Large-scale, in-person events have all but vanished since the pandemic rocked our world just a year ago. It seemed that nearly all hope was lost for event marketing ― but then came virtual events.

Over the past year, virtual events have provided companies and organizations the opportunity to host their events in the digital sphere, often attracting far more attendees than their in-person events. These virtual events provide hosts and attendees with opportunities that physical events simply can’t. 

No venue, no problem

Virtual events are exactly what they sound like ― virtual. This means that attendees don’t need to travel to attend a virtual event as they can enjoy them from the comfort of their own homes. No venue means no geographical constraints and the elimination of travel expenses. Attendees can join from all across the country, and all around the globe without costing their companies a dime. 

See how SonicWall successfully garnered a 135% increase in attendance over their previous high-mark partner event.

High-quality production for higher retention

Virtual events allow companies to shift their budget away from venue fees and reallocate it toward production costs for their event. High-quality production captures and sustains attendee attention. If your event is lacking in production value, your attendees will be more inclined to spend time on their email instead of participating and actively listening to your hosts and guests.

Equipped with Citrix brand assets, Bluetext designed a fully-customized virtual event experience for Citrix Boot Camp, marked by live video playback, a resource center, and extensive tracking to provide an interactive and enjoyable online UX. See how Bluetext worked with Citrix to bring their networking event to the digital sphere.

The restriction of in-person events was once seen as an obstacle, however, the recent success and advantages found in virtual events have brought new opportunities and exposed flaws of previous systems. Virtual events aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Even post-covid, the virtual event will continue to be a key component of event marketing and management where nearly all events will be hybrid, and many still fully virtual.

Watch Bluetext founder, Jason Siegel, discuss the future of virtual events with Travelocity Founder and keynote speaker Terry Jones in this week’s Virtual Marketing Minute.

 

It’s no secret that mobile internet use has seen significant growth in the past few years. Over half of all web traffic now comes from mobile users, a majority of which are those using their smartphones to surf the internet. 

However, with an installed base of over 190 million devices in the United States and counting, there’s a high likelihood that some of the mobile users visiting your site are doing so from a tablet device as well. It’s just as crucial for your website to look good and function properly on these devices as it is on laptops and smartphones, because in order to be relevant on the web today, your site must perform on all the devices that use the web.

Thinking beyond the desktop

Unfortunately, standard desktop sites don’t have the best track record for working seamlessly on tablets on default. Even websites designed to be responsive in the transition from desktop to mobile face complications on unique tablet sizes. Oftentimes, a site may register a tablet as a mobile device, causing the font and buttons to be too small and intended for a small phone screen. On the contrary, if a site still displays the desktop version, the content becomes too close together, and many of the interactive functionalities just don’t work. While desktop sites are a great starting point, intentional design tweaks are needed to make your website tablet-friendly. Because, no matter what device your visitors are using, the goal is to give them all the best possible user experience on your site.

Luckily as a top website design agency, Bluetext has picked up several techniques over the years that make your user experience goals possible. Whether you’re starting to build a new effective tablet site or are looking to improve your current tablet user experience, here are 5 tips for tablet-friendly website design.

1. Increase font size, line height, and margins for legibility

Let’s be honest, we all know how annoying it is to have to consistently double tap or pinch your screen in order to read the content on a page. Avoid making tablet users do this on your site by bumping the font size up a few pixels, or to at least 16px, and use a line height of 1.5 for some extra breathing room between lines on text-heavy pages. To improve legibility even more, try increasing margins on pages and content blocks to add white space and reduce overall visual complexity, so your website’s content is easier for users to read and consume. 

2. Improve finger-friendliness

Unfortunately, human fingers tend to be much less deliberate and a whole lot clumsier than the tiny point of a computer cursor. This means that anything you want a user to click on a tablet, whether that be buttons, menu items, or form fields, needs to be appropriately spaced and sized to allow room for our fingertips. Based on the average width of the index finger for most adults, a touch target of at least 44 pixels should allow a user’s finger to fit comfortably within the target. Additionally, increasing padding around touch targets by 5-10 pixels will improve user accuracy and reduce the frustration that often comes with unintended button-clicking and navigation.

3. …and make touch targets obvious

Not only should there be ample room to click on touch targets, but it should be very clear where and what those touch targets are. All buttons, CTAs, clickable links or elements should be large, bold, and stand out from the rest of their surrounding content. Hover states do not exist on a tablet, so styling with contrasting colors, underlines or shadows helps these touch targets to look tap-able. The more obvious CTAs are to your visitors, the more they’ll be able to navigate intentionally and with confidence.

4. Make people tap-happy

You don’t want to just design a website that’s easy to use, but one that’s pleasant and satisfying to explore! Keep in mind that a lot of your tablet visitors use that same device for personal entertainment and are used to clicking, swiping, sliding, and pinching their way through various apps. Creating visually enticing opportunities for tablet users to tap and engage with your site via unique interactive components like sliders, carousels, or accordions could not only help increase the amount of time they spend on your site, but make it more enjoyable.

5. Design & test on the most appropriate tablets

Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind where most of your visitors are coming from when designing and testing your tablet sites. There are dozens of different tablet makes and models out there today, with screen sizes anywhere from 7 to 12 inches wide. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to test your website on every single one. This is where your website’s analytics come in handy; using tools like Google Analytics can help you determine which devices and browsers are most frequently accessing your website, so you can narrow your efforts on the tablets that make up a majority of your traffic and optimize for the greatest number of users.

Taking these steps and making these small changes can make a huge difference in the experience tablet users have on your website. Making it easy for them to read, navigate, click, and enjoy finding content or information on your site from all of their devices is crucial to keep visitors engaged and coming back for more. 

Interested in tablet-proofing your website? Get in touch with Bluetext to see what our top visual designers can do for you.

 

 

2020 was quite the year, to say the least. In hindsight, 12 months ago, none of us would have believed in just one year the world would go through such a drastic lifestyle and workforce transition to cope with the global pandemic. 2020 was filled with many unexpected obstacles, quick pivots, and innovative solution finding, many of which are here to stay and evolve even further.  

The pandemic only accelerated the digital transformation we sensed coming. It exposed an ugly truth that some business practices were flawed or outdated—and consequently unfit for the challenges of the 21st century. This resulted in the rise of new digital platforms, virtual events, and interactions. While 2020 may have been the year of perseverance, 2021 will be the year of ingenuity. The past year will be earmarked in history as an era of uncertainty and adaptation, but this upcoming year will be an opportunity to refine and enhance the solutions sought in time of need. Digital agencies such as Bluetext will continue to seek new solutions, new practices, and new experiences. The digital trends of 2021 will be focused on carving a path to a digitally-focused future durable enough to withstand an immediate continuation of remote interactions and a hybrid future that sustains virtual successes when companies return to the office.

Independent Interactions

The first digital marketing trend of 2021 is not new but will grow exponentially in importance in the future. Websites and platforms have grown over the past few years to lay the groundwork for an explosion of digital interactions this year. The key thing to keep in mind when considering interactive content is ease and engagement. With a majority of employees working from home, critical business meetings, sales pitches, and prospecting must occur online as well. Keep in mind your users will be interacting independently, without anyone to walk through it or focus their attention. Additionally, with users spending countless hours in front of their screens, it is harder than ever to capture attention and create memorable interactions.

Impressive interactions are rooted in design and user experience. The two complement one another, but should never be considered a substitute. A beautifully designed website may be eye-catching at first glance, but if the site is stuck on static elements or has poor user experience (UX) you can’t expect your user’s attention to last. Now more than ever, end users are suffering from screen fatigue and begin to notice a certain sameness caused by templated digital design commonly found by using website design and development companies like Squarespace and Wix. Organizations must reconsider design, content, audience and the interaction between all three to inject greater excitement, joy, and curiosity into screen experiences.

With remote work, companies now require new solutions to deliver experiences away from the physical spaces where sales teams, clients, and brands previously interacted. To steepen the challenge further, these interactions need to be intuitive and user friendly enough to empower independent users. Schedules and “office hours” have become more fluid than ever with a remote workforce. Your customers or clients will seek to find information at any hour of the day and will expect to be able to view demos, materials, or tutorials independently on their own time. To empower users to make important independent browsing, Bluetext recommends the following website enhancements. 

• Detailed copy: Don’t underestimate the power of the written (or typed) word! It is time to invest in a thorough and detailed copy that will equip people with the critical information they need to make a decision. 
• ChatBots: Even though we are behind a screen, we are still human. Humans ask questions, may need extra explanations, or get lost sometimes. Especially if your product or solution is complex, you cannot rely on a sales manager to verbally explain and answer questions. Consider adding a chatbot to your website to help remedy any challenges in finding information.
• Animations: Adding some motion to your webpages is a small step that makes miles of impact. A favorite motion trend Bluetext has seen within the tech and B2B industries are the animation of software screenshots to act as a mini demo to play on a loop. 

People want to be inspired by what they see on their screens, and brands can step up to meet this demand. Brands that break free from industry norms and traditional design templates can achieve this differentiation. With the right content delivered through great design, an audience can find an on-screen experience just as compelling as a real-world experience.

Popular Platforms

In the new year, organizations will continue to seek new ways to communicate with people and deliver brand experiences from a distance. Online briefing centers gained many top agencies’ attention last year and will continue to grow in popularity and importance. What exactly is an executive briefing center? It is a virtual platform that surrounds your prospects with thought leadership, rich content, and interactive UX and recreates the in-person premium briefing experience. Compatible with a variety of well-known conferencing software, such as WebEx, Zoom, and Skype, a digital briefing center can support sales consultations, conferences, webinars, and so much more. The successful transition of the sales and proposal process from in-person to online is what will separate top companies from their competitors.

In 2021, virtual experience agencies forecast that virtual platforms will only grow in importance and popularity. Platforms will be re-engineered to support the growth of interactive content and solve pressing problems. Custom platforms like a digital briefing center or app may be a wise choice for corporations with a lot of content to communicate, but smaller firms can benefit just as much from widely adopted and available platforms. So which is the right choice for you? Consider the content. If you need to hold private sales consultations, training videos, or materials intended for select private audiences a briefing center may be the best fit to gate proprietary information. If you have valuable content of interest to wide audiences and with the goal of gaining brand awareness and thought leadership, consider using social media platforms in unique ways. This could include custom infographics and illustrations, interactive quizzes and games, promotional videos, and much more. 

With the growth in free time and use of social media comes a growth of advertising and targeting opportunities. These platforms offer something critical to businesses: a way to easily create content and reach a lot of potential customers. Interesting and engaging content can become key drivers for lead generation, not just brand awareness.  In 2021 Bluetext predicts social platforms will continue to emerge as places for people to monetize their creativity and reach wider audiences than ever before.

Virtual Events

Over the past year, many of us mourned the personal and professional rituals we once enjoyed. Whether that was happy hours with friends, traveling to annual trade shows and conferences, or attending annual corporate events, sacrifices were made to preserve public health. These events didn’t just support a business goal or networking opportunity, they represented a sociological ceremony and routine that binds people to their colleagues, communities, and wider society. Luckily, digital experience agencies, such as Bluetext, saw and empathized with this obstacle which resulted in the rise of virtual events. 

Virtual events started out of necessity, but are here to stay because of ROI and accessibility. “In the face of the COVID pandemic, events became virtual out of necessity. As we move into 2021 and beyond, many events will stay virtual not only because of continued safety concerns, but also as a result of lessons learned in 2020.” says Forbes.  

Virtual events and experiences are no longer a sub-par substitute to in-person events, but the smarter solution for both a business’ bottom line and attendees. Hosting a virtual event provides the opportunity to reach a wider audience without the time and budgetary constraints of traveling. Attendees can selectively tune in to view the sessions most relevant to them, which frees up more time in their daily schedule. Unlike in-person events where employees are out of the office for days at a time, they are only out for a few short hours. The reduced time sacrifice allows for much higher attendance, and consequently more participation and overall event success. 

How can they participate from behind a screen? Virtual event marketing agencies, such as Bluetext, are designing and developing engaging interactive web platforms that allow for two-way communication and audience participation. From “lobby hall” homepages, to interactive sponsor “booths” and live video and chat functionalities there are many ways to help recreate the in-person experience of a live, in-person event. The key is to get creative and drive engagement through great speakers, rich content, and impressive UX. A virtual event offers the opportunity to reach new audiences, promote a sense of community and morale within existing audiences, and distribute valuable information in an attractive and interactive way. Added bonus? Companies that go the faux-live route with pre-recorded sessions and video content eliminate the risk of mistakes or stumbles. 

 

So what can we expect in 2021? As a society, we have learned to expect the unexpected, but as digital marketers, we can expect to see a surge in digital platforms, interactive content, and the virtual recreation of past rituals. As an industry, digital marketing agencies have observed many organizations fully embracing a digital transformation in their marketing efforts. Technology that has revolutionized remote experience and enhanced team collaboration has taken root and will only continue to grow. Companies that take advantage of and invest in digital marketing early can gain a competitive edge.

So what are you waiting for? Contact Bluetext to learn how we can propel your digital strategy into 2021.

 

 

 

 

Now more than ever it’s important to understand and master the skills of remote client relations and project management tasks. Even though the pandemic will not last forever, we have the opportunity to take a look at lessons learned, opportunities created, and skills we’ve grown to use daily. Not only will this help make one a better and more flexible employee, but allow the opportunity for a digital agency to tackle a whole new client base. Let’s dive into some of the most important skills of remote client work.

Over-Communication

Striving to over-communicate with clients is always a good thing. Scheduling weekly status calls, both for the internal project management team and with the client, is great to keep a consistent base of communication and ensure that everyone is aware of where the project stands to date. These weekly calls can be used to review completed and upcoming deadlines, updates on various levels of project status, and resolve any questions in real-time. Having frequent touchpoints with the client helps reach deadlines successfully. If frequent phone calls and video conferences are not possible, never underestimate the power of an email! Digital project managers understand how busy schedules can get, and sometimes that meeting really could have been an email.

Patience

Patience and understanding is an extremely necessary skill for managing remote client work.  Remember, no work-from-home situation is the same. Especially in the wake of COVID-19, many employees who were not prepared or planning to work from home are finding their kitchen table is doubling as their new conference room. Try to be understanding and empathetic with background noise, kids, or pets interfering during conference calls. Don’t get frustrated when someone experiences issues with virtual meetings or is having trouble with technical issues – instead, offer some assistance. Everyone’s circumstances and experience with remote work are different, so be as empathetic as you can.

Cross-Team Collaboration

As a digital marketing agency, Bluetext offers a wide variety of services – which translates into a wide variety of roles and skillsets. Many client projects include multiple tracks of deliverables, such as messaging, branding, website design, and development. It is more important than ever in a remote workplace to keep the lines of communication across these tracks clear and consistent. While agencies might not have the luxury of gathering all creatives, copywriters, project managers, and developers in one room to brainstorm or ask one-off questions, it’s important to keep everyone on the account on the same page. Bluetext recommends setting up recurring scrum meetings to run through the statuses of all parallel tracks, or regular touch bases within the different departments. Online collaboration software, such as Slack or Teams, is a great place to facilitate conversation between groups for questions, blockers, or ideation. 

Organization

Although organization is a keystone of regular client and project management, switching to remote work requires an even stronger set of organizational skills. Make sure you have a separate work space (that does not include your bed or the couch) where you can have a space to focus and create a productive working environment. This should be free of distractions and allow you to maximize your full potential. In addition, comprehensive project schedules, project trackers, to-do lists and conference reports help keep yourself, your team and your client organized with clear-cut deadlines, updates and project progress.

Time Management

When doing remote work, it can be difficult to differentiate between work-life and personal life. Sometimes, even just reminding yourself to take appropriate lunch breaks can make all the difference. Block chunks of time off on your calendar for lunch breaks and to tackle specific projects. This helps keep yourself accountable and make sure you’re accomplishing everything on your to-do list. In addition, prioritization of high-priority and low-priority tasks will help you be extremely successful. Identify the items on your to-do list that need to be tackled right away and which can wait. This better helps you manage your time as well as delivering items on deadline, which all leads to a more successful project.

Adaptability

Adaptability is one of the most critical skills for remote client and project management work. You must be willing to test out new tools, new applications and whatever can help you perform your job successfully. In a new environment, new tools are inevitable. Your client might even have their own favorite tools they want you to try out. Always willing to be adaptable and try out new things!

At Bluetext, we’re extremely dedicated to our work and our clients, remote or not. We have a variety of clients based outside of Washington, D.C., such as Wallix, based in France; AppGate, based in Texas; Citrix, based in New York City. We have the talent, skills, and resources to take your business to the next level, no matter where you are.

As a top digital design and branding agency, Bluetext is familiar with the common client concern, “how can I tell my company’s story with data?”. Recent studies have shown that consumers follow directions and digest information with text and illustration over 300% better than when presented solely with text.  It’s true; a picture can tell 1,000 words — and often better. Infographics, statistics, charts, and data visualization design can seem daunting. Whether working with complex or diverse data sets, the design process can often feel overwhelming and messy. Bluetext sat down with our veteran Design Lead, Augusto Pagliarini, to discuss the do’s and don’ts for creating captivating infographics that speak louder than words.

At Bluetext, upon receiving a creative brief, user experience designers dig to research and assess the UX best practices. When designers work with project managers, they like to review research –which is leveraged to show the client examples and directions that might inspire our infographic. This could, for instance, include exploring two options, to see how we can show their data in a multitude of interesting ways.

For research, some of the preferred design resources include Adobe’s Behance, Dribbble, and Pinterest. These websites are great places to discover good layout inspiration and to see what is trending in the design world.

Infographic design is both an art and data science. One of the most important steps in the creative process is wiring and sketching out the infographic, rather than jumping straight into color. Bluetext design best practices start with a sketch to get the client’s reaction. Graphic designers will draw shapes and lines, all with pen and paper. Efficiency is king, it can be a waste of time to create initial sketches in a high-fidelity format such as XD.

Bluetext is a data-driven agency- so our primary focus is looking at the data first, then designing around it. The next step typically involves using Adobe Illustrator, which allows for creating a vector format. These designs allow for infinitely scalable vectors, so our user experience design team can swap out sizes with relative ease.

It’s important to know the end-user and the audience. User personas are the base of creative style and direction. Some questions our team considers are should the infographic be playful, or serious in tone? More illustrations, 3D isometric style, or photo-realistic?  When it comes to the high fidelity designs, our design team considers if the infographics need to use the client’s branding, working off a set style guide to avoid common pitfalls in infographic design such as using too many fonts and colors. Another key focus is on accessibility– all audiences need to be able to read these items, so a lot of thought is put in at the frontend of the design process to make sure it’s legible, and that the data flows well. 

It’s critical to cite your sources and ensure that the design allows for that. This enables our clients to showcase their credibility – whether it be in disclaimer text or link if it is a digital asset.

Top Tips to Follow:

• Know your audience and end goal
• Keep design simple
• Show, don’t tell
• Follow style and brand guidelines (where appropriate)
• Do your research!

Faux Pas to Avoid:

• Overcomplicating things
• Designs that are hard to read or follow
  • Having no flow or hierarchy
    • Hierarchy: In this sense, it is guiding users on what to look at first, what are the supporting points of the infographic, are there too many colors that catch my eye?
• Too much variety in colors, fonts, and textures
  • Too many colors, fonts, and treatments create a lack of uniformity in the entire design. Sticking to a style guide can keep infographics digestible and visually appealing.

Catch the highlights and additional insights in the podcast edition of this post. Just hit play below!

Simplification is one of the strongest trends we’ve seen as a top design agency in recent years. With such growing popularity, it shows no sign of stopping. So why are brands dialing back on designs for a more minimalistic logo? Top graphic design and rebrand experts at Bluetext are debunking this design trend to explain why it’s a wise choice. For one, minimalist logo designs are easily recognizable and memorable, which is key to successful branding. This is why many up and coming companies prefer simplification over other artistic techniques. Similarly, established brands are stripping their logos of excessive details to add more weight to the brand promise. Uber, Yahoo, and Mailchimp have all recently released logos with cleaner, rounded lines to feel more approachable and user friendly.

Why are these well-known logos going back to basics? We consulted our top graphics designers here at Bluetext, to get their take on the trend. Below are some of the most popular reasons for logo redesigns:

Complex and Cluttered Digital Environments

With nearly all companies moving to some sort of digital presence, users are constantly bombarded and overwhelmed with content to digest. Embellished logos only add to that already exhausted attention span, requiring time and concentration that people simply don’t have to spare. Cluttered online environments have trained us to scan, filter, and repeat — leaving little bandwidth to notice or appreciate fine detail. 

User Consideration

Especially when coupled with features like dark mode, we are seeing brands designing more and more with user experience and comfort in mind. Darker screens and simplified details are easier on the eyes. Reduced eye strain and saved battery life is an added benefit that shows users you care, especially in a pandemic environment where almost all interactions have become virtual and vastly increased average screen time.

Mixed Mediums

Another key consideration for any brand is where your logo will be applied. On your website for sure, but what about printed materials? Perhaps corporate giveaways, like coffee mugs or canvas totes. Logo designs need to accommodate all of these possibilities and easily adapt to any medium. Thus, to save time and resources, companies opt for a clean and crisp logo that they are confident will crisply stand out on any medium and in any size. 

Shrinking Screens

It seems every few months or so Apple unveils smaller and smaller iPhone models. And this product design trend isn’t limited to just mobile devices! Laptops, tablets, and even desktops have been consistently shrinking in size as users opt for more streamlined and portable devices. To future proof your brand or website it’s important to consider small screens and how your logo will display. If your design is riddled with lines and textures it may compromise readability on these devices. Instead of reverse engineering your logo to accommodate unique layouts and breakpoints, it’s far more efficient to begin with a simplified, and digitally conscious design.

Botox for B2B

Why do people get Botox? To smooth out those fine lines and wrinkles and look younger! The same principle applies to mature and established brands. In order to get a digital facelift and appear fresh and modern, experienced brands are smoothing out the details of their logos and brand graphics. Simplification of logos gives your company a rejuvenated update, while still preserving the established brand reputation.

Simplicity Inspires Confidence

Less is more. A strong and simpler logo exudes an air of confidence that your brand knows what it’s doing, and lets the reputation speak for itself. Brands should consider a logo as a signature, rather than the story. Your logo should be a quick snapshot of your brand that triggers a memory of your product or service, not an attempt to illustrate your offerings. A simplified logo, especially in a wordmark format amplifies your brand and creates a distinctive presence.

The Verdict

The verdict on logo simplification? Cleaning up design elements not only offers immense brand value and memorability but also has numerous digital benefits. As a top digital marketing and user experience agency, we encourage clients of any industry to always be thinking about the future first. With an inevitable shift toward more digital-based lifestyles, smaller screen sizes, and user considerations it is a wise investment to reinvigorate your brand with a timeless logo design. 

Considering simplifying your company’s logo? Trust Bluetext for all of your digital marketing and design needs.

So you’re a top technology company who wants to be seen as modern and ever-evolving — much like the rest of the industry! To stay ahead you’ll need a modern, eye-catching design.  Perhaps you want to redesign your logo… Where do you start?  A memorable logo can ensure your brand stays top of mind and up to par with big-league competitors. Updating any aspect of your corporate visual identity can be intimidating, especially when making changes to one of the most identifiable features. There are many considerations: How can you establish or maintain your brand identity and form a strong connection with your audience? Do you want to fit in or stand out? How can you modernize your existing design?

One way to begin the process of redesigning your logo is by identifying some “zigs” and “zags” in your industry. Digital branding agencies define “zigs” as companies that follow industry standards and recent trends when designing and marketing their brands and “zags” as designs that opt to stand out in the crowd by moving against the latest trends. 

Tech Industry Zigs

Gradient

Using gradients in web design emerged as a hot trend as early as 2016 and has since grown in popularity with no signs of slowing down. There are several companies that have successfully incorporated this trend into their CVI, for example, Stripe, an economic infrastructure technology company. Stripe’s gradient style has become incorporated throughout the brand and website, creating an ethereal and futuristic feel to its services,  Instagram can be seen as one of the OG trendsetters, debuting gradient design into their mobile app icon in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minimalistic

Another recent trend has been the simplification of logos and website design. Many brands have adopted this trend to streamline their CVI. This branding trend aims to provide a clean and clear brand vision, which is ideal for smaller screens as users continue to shift to mobile browsing. As we shift away from decorative and intricate details that look great on a billboard but cluttered on a mobile device, simple logos stay relevant and readable for modern consumers.

Many major global tech brands have already opted to use multiple iterations of their logo design – DropBox, Atlassian, and Android all now include a single image or letter logo option within their design range. 

Illustrative

One way to establish a connection with your audience is by designing a unique illustration to accompany your wordmark. A key advantage to this trend is that when done successfully, brands can use the illustration as an identifier without the wordmark. Take Mailchimp’s Freddie as an example. In 2018, Mailchimp simplified their mascot’s design and gave him an established spot next to the logo. 

Tech Industry Zags

Fine Line Detail

While many tech companies are moving in the direction of simplification, some are going against the grain. One example is cloud migration software company Cloudreach, whose finger-print-like logo detail denotes security and reliability at first glance. Using fine detail has its advantages. Detailed designs can speak volumes about your brand value and tone. Especially in the technology industry rich with complex products you may want your logo to symbolize unique detail and features of your products. In contrast, simplified designs may be preferred to make complex technology more approachable to everyday consumers.

Anti-Marketing

Most technology-oriented marketing campaigns inspire the target audience to use the advertised product or service as much as possible. This statement holds true for most companies looking for customers to download and use their mobile apps. This is also where you can differentiate your campaign to stand out amongst the rest. For example, the newest campaign from the popular dating app, Hinge, inspires it’s the target audience to delete their app. Yes, you read that right. That may sound counterintuitive, however, it guarantees a different approach from their dating site counterparts, who focus on their service being the best at finding love for its users. Hinge’s campaign, instead, inspires its users to find love and delete the app. 

Of the campaign, Hinge CMO, Nathan Roth, said “It’s quite common for apps to optimize for time in-app, whether it’s to maximize subscription or advertising revenue. We are purely focused on our users’ success and that’s helping them find someone worth deleting the app for. That’s our single focus,”

Interested in learning more about the zigs and zags of the technology industry? Contact us.

 

 

 

In recent years illustration has evolved far beyond traditional child’s play. The classic art form that many people associate with children’s books actually has serious B2B benefits. 

More and more, illustration has become a focus of company web pages, getting more unique and colorful with each year. Illustrations can be a powerful tool in brand storytelling and avoiding the potential pitfall of cheesy stock alternatives. They can provide your customers with an approachable introduction to a brand, while also reinforcing design styles or colors key to your visual identity. For many B2B companies, illustrations have become an essential component of customer-facing imagery. 

Here at Bluetext, we see a variety of purposeful illustration styles. Two of the main objectives for B2B companies seeking illustration is to visually describe abstract products, or depict meaningful customer experiences. For many industries, such as tech or cybersecurity, showing literal subjects or end-user experience is not possible through photography, therefore, illustration is an ideal solution. 

Below are some of our favorite illustration themes used to take clients’ business goals to new heights. 

Flat

There’s no reason to shy away from simplicity! Flat illustrations have been a huge trend in 2020, with many major companies including GoDaddy, Mailchimp, and Slack implementing them into their brand designs. This illustration style is most often used to depict people or experiences. Stock photography tends to favor extremely generic scenarios, or let’s face it, painfully boring subjects. When your business wants to highlight a specific experience or incorporate as much branded detail as possible, custom art may be the way to go. Illustrative styles offer far more flexibility and adaptation, without falling flat.

Bluetext produced flat illustration styles for Centauri’s employee engagement campaigns to depict unique company events and contests that stock photos could not. 

3-Dimensional

Bluetext’s work for Cvent brought custom illustrations to life in a 3D animated video. Intended to immerse the viewer with a preview of the event experience, graphic designers and animators transformed human illustration into a realistic simulation. With this stunning visual design, Cvent was able to digitally communicate their in-person experience to remote viewers and translate their business value in the most powerful manner.

 

Sketch

Bluetext’s work for GMAC, Graduate Management Admissions Council, promotes graduate school admissions in an approachable and digestible manner. Stretch illustrations were used in the revamped CallingAllOptimists.com campaign to inspire people motivated to improve their future opportunities into action. Juxtaposing a serious life decision and often anxiety heavy admissions process with a uniquely, optimistic brand identity captures both the courage and the celebration of the end-user. Illustrative styles complemented real photography to provide a snapshot of the user, decision factors, and end result.

Monochromatic Gradient

In another successful campaign for GMAC, Bluetext designed custom humanistic illustrations to represent user personas. In awareness of a wide breadth of audience targets, the campaign opted to show a variety of potential applicants in a range of career stages. To resonate with a potential applicant, it was key that they could imagine themselves pursuing a graduate degree. To avoid isolating any potential audience members, Bluetext’s custom illustrations avoided biases of race or ethnicity by showing monochromatic styling of men and women in post-grad, young professionals, and even in established careers.

Product Illustration

Another top use case for illustrations is product depictions. Especially in service-based or digital industries, it can be a challenge to accurately depict what you’re selling to customers. Bluetext client RevBits, a cybersecurity software and service provider, overcame this obstacle with branded product illustrations. With a complex product lifecycle, visuals helped conceptualize their cybersecurity offerings in a clean and user-friendly format. Especially on webpages, product illustrations were an ideal way to communicate offerings to users scanning a webpage and without the time or desire to read long paragraphs of text. The illustrations utilized key brand elements such as color palettes and iconography to maintain a consistent brand experience throughout the website.

 

Digital illustrations are catching a new wave of excitement from companies across all industries. With an ever-expanding range of use cases and applications, we predict this will quickly become one of the most effective ways for B2C or B2B companies to start a more emotional conversation with users. With the rise of personalization and hyper-targeting, establishing warmer and more “human” relationships with clients and customers is a  proven way to strengthen loyalty and improve overall ROI. 

 

Interested in exploring the potential of a rebrand (or illustrations!) for your business? Contact Bluetext today.

When building and launching digital campaigns, many of the key determinants of success are evaluated through digital engagement measurement and tracking. However, as websites and ad-tech have evolved in recent years, so have protections and privacy policies. It’s easy to write off the need for a comprehensive privacy policy, however, this is a recipe for disaster in the age of big data regulation and enforcement. To avoid the FTC and International regulators ire, digital agencies such as Bluetext recommend taking data privacy measures that cater to the most comprehensive regulations in effect. 

For businesses with users outside of the United States, being aware of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and similar legislation is an essential consideration. The GDPR has created strict provisions for EU web users’ privacy and data rights, which extends to US browsers. As global privacy legislation evolves, North American businesses that handle global users’ data must comply with current regulations and build with an eye on future compliance. Top digital marketing agencies advise and design campaigns and websites with these policies in mind to provide frictionless engagements. 

What is the GDPR?

The GDPR is an extraterritorial set of provisions that updated Europe’s data protection standards. The privacy policy strengthens the protections set in 1995, adding requirements for greater transparency and disclosure to users, in addition to modernizing the “cookie law” of 2002.

The GDPR goes beyond earlier regulation, focusing on personal data protection regardless of the type of data and how companies must document user consent in a transparent fashion. These protections apply to all persons browsing within or originating from the European Union. 

The term “personal data” is not synonymous with “personally identifiable information”, or PII. PII has traditionally been a legal concern for American businesses, and it refers to a more defined set of information than the GDPR model. PII does not have to be context-specific to be regulated, in contrast, the GDPR emphasizes the consumer risks of data aggregation.

My business isn’t located in Europe, why should I care?

The GDPR’s reach is far greater than the medley of privacy protections in effect across the United States. Violators of the regulations risk penalties of €20 million ($22.6 million as of writing) or 4 percent of global annual revenues for the preceding fiscal year, whichever is greater. Comprehensive legislation at the state level in the U.S. has been varied, many forward-thinking businesses are beginning to take steps to adapt their practices to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Ultimately every website will have to comply with some set of standards, so it is wise to be proactive and implement privacy protection now. Top digital marketing agencies such as Bluetext are taking steps to protect against potential violations of the CCPA and GDPR by changing cookie collection practices, recommending new data collection practices, and designing clear consent forms. 

Changing privacy policies impact sites from the bottom up, starting with development and design

In a digital-first world, data is a critical component of many businesses online and offline strategies. With the implementation of the GDPR, marketers and web developers must be more diligent about what data we collect, the means by which we collect it, and how we handle sensitive information. When building or updating websites, web developers, and digital project managers should take this as an opportunity to rethink how sites can be more transparent and adopt the Privacy by Design framework. 

The Privacy by Design framework highlights design-thinking approaches to development prior to launch to eliminate the need for post-hoc privacy fixes once a project is live. Solutions such as making privacy the default setting for site visitors, making privacy standards visible and open, and giving users specific privacy information notices are easy considerations to add to the development plan.

If your site is already live, consider a development sprint focused on auditing areas of potential weakness. In assessing your data hygiene, your team can look for unsafe or unnecessary modules that can be disabled, particularly those found in APIs and third-party libraries. Adtech integrations may help source leads and retarget with better precision, but validating that their pixels and tracking are in alignment with GDPR best practices is essential. 

The aesthetic design of websites is also impacted by changing privacy practices. GDPR consent requires clear and explicit opt-in notices to users. Designers, user experience experts, and marketers should work collaboratively to update existing landing page components to incorporate new disclosure features. One simple mantra to internalize in the design phase? Offer accessible, clean choices around cookies and pixels.

When building clear user permissions for data capture, the GDPR requires that websites define data retention and deletion plans for all the personal data collected. Adding GDPR conscious logic to scripts at the code level of your site can save time for site custodians and business analysts alike in the future. 

Updating best practices for common marketing tactics and tools 

Updating the fine print on your Privacy Policy is just the first step of complying with new regulations; common marketing campaign tactics such as cookies should also be rethought through the lens of compliance.  Cookies are the small data files that can be placed on users’ browsers and provide a trove of useful insight to website operators. Under the GDPR, businesses are legally liable for any activities on their sites, specifically protecting user data from third-party cookie tracking.

Many businesses use cookie tracking to better measure the impact of their marketing strategies, and they combine tracking with other user data to build user personas. While this has been an accepted practice in the past, the new regulation now requires clear permission from European users to collect this information, whether the site is for an American or French company. As noted in the impact of GDPR on design, cookie usage has to be explained on either the homepage or a  second-level page on the navigation. This immediate opt-in should allow users to understand how their data is collected, the purpose of the data, and how long they are consenting to these cookies.

As a website operator, sites must withhold all cookies and trackers on your website until you have received clear and explicit user consent on each type of cookie and tracker. This consent has to be given freely, described in explicit plain language, and users must have the ability to withdraw consent. The rights of users under the GDPR are extensive — to comply, website custodians must update their privacy policies and opt-in tools. 

This sounds like a lot of work, why should I care?

Ultimately, thoughtful privacy policies, development, and design provide a safeguard for both businesses and users. The GDPR gives consumers new rights to access and manage their data on digital platforms, and businesses that do not adapt to meet these regulatory requirements can face steep fines. While these changes can seem overwhelming, a top digital marketing agency such as Bluetext can guide your business through the murkiness of data privacy design and compliance.

The recent COVID-19 outbreak has had ripple effects across almost every industry. Around the world, the global pandemic has altered the way we live, socialize and even conduct business. In this unprecedented scenario clouded with uncertainty we all, especially digital marketers, are wondering: What needs to change? And how drastically?

When it comes to search engine optimization strategies, digital marketing and content agencies are continually researching the latest trends and evolving best practices. In the current environment, the role of a top digital marketing agency is to keep a pulse on the present, while also looking forward to strategies that will drive long-term success. Here at Bluetext, our digital marketing analysts are harnessing a variety of tactics to support overall business goals and serve users the best we can during these uncertain times. Check out the top ways we’ve been monitoring and optimizing around current events. 

Strength in Numbers

When in doubt, trust the data! Using top marketing analytical tools, such as SEMRush and Moz, one can track the aggregate behavior of online users. Gathering the most up to date data can be tricky, so don’t do it alone. The more expertise and tools, the better. Trust a marketing analytics agency to help break down the numbers into a comprehensible story of website traffic. Use professional tools, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console, to monitor the recent fluctuations in your page traffic. Do a keyword analysis of your current keyword list to see if search volume has shifted. Google Trends page is a great tool to identify emerging patterns. Are there new phrases your customers are searching for? If the language has evolved, so should your SEO strategy. If you have chatbots for customer service transcripts, these can provide valuable insight into current needs.

In short, the data doesn’t lie. Businesses need to understand search traffic shifts to get as clear as possible a picture into whether to pivot your SEO strategy or not.

Content is King — Still

Ultimately any changes to your SEO strategy should be driven by your unique business needs. For example, a brick and mortar store will need to cater to how they can serve customers at home. If your business was already available online, you may be experiencing altered user behavior as people spend more time at home and online.  Every business should ask: “Is the content relevant to current needs?” Your messages may need to shift in sensitivity to the current environment. A complete overhaul is not necessary, nor appropriate. However, if there are opportunities to generate new content that supports your users in a unique time, do so.  And if your business is considered essential or has been significantly impacted, you should create a dedicated page to capture all relevant coronavirus traffic. Keep the page simple, focused and sensitive. Don’t try to provide the latest breaking news, but exactly what and how your company is doing. If your business has been minimally affected, perhaps there is an opportunity to contribute to emerging conversations. Exploding Topics is a valuable tool for up-to-date trends across search engines and social media mentions. At the end of the day, users are seeking timely and accurate information now and long after the dust has settled on this pandemic. 

Optimize Often

Search engine optimization is never a “one and done” task. Any digital marketing strategy requires upkeep as is the nature of the evolving industry. Now, more than ever, flexibility is paramount to staying afloat. Be proactive, be vigilant. SEO strategy will need re-evaluation in the upcoming weeks and months. No one can predict how long the pandemic will last so you must be ready to pivot to any new or resurging customer needs. 

In an unpredictable environment, one thing is certain: this is our new (remote) reality. Don’t expect old strategies to work as they once did, and don’t expect this shift to “blow over soon”. Your business should be prepared to remain relevant now more than ever. There will likely be long term implications in behaviors and business operations. Get behind the shifts now and flex your agility. It will pay off in your long term business health. 

If you’re looking to partner with an agency to pivot your SEO strategy, let us know.