After attending The Future of Web Design conference in London recently I can safely say it is a pretty exciting time to be involved in the digital industry.

As was to be expected there was a lot of discussion about the capabilities (and limitations imposed by particular browser/s) of HTML5 and CSS3. Admittedly, it is very exciting to be able to utilise these tools when designing for the web, however a few of the speakers touched on some points which I think are of much greater importance when it comes to the real future of web design.

Paul Boag mentioned that we should forget about the new technologies for the time being and focus on improving our Marketing, Copywriting, Contextual Understanding, Strategy, and Psychology skills. This is very much in line with what I believe makes a good designer, so I thought I would use this as a basis for what I, personally, would like to see for the future of web designers.

Over the coming weeks I am going to discuss in detail the often overlooked attributes which I feel make a successful designer in the creative industry.

What I hope to achieve is an increased awareness of the design industry outside the specific “digital space” and a more considered approach to the use of the new technologies which are available to us. Ultimately I would like us all (as creatives) to work towards avoiding an era of over-used CSS3 effects and being faced with a repeat of the original Photoshop filter overload.

So, while it is easy to get excited and spend all of our time learning the new technologies, I urge you to hold back and concentrate on improving your foundations skills before anything else, and only utilise the new technologies when the right project comes along.

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Things have been a bit quiet on the blog lately as everyone has their heads down and are working hard. It’s a pretty exciting time here at We Love and I thought it would be a good time to have a look at what’s in store for the future, not of We Love, but for the Digital space as a whole.

It seems the majority of design bloggers have already formed their opinions of what 2010 and onwards has in store for web design, but I figure it’s time I throw my thoughts and learnings into the mix.

The importance of a company’s digital presence is becoming increasingly important. According to Forrester,* 67% of online customers said their opinion of a brand was affected by their ability to accomplish tasks on their website. Now is the time to re-assess how we are utilising the digital space and ensure we work harder to align it more with how people actually live, we need to make sure we can offer users a reason to visit our sites rather than just expecting them to want to.

In no particular order, it seems to me that in the following 12 months and beyond we will be seeing an increase in the use of the following –

Embracing the fact that the web is now totally portable and can be used almost anywhere, designing for mobile browsers is continuing to grow in importance and we will see more and more mobile specific design considerations in the future. According to Nielsen, 40% of iPhone/iTouch users access the internet more on their mobile than their desktop.

Geo-Mapping
Utlisation of geo-techonology to personalise, and in turn create more humanised, digital campaigns across all digital platforms to reach those who are most interested in what a brand has to say.

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After a nail biting reception and dinner last Thursday at the Affordable Housing Awards (Victoria Park Plaza Hotel), Sarah Beeny presented the award for Most Innovative Marketing Approach to ourselves and our client INplace, for our integrated creative and strategy for the Grand Ocean development in Brighton.

Going up against stiff competition in the form of London & Quadrant and Sentinel, the decision was reached by the evaluation of a number of criteria, most importantly that of measurable results – including sales, and customer satisfaction and engagement.

Needless to say we were absolutely thrilled by this – our thanks goes to everyone who was involved, both agency and client side: particularly Jenny, John and Debbie for trusting in our conceptual approach; and Dan, Mel and Gav for pulling the whole thing together.

See examples from the campaign, or visit the GO Enjoy website and blog.

As you can tell from the photo above, my restraining order restricts me from immediate contact with Sarah Beeny… but I notice John getting remarkably close…

The face of victory…

Digital Gurus, London based digital recruitment agency has looked upon us as their agency of choice…

We Love… will be working with them to define their strategy and brand as well as designing and developing their online and offline comms.

We look forward to an extremely slick partnership of two very like minded companies.

Tasked with moving the focus of Carewatch Bromley’s business from the public to the private sector, we reviewed all current communications and put together a multi-channel strategy for the coming year.

Taking into account environmental and social factors the strategy includes a range of media – from broad to highly targeted – including non-traditional channels such as elevator doors, taxi seats and branded mugs in local cafes! All the way through to the more traditional bus backs, 96 sheet posters and local press. Oh, and don’t forget the mainstay of any good campaign – their web presence, now live at www.carewatchbromley.co.uk

The real challenge was in changing the publics perception of a brand fixed firmly within a prescriptive, task oriented sector. A much more positive, outcome based solution was required. One where an end product of independence, health and enablement takes priority over the shopping list mentality of services provided.

The answer – an emotive offering that distinguishes itself from the competition by its supportive and human approach. Tone of voice and graphical language were key. Large, positive images dominate the main media space and by using a palette that was warm and expansive (whilst still tipping it’s cap to the brand’s core elements), we added depth and scope, not just to their online but to the future use of an array of channels. Behavioural habits and cognitive load were obviously taken into account for the website, and along with a healthy focus on SEO, these were combined with a confident tone, grounded in sensitivity, respect and independence.

We’ll keep you posted on how the campaign develops – looking forward to getting those BIG graphics out there ; )

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