Ninethirty Creative Blog » Uncategorized

Writing for the web and print, what’s the difference?

Steven — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:42:39 +0000

Clients often ask, what’s the difference between writing on the web, as appose to writing for print. Well, writing for the Web needs to grab your attention and gets the results you want. This needs special skill, and inclusion of keywords to also help with SEO, whether you are selling products or services or if you just want to let people know what you are up to on your personal site.

One of the impediments to online reading is physical: It’s harder to read on a screen than it is to read on paper. Even the best computer monitors are hopelessly fuzzy when compared to the crisp images on a glossy magazine page, and the extra effort this requires from human eyes and brains slows
readers down. The longer the document, the bigger the problem.

Today’s monitors are vastly better than the ones in use years ago—especially the latest
generation with flat screens and liquid crystal displays. Better software is also
helping. Microsoft, for instance, has created a superior family of fonts
specifically designed for online reading (Arial and Tahoma are two of the most widely
used).

But the more significant barrier web writers must overcome is behavioral, not physical. Everyone who has studied online reading will know that people behave differently when online. When viewing a new page, they don’t read—they scan. They look at headings and subheadings first; they scan for hyperlinks, numerals, and keywords. They jump around, scrolling and clicking—their fingers never far from the browser’s “Back” button.

The challenge for the web writer is to overcome readers’ impatience by keeping things as brief as possible.

Do you know of some good articles, tutorials, newsletters, Web sites, books, or other resources related to writing for the Web, Web site content, or related topics? Recommendations are welcome and encouraged!

Mac v PC – are there actually any differences now?

Steven — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:37:40 +0000

There are, of course, some differences when it comes to using Macs and PCs for graphic design work. The the gap between general usability, between Macs and Windows PCs, has narrowed dramatically. Indeed Windows, since version 2000, has been a very stable operating system and some designers have argued that Apple’s latest operating system, OS X, is somewhat less user friendly than its previous operating systems.

Many designers have also grown up the Apple Mac GUI and believe it to be more focused on creative aspects than other operating systems. In particular color calibration and WYSIWYG issues are often thought to have been dealt with more favorably on Macs than PCs.

Working together in a cross platform environment

These days a graphic designer is very likely to be working in a mixed Mac and PC environment. This is much less of an issue than it used to be, with either platform being able to open documents created on the other. However, there are potential problems to be aware of and issues such as fonts matching and text overflows can cause all sorts of problems – even when using the same piece of software and fonts from the same foundry. For this reason alone, many agencies will standardise on one platform.

Client Relationships

Steven — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:17:19 +0000

Having worked with many people over the years you realise just how important it is to have good contacts in the design industry. We have built our reputation by reassuring clients that people who we work with (including Freelancers) are people we trust 100%.

We had the pleasure of being introduced to a new client a few months ago by a very good friend of mine and realised that this client has the best relationship with his own clients because of his honesty and trust.
You find that companies you have worked for in the past, dig a whole when a deadline is late by telling the client it will be a few days late, when really the shear amount of work still involved is a weeks worth.

Why not just be truthful and tell them how it is a client will respect you more for the truth and your honesty rather than lies and even more late deadlines.

At ninethirty we always believe honesty is the best policy, and a good relationship with a client, even on a personal level can help your business relationship.