As an ever-learning design student, I hear a lot of design and tech lingo thrown around that sometimes I find is all Lorem Ipsum to me. SEO was an acronym and word I hear quite a bit here at Studio66. This word definitely fell under the unknown design lingo category. So, as the curious intern, I decided to go forth and do some research to find out the sitch behind this word. This is some basic info I found and summarized from the article “Beginner’s Guide: What is SEO?” by SEOmoz.org:

SEO stands for “search engine optimization” or “search engine optimizer.” A SEO is the improvement of a web site’s internal and external aspects so that it will get more traffic from search engines, like Google. This ensures that the web site is “optimized” or more effective. Companies who use SEOs can have a specific or general focus.

So why would a website need SEO? Well, a large part of web traffic is by major commercial search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN. If a web site cannot be found by these search engines, or if a site’s information cannot be put on their databases, the web site loses the opportunity of being found and used by people who may have had need of the site’s services, products, or information. These search engines are important because they are how the majority of Internet users get around the web. 

Search engines are always working towards getting better and more relevant results to users, but even with improvements, they are still limited. This is where SEOs come in. They not only make content available to the search engines, but they also help increase a web site’s rankings so that the content that is found will be placed where searchers will find and see it quicker. With how competitive the web has become, web sites who utilize SEOs will have a higher number of visitors and customers.

I looked further into the article to find out more about SEO and how it works, and as I was reading more, I became curious about the difference and possible relationship between a SEO and a web site redesign, since to me, they seemed to have some sort of connection that I didn’t fully grasp.

I asked Rashael, the creative director here at Studio66, for her personal explanation. She told me that SEOs and web site designs were two different elements, explaining that a web site redesign mainly deals with organization and the aesthetics, such as the look and feel of a site, whereas SEOs dealt with information and words, particularly in the code of a web site. There’s a difference between details: aesthetic versus technical. However, these two different elements work well with each other. Consider this: you may have a beautiful web site design but without adequate SEO, people will rarely view your gorgeous site. On the other hand, if your site good SEO but has an unflattering design, users won’t stay on it long because it’s not pleasant to look at or explore.

Rashael also lent me a copy of Google’s SEO Guide for me to look through, and here are some of the simpler ways I found to help optimize a web site:

• Having both unique and accurate page titles: A title tag tells users and search engines the topic of a page. This tag should be accurate, unique, and descriptive, but brief. 
• Making the URL to a page short, descriptive and “friendly”: “http//:www.studio66design.com/2009/07/intern-diaries-7/ versus “http://www.studio66design.com/2009/07/2934gjl890066?hkjal/
• Making good and appropriate use of heading tags: These tags are used in the hierarchy of info on a page. Things to keep in mind with heading tags: use them like you would in an outline, and to use them sparingly and sensibly so as to not confuse users. 

The above edits may seem small, but from what I’ve read and researched, these little details go a long way in the SEO process!

Rashael also told me that there are companies specializing in SEOs, and that some graphic design firms, particularly those exclusive in web design, offer some SEO services. At Studio66, basic SEO is offered when doing a web site redesign.

I learned a lot from this three-letter acronym – useful and important info about web design and the internet. SEO has now been added to my growing design and tech vocab, and I hope it will rank high in my brain’s search engine when I think about web design.

Last semester I learned some basic info about web design and coding in one of my design classes, including typography on the web. I found that typography can suffer sometimes on the web – like choosing a font for a site and finding out that on the web, it’s not that font at all. This is where web-safe fonts comes in. 

I had learned about web-safe fonts in my class, and knew some of these fonts, but I never really had a “master list” of all of these fonts. So I did a little research and found that there’s quite a number of web-safe fonts I can choose from. Here’s a summary I wrote from an article by David Rodriguez on the web site Web Design for Designers discussing web-safe fonts:

Web safe fonts are a set of common fonts found on the majority of computers. This means that they will work on the maximum number of computers. These kind of fonts are particularly important to consider and use in web design. 

Every computer comes with a set of fonts installed on it. These fonts are either installed by the computer manufacturer or they are an operating system’s default set of fonts. 

However, not all fonts sets are the same or equal since different computers and operation systems can have different fonts installed on them. If a font used on a web page is a font that a visitor’s computer does not have, the font will appear different – and often look unflattering – on the visitor’s screen. 

This is why the use of web safe fonts is important. Since they are a set of commonly found fonts on computers, using them will ensure that when the font appears on a visitor’s screen, it is that same font and not something else. 

Web safe fonts also also important because if the font that appears on the screen is unattractive, and therefore, a pain to read, it won’t encourage people to read everything on the page. This will lead to the loss of visitors and/or potential customers. This is why it is important to keep your site user-friendly by making it easy for the visitor to read through it. 

Here is a list of web safe fonts, listed according to their types or families. 

Serif Web Safe Fonts

• Bookman
• Garamond
• Georgia
• Palatino Linotype
• Book Antiqua
• Times New Roman, Times

San-serif Web Safe Fonts 

• Arial
• Helvetica
• Arial Black
• Impact
• MS Sans Serif, Geneva
• MS Serif, New York
• Verdana
• Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande
• Tahoma

Monospace Web Safe Fonts: These fonts have characters that all have the same width. They are mainly used for displaying code or to show data.

• Courier
• Courier New
• Lucida Console
• Monaco

I found it quite helpful to learn all the different web-safe fonts that are available from this bit of research. I hope to keep ‘em in mind next time I’m designing a web site.

One of the many things Studio66 has been pursuing this summer is self-promotion among the Davis and Sacramento community. As I have stated before in a previous blog post, graphic design is a contact sport, and self-promotion is a large part of this game. As the intern here, I got to observe some of the ways Studio66 gets its name out into the surrounding community. Here are some of the ways I’ve seen – and sometimes helped – the studio promote itself: 

• “Cold calling”: Here’s a term I was unfamiliar with until I interned at Studio66. Cold calling is basically calling up companies in the area who may be interested or in need of design services. These companies are not chosen randomly but by what they do and if they could use some design services. This takes some time and research, but I’ve learned and seen that it’s well worth your time. Studio66 has recently done some cold calling to charities and non-profit organizations around the area. I got to help in the process by actually trying some cold calling myself, and also entering the contact info of all the organizations who were interested in getting some info about the studio. I’ll be honest, this wasn’t very exciting, and did not involve any designing (at least not yet) but I did understand it’s a part of the business/marketing part of design. I also found the process to be quite informative since I got to learn about all the different non-profit organizations in the area – organizations I may be possibly designing for someday. 
• “Sweet Design”: I was part of the initial concept stage of this self-promo design project in which Studio66 gave out Rice Krispie squares to local business to promote the studio’s services. These tasty treats were sealed with a sticker and wrapped in tissue paper with a tag attached. I helped  come up with the project’s tagline which was “Sweet Deal on Sweet Design,” and the sticker and tag were designed by the folks here in the studio.
• Holiday greeting cards: It’s something I see lots of design firms do, and Studio66 takes part in this. I got to see some of the previous holiday card designs and themes done here, which included a stress-free holiday kit and also a card with an interchangeable front design. I find holiday cards a fun and clever way to keep in touch with current clients and perhaps send out to potential clients. 

A recent edition of the HOW magazine highlighted winning self-promotion projects – for clients and design firms – which included clever and whimsical tee-shirts, desk calendars, and stickers. I find self-promotional design to be quite the creative endeavor, since well, you are your own client. This should also make it a fun project to do, since it’s also a way to show the personality of your design firm and the people that work there. This is definitely something for me to think about and start doing myself as I get my portfolio together this upcoming senior year.

On Wednesday I went with Rashael to observe a press check at Eagle Press in Sacramento for a job Studio66 was doing for the Davis Adult School.

During the drive to the press, Rashael talked about the importance of having a good relationship with a printer, which Studio66 had with Eagle Press. She also talked about Todd, the printing rep at Eagle and his aid in the production process. The press check at Eagle was surprisingly quick; the drive to the printing press was actually longer than the time we spent there checking the job! This was good of course, because it showed how reliable the press was and how they’d got the job done right the first time. 

I’m not entirely new to the production process or the printing press; I had toured a different printing press with my design class last year. During the tour, I learned a little bit about the production process and the different things that go on at a press. What’s neat about my short yet insightful experience at Eagle Press was seeing a job I actually knew about – and seeing it get done correctly. 

As a graphic designer, I know I’ll be needing a printer – and not just the kind that sits on your desk. If after graduation I decide to stay in the Sac area, it’s nice to know there’s a printer in town I can rely on.

So today is sadly my last day here as an intern at Studio66. I unfortunately have to start school next week – Monday to be exact. I had a good time and experience here with Rashael, Peter, and Brianne. While interning here, I learned much about the business side of design, which was quite invaluable to me as I’ve had no previous experience on that side beforehand. 

Even on my last day I got to learn something new; this afternoon I got to sit in on a web redesign brief in which Rashael, Peter, and Brianne discussed the planning stages of the redesign. I got to observe them working the planning process as a team, helping each other out and giving new ways of doing certain things or functions. As a design student, such a project would be pretty much all on me to do it all, so it was encouraging – and a relief – to know that when designing outside or beyond my student years, I can work with another person or in a group – whether I end up freelancing or working in a firm. It also reminded me the significance of being able to work with others – something I actually look forward to doing again as I start my design classes this fall. 

I wish the best for the folks here at Studio66 and thank them for their help, advice, and of course, their humor. Here at the studio they have a sort of motto which is “Designers, Professionals, People” and from my experience here, I know this to be true. I would also like the thank the readers of the few blog posts I’ve written – whoever you nice people are; thanks for your comments and suggestions. Hope everybody enjoys a great fall season!

I recently helped concept, design, and copywrite a promotional ad for Studio66 for the Woodland Chamber of Commerce directory. The entire process of this project was fun and interesting because the concept we arrived at was largely based on copy more than graphics.

As a design student who has one more year left of school, I’m always afraid that my design skills won’t be good or sufficient enough. Call me paranoid, if you will, but sometimes the amazing designs I see out there are both inspirational and intimidating. Yet when this promotional ad was being created, I found it refreshing to see that often communication in design actually involves writing. The design of the ad would not have worked if it didn’t have the right copy. I had the task of coming up with the initial content since the chosen concept was based on one of my ideas, and it was encouraging to hear from the folks here at the studio that my writing worked, and was intriguing.

From this project I’ve discovered that perhaps my writing skills – in addition to my design abilities – are something that’s going to help me stand out from the crowd. I enjoyed coming up with the copy for this project, and I’ve been trying to further improve and continue my writing through a design blog I’ve started this summer.

This whole copywriting deal is rather ironic when I think about it, because in high school, I really was not a huge fan of writing. And I was never the type to keep a diary, a journal or a blog – until now. I suppose my English teachers would be proud to know I’m still using my writing skills to survive the design world.

Here’s a link to the PDF of the ad in the Woodland Chamber of Commerce directory – feel free to let me know what you think.

Before I knew much about graphic design and the design industry, I was under the impression that when you worked at a design firm, clients would just come to the firm with their design problems and projects. And there would always be clients because there was just so much to design and fix in the world. Well, I found from observation (and some eavesdropping) here at Studio66, that’s just not the way things happen in the design world.

I’ve observed that it takes strategic and intentional planning and marketing, whether it involves looking up a community’s directory to see what companies could be offered design services, or sending out fun, promotional pieces to local businesses. There’s also the ongoing communication and follow-ups with past clients to see how things are going, and possibly what other design services could be offered for their needs. 

It all makes sense, really. Clients don’t always know everything they need, and more often times than not, they appreciate it when people are able to point out additional ways to serve their needs. This is something I’ve learned not only being here in the studio but also from my own experience working in customer service. 

Moreover, this constant state of communication and self-marketing helps keep the design firm busy with a variety of clients, and therefore, stay in business. This is pretty important especially in tough economic times like these. 

Graphic design is indeed a contact sport in which designers must don their jerseys, go out there, and send out emails or shake some hands. The design industry isn’t just about marketing and promoting another company or business: it also involves marketing yourself and what you can do.

Ahhhh… it’s the start of a new day, and a new project. You crack your knuckles, pick up your freshly sharpened pencil (or if you’re like me, a non-leaky ink pen) and you face that blank, crisp piece of paper that sits in front of you, ready to bust out that creative storm in your brain.

Then something hard hits your head. Ouch!
Well hello, designer’s block.

Blocks: be it for writers, designers, or drivers, they are never fun, and they sometimes hurt (your brain, that is). And if you’re impatient and antsy like me, they are quite hard to get through. I recently got hit by one while I was in the process of coming up with concepts for a promotional piece for Studio66.

Luckily I’ve found ways to get me around or over the block, thanks to my professors, fellow design buddies, and just experience in general. Here they are (in no particular order):

1. Going out for a walk
This may seem out of the blue, but sometimes it’s nice (and healthy) to just get out of your chair, go out, get a whiff of fresh air, and clear your head. I know for myself that I get my brain moving as I’m physically moving. Plus, you never know what’s out there that may end up inspiring you. 

2. Reading design books
While working on concepts for the promo piece, I literally scoured all the packaging design books in both Barnes & Noble and Borders. I even read through other design books because there weren’t enough books on packaging. I would jot down ideas and doodles on a little notepad I always carry in my bag.

3. Looking through design blogs
The piece I was working on was packaging, so I checked out some packaging blogs online (thedieline.com, Lovely Package) to see what was out there and to get inspired. In fact, I check on my favorite design blogs daily for inspiration and general awareness.

4. Dictionary
Something I learned in class; we were told to look up words similar to or relating to the subject of the project. From this research we got new words, from which we got new images and concepts, all the while still keeping with the main word/theme.

5. Talking it out with fellow designers
This is a given; they, out of all people can relate to designer’s block ‘cos they go through them too. I bounce ideas and concepts off my classmates all the time because I like how they are able to see a solution in a different perspective – something I sometimes don’t see.

6. Talking it out with friends
I’ve gotten some great ideas from my friends. Just because they have little or no formal design knowledge doesn’t mean they can’t be creative. Plus, sometimes they are the audience of your piece, so it helps to see what attracts them, what catches their eye. 

Well, these are just the things I’ve personally done to nurse my wounds from a designer’s block. If anybody else has other ways they’ve found to help them get around or over the block, please post them!

So yesterday I sat in one of my first client meetings, and got to see some of the dynamics between designer and client. I learned how important parameters were, and sometimes how tight they can be (particularly in terms of money). I also saw how sometimes politics can dictate design and how all the little details need to be considered and planned before any design even occurs. This was (and is) a lot different than doing a class project with parameters — how generous do they seem now! Yet this all just reminded me how graphic design is also about compromising — finding the best solution for both the client and designer. There is so much more involved in the problem-solving process than just the design itself!