‘.

• If you can answer that question immediately – carry on and contact us should you require assistance with it’s design and  development.
• If you cannot answer that question immediately – contact us now, we can help you find the answer.
• If you cannot answer that question immediately when it comes to all of your communications and design needs – contact us immediately! We’ll send in our very qualified rescue team.

• If you don’t care about that question - please contact someone else.

To be honest, no matter how you look at it, creating a tradeshow display isn’t a cheap endeavor. Furthermore, unless you’ve been a part of the display creation and production process in the past, you probably don’t know the steps involved and how much time each one of them takes – and why should you?

Therefore, because of those two imposing factors, we’ve decided to demystify the process of creating a display; providing a clear explanation of the costs and time involved, no matter what option you choose.

We hope this article can help clarify various items for you as you look to create your display. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Display Planning / Display Space

Most tradeshow spaces have to be booked months, if not years. in advance. For companies that participate in many shows each year, this can almost be a full-time management job for internal staff. Spaces may vary from standard 10′x10′ booths to large displays measuring in the thousands of square feet.

Spaces are most commonly booked well before a strategy/design team, such as Inspire, is hired to design the booth, so the type of display that will be created is already somewhat predetermined by the space in which it has to reside in.

Where companies can get the most value out of participating in a large number of shows is by booking similar sized spaces and reusing the same display structures each time – rather than creating a new display for every individual show. Doing this requires careful planning on the part of the company to ensure they are in the right spaces at the right shows.

Display Structures / Options

Today’s tradeshows and exhibits are a complex jungle of displays and booths loaded with graphics, trusses, lighting, display screens and more – making it a very daunting task to decide how to properly showcase your company and its products and services through a display, while not spending a small fortune to do it.

While nothing in the world of tradeshow displays is cheap, there are many budget conscious options that can effectively deliver your company’s message effectively, time and time again if planned accordingly.

Design

When it comes to designing the look of a display–depending on its size and complexity–many factors have to be considered, such as your company’s overall brand and message, the strategy and reasoning behind your company’s participation in a particular show, and much more.

Just like all the other steps involved, the design aspect requires solid upfront planning in order to be effective and also avoid any unforeseen surprises once the final display is produced. Furthermore, because the final printed visuals are all very large in file size, it’s critical to have the entire look of the display created and mapped out before producing these large format graphics, as they can require extensive amounts of time and processing power to develop.

For small displays, working up a few low resolution composites before producing the final large format graphics is the standard process. For larger displays, rough 3D or artboard models built to scale are created first, with the low resolution graphics placed inside of them, so you can get an exact feel for what your tradeshow display will be like before it’s created, ordered and printed. In all cases, revisions to the display at this stage of development are very easy to do and avoid any future additional costs such as reprinting or hardware modifications.

Common Display Options

Banner Stands

Description
If budget, portability and flexibility are the primary concerns, a set of compact, well-designed banner stands is the best option. Banner stands can be designed as a set of individual standalone pieces or as one unit consisting of 3-4 stands together. Materials for banner stands vary greatly depending on their use (ie. indoor/outdoor).

Associated Costs
Depending on the type of substrate used for printing and the hardware chosen, a single banner stand can cost anywhere between $500-$1,000 each. Design costs (where Inspire comes in) are most commonly an additional $500-$1,000 each – depending on the complexity of the design.

Time Frame
Banner stands are most often stocked regularly by various supplies and can be ordered and printed fairly quickly. Design time can also vary, depending on how many stands need to be created and the complexity of the design itself. For a set of 3 banner stands, a minimum of 3-5 weeks is required, sometimes less.

10′x10′ Display

Description
If you’re most commonly displaying in a 10′x10′ space, then a 10′x10′ pop-up stand, including optional back-lighting and other options, that can easily be transported is the best solution. Original graphics can easily be replaced and reprinted for much less than the cost of replacing the entire display, providing the ultimate flexibility for using the it it many shows for years to come.

Associated Costs
Typically, printing and hardware costs for these materials is in the $4,000 – $6,000 CDN range, depending on how many additional components are added to the display. Design costs usually run between $2,000 – $4,000 CDN, greatly depending on the complexity of the content to be displayed.

Time Frame
Depending on what is chosen for hardware and where the booth is printed, as well as all the various factors involved in the design, the minimum time required for the creation and production of a 10′x10′ booth ranges from 4-7 weeks.

20′x10′ Display

Description
Doubling the size of the 10′x10′ display, a 20′x10′ option can involve a few more details and components as more creative possibilities are available, such as adding in shelves, screens, etc. Again, if the right configuration is chosen, the graphics can easily be updated and replaced and the display can be reused repeatedly.

Associated Costs
In general, the cost for a 20′x10′ display is usually double the cost of the 10′x10′ display, but can be a little more or less depending on the additional options chosen and the complexity of the design.

Time Frame
Depending on the design, printing and hardware factors for creating the display, the time required is a minimum of 6 weeks and usually falls into a 8-9 week period.

Custom Display

Description
A customized display is most often created for large tradeshow spaces. These displays involve a bunch of integrated components such as wall panels, columns, trussing, lighting, signage and more. Some tradeshows and exhibits work with chosen suppliers to provide these displays as fully loaded packages, that can be rented for that particular show, or purchased outright.

Associated Costs
The costs for creating and producing a customized display vary greatly depending on the space, design and hardware/printing chosen; easily running into the high tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Time Frames
In general, the undertaking of a custom display, especially for large spaces, is a long process. It’s advised that the design planning for these types of displays start 5-6 months, if not longer, before the show itself.

Conclusion

As you can see from the details outlined above, the process of developing a proper display is one that involves many steps and can incur substantial costs. However, with proper planning and strategy behind your company’s display initiatives, a solution that effectively delivers your message in an efficient manner, over and over again, can easily be devised; allowing your company to attain the maximum value from its exhibiting efforts.

Talk to us today to find out how we can help you with your display initiatives.

Needless to say since retooling and rebranding to become Inspire Studios at the end of May, we’ve shed the old skin successfully and have expanded our client base into new areas, resulting in some great projects coming in the door. Currently in the shop we’re working on a variety of great projects for CBI Group Investments, Calgary Film Festival, University Technologies International, Parkland Blinds, China Coal Corporation and more. We’ve also made our best impression in front of a major Calgary organization that could result in a fairly large and lengthy web initiative for the fall. Crossing the fingers on that one.

Considering how well summer is going, we’re very excited about the direction the company is taking and where it will go into the fall. Look for a bunch of new work to hit the portfolio section in September, we’d love to show you what we’ve been up to.

I will also be posting a new insightful blog soon discussing value on the web, as follow-up to an in-depth presentation we’ve recently developed that turned out quite well – that if we could have an hour of every potential client’s time, it would make the world of difference when it comes to developing their respective web presence. In the meantime, contact us regarding that topic if you would like to find out more.

So, while we’re diligently working away, get out and enjoy the last bits of summer while you can and check back soon. I know in my world there’s a great round of golf still waiting for me in the next couple of weeks.

Wes Straub
Partner, Inspire Studios

What does this concept mean in terms of the web? Well, in simple terms it puts the power of design back into the web designer’s hands and says ‘enough is enough’ with this all-consuming, never-fulfilling idea of designing for every browser ever made since the first consumer PC was sold. Essentially  it tosses aside the unrealistic idea that you must ensure that the site you produce looks exactly the same in every browser, all the time.

Progressive Enhancement & Intentional Degradation rewards users of modern browsers that are able to view all of the latest CSS features such as font embedding, border radius and transparency, and punishes users of out of date browsers (for example, Internet Explorer 6) by dropping certain site features that simply can’t be displayed by them. In essence, what this idea does is truly release the designer from the browser’s captivity when it comes to design, freeing him/her to work with the latest technologies in mind, and puts the power of choice back into the users mind when it comes to how rich they want their internet experience to be.

As proof that this idea can become an absolute reality, one just needs to look at all the options that exist in the realm of television. You have the choice to keep your overweight picture tube TV, hooked up to the basic cable package, however, if you want a truly engaging viewing experience, you’ll eventually find yourself owning a 1080p HD LCD or plasma panel with an array of high definition channels feeding into it. Now compare that transition to a free browser upgrade and you start to understand why the ‘enough is enough’ mentality designers have started to adapt is so relevant in today’s online world.

From my perspective, I think this concept is fascinating and consider it critical for true advancement in web design. The idea pushes for the progress of browser development to match the progress of design advancement, telling users and browser developers alike to either keep up or miss out on a better experience. Surely this idea is loathed by IT departments everywhere, but hey, without change, none of those departments would exist anyway.

Let me show you a few examples of this idea in play. View each site listed below in both the latest version of Firefox or Safari, and then Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8. Note the inherent differences in the visual aspects of these sites and how the overall experience differs between each browser.

http://www.24ways.org
http://www.westciv.com/
http://theundersigned.net/

In conclusion, for users of older browsers, such as IE6, we’re not completely flipping the bird to them, we’re just saying ‘here’s your experience now, but here’s what it can be when using a newer browser,’ Even this site has small design intricacies that can only be displayed in browsers such as Firefox and Safari. On the other hand, if you’re viewing the site in Internet Explorer, the fact that border corners aren’t rounded isn’t going to cause you to regurgitate your lunch. However, over the coming months and years that list of intricacies will continue to expand further; all work to enhance the user experience within modern browsers that embrace new web design tactics, and thankfully helping push older browsers into complete extinction.

At least your old browser is easier to dispose of than that old picture tube. To upgrade your browser, please visit either of the links below:

Firefox
Safari (now for PC)

Wes Straub
Creative Lead

If you spend a lot of time on the Internet reading up on web technologies you likely have come across the term AJAX. While you might be thinking this might just be the domain of indie web apps and social media sites such as Facebook, there are a lot of good reasons to look at implementing the technology on corporate, sales, customer service and other client facing websites. But first, lets define what it is and what it isn’t.

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML and is a term that was coined by Jesse James Garrett of Adaptive Path in an article written in 2005. The technologies that make up AJAX have been around for a long time, but the combination of them together is what makes it really a useful tool. The Asynchronous component of AJAX in web browsers dates back to Microsoft’s XMLHttpRequest ActiveX object, which was implemented in Internet Explorer 5, and is now part of every other major browser as a DOM API.

JavaScript is a client side scripting language found in all browsers and is used in everything from simple calculators, animation and form validation to complete desktop-style web applications. The JavaScript component in AJAX talks to the XHMLHttpRequest object in order to send and receive data from the server, and processes and displays that data to the end user. The data that is sent to and from the web servers makes up the X component of AJAX and although it stands for XML in this case, other data formats are used such as JSON, plain text, and HTML.

Benefits

To better understand the benefits of using AJAX in your website let’s look at the typical way a web page loads. An end user will type a URL into the browser or click on a link resulting in an HTTP request being sent out to the server from the browser. The server will return the requested content back to the browser, provided that the content is at the requested address. That HTTP request will include the entire web page consisting of the page title, navigation, page content, sidebars, footers, etc. The end user will then click on another link and so on. Each time this happens, the full page of HTML will be returned. So what if you only want to get a small bit of data, such as an updated stock quote, or a list of news headlines? Well then you have to reload the entire page.

Using AJAX we can send a request for that specific bit of data as a background instead of reloading the entire page. The results of this are that the data being transferred is small therefore the rate of transfer is much quicker. That may seem like a trivial detail, but think of the difference between using a desktop application and a web application: when you are using a desktop application the results of an action are generally expected to be immediate. For example, loading a Microsoft Word document. You click on the file menu, then open, select the file and then the file opens. All of those steps have immediate results and happen within the context of the Word window. You don’t have to reload the application every time you do an action, unlike clicking on a link on a web page. Each time your browser requires data from the server the entire web page is returned.

AJAX provides a faster and more responsive way to deliver that data. You don’t have to wait for the entire page to load, just the specific data content that you actually need to load, resulting in a better user experience. Why is that important? Consider the purpose of your website. Do you sell products online? The more efficient you make it for customers to discover and purchase your products, the higher your conversion rate will be. Is your site for investor relations? Easy access to timely and important information can influence your investors’ decisions and keep them better informed of your corporation’s activities. Is your site a key part of your sales process? You want to make it easy for your potential customers to find the information essential to their purchasing decisions.

Example Use Cases

Here are a few examples of how AJAX can improve your website:

Live Product Search

A traditional search consists of a user typing in a search term followed by the website displaying a search results page. Using AJAX you can provide a live result below the search box, display product titles or categories as the user is typing, allowing them to refine their search faster and even click right on the product they are looking for in the live results. See the search area on www.amazon.ca and www.ebay.ca for an example of this.

Live Stock Information

Display live stock quote information, historical data and news releases. Google Finance displays financial information on a page that constantly updates: http://www.google.ca/finance?q=INDEXNASDAQ%3A.IXIC

Knowledge Base Search

Display possible answers to customers’ questions while they are typing into the search form.  Take a look at how a great hosting company integrates this: http://kb.mediatemple.net/ (tip: start typing in ‘email’)

Quick Product Detail View

Provide a quick overview of product details without displaying an entire page on the product. This allows customers to quickly compare products without having to go back and forth between the product list and the product details. Take a look at how Gap implements this: http://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=15043

Steve Thompson
Web Development Lead

From our inception as Adwise over four years ago, through to Guru and now to Inspire, our business has evolved quite dramatically. We’ve had both successes and failures, and have made countless valuable mistakes along the way from which to learn from. In that time we’ve had the opportunity to create and produce a wide variety of great projects, working with clients who understand the value of properly designed and executed communications strategies and tools.

Moving forward into the future we aim to be even better. My business partner Steve and I have restructured and retooled the company completely, taking full advantage of virtual communications tools and spaces, and dropping the heavy burdens of traditional agencies, such as an expensive ‘character’ office space. We’re also selectively aligning ourselves with other industry leaders and consultants who choose to be in a similar position, therefore allowing us to offer a complete suite of top quality services from project management and copy-writing to design, development and quality assurance.

All these steps are being taken so that we can simply work smarter and create better work. To coin a phrase from Dave Mason, co-founder of Samata Mason, (a design firm that I hold in the highest regard) in a talk he gave years ago in Calgary on design that really stuck with me, his mission for his company was to simply “do good work for good people.”

At the end of the day, it just makes sense.

Wes Straub
Partner, Inspire Studios