Innovative and curious as the developers are Pro Web Marketing are, we’ve found several alternatives that can avoid the downsides of traditional solutions.

Fahrner Image Replacement

Fahrner Image Replacement is a technique that was originally thought up by Todd Fahrner, but it is simple and obvious enough that many other designers and developers have thought of it on their own (Us included!)  The idea is that you may use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to “Hide” the heading, and superimpose the graphic version of that text over it.  This is good for basic header replacement, but it requires a lot of manual work.   The text is also impossible to “copy” for an end-user, which is bad for accessibility.

…Read more about FIR

(Scalable) Inman Flash Replacement (sIFR)

sIFR is a technique which uses Adobe’s Flash Player to replace text with a dynamic flash layer automatically.  It utilizes Flash, JavaScript, and CSS to create what is probably the most full-featured option to show your fonts in their full glory.  The only downsides?  It is a real pain to set up, and it requires that your users have a modern version of the flash player.  It can also cause havoc on slower PCs!

…Read more about sIFR

Cufon – My personal favorite!

Cufon is a project designed to replace sIFR.  It uses JavaScript and a custom “Generator” to create a script directly from your font.  All you have to do is generate the script, include it, and deploy it at specified selector tags (headings, etc).

Cufon works in all major browsers and does not interfere with any text interaction such as copying and pasting, and even allows for perfect search engine spidering.

Check it out here

Looking to the future – CSS3 and Modern Browsers

CSS3 includes the “@font-face” property as part of its specification.  This will allow developers to specify which font they want to use by uploading a copy of it to their server.  The code will work like this:

@font-face {
  font-family: <a-remote-font-name>;
  src: <source> [,<source>]*;
  [font-weight: <weight>];
  [font-style: <style>];
}

Once all major browser vendors have implemented this into their specification, this technique will become more popular.  Learn more about the spec here.

Conclusion

Using non-standard fonts still requires a bit of extra work at this point, and all of these techniques should only be used sparingly.  Your pages main body text should still be a web-standard font, for most cases.

1. Communication: This is very important before starting a project and laying out all the correct information in the beginning will help things go much quicker. Also convey aspects of the project that you just don”t want to see or thing you do want to see. If you know something specific you want then let the designer know. They will also consult you on why or why not that is a good idea or not. Also be sure to describe the whole project before hand.
2. Invest In An Expert: Let them do exactly what you paid them to do. Give them time to figure out the best solution to your needs. A good designer will be upfront and let you know the time it will take to do the project. If the time is surprising, don”t worry it”s for a good reason. They will call you with questions and or concerns in the process.
3. Do You Have A Budget: Of course you do, so stick with that and lay it out on the table to the designer. When doing this you give the designer the information to decide what will be needed for the project and how to cut costs. Any good designer can work with a budget and still be able to design a great end product. If something comes up for an extra costs; yes this does happen so please don”t be surprised, they will let you know about it.
4. Let The Professional Do The Work: Let them give you options of what they know will be the best solution. If you don”t like something then communicate that to them as best you can.
5. Be Organized: This will also save time which can also save money. Be organized with your information. If you have photos you want to incorporate, then categorize them into folder by name. This leaves out time that the designer will need to organize them himself when they don”t know anything about your image.

After taking these initial steps to starting your next design project with a professional this will sure be a productive investment to saving money long term and creating some great work.

• Clip Art Designs
• Cookie Cutter Marks
• Limited Color Options
• No Creative Control
• Same Logo That Competitor Has

These are just some of the factors. Designers are creative people that know advanced software inside and out so that they can get out of their heads onto a digital art board their creative ideas. They go to design school, take color theory and print production classes. Create a their own creative process for dealing with problems like print time demands and money limitations. They are experience and know what color scheme and logo marks will work best for a businesses brand.

In the industry of design you get what you pay for and if you need to invest wisely in someone who is an expert in their field of work and can create something for your businesses needs that is visually compelling and jaw dropping. Doing this will help an owner save money in the long run and be able to generate a larger clientele with a long lasting, time tested design.

So with all that being said lets talk a moment about good Typography practices. Every web page or design needs to first start with a clear a readable font. I mean readable especially at smaller text sizes. When you have smaller text your height or “x-height” as we call it needs to be higher and also the space between the letters needs to be a bit larger. Ok now for contrast and why we thrive on it. It is important to keep in mind that you should switch it up and have different types of fonts in a design to generate interest and a personality. But don’t go crazy with this idea because some fonts can just as easily resist each other. But also having them very similar will not create enough contrast which can make for a weak design. So I recommend keeping it simple and fun. Sans serif fonts are great for heading areas to display call to action for posters, flyers, business cards and many other print work. These sans serif fonts can be read easily when larger in size and the letters are closer together. Serif fonts are better for body copy and smaller heading areas. Hope this information helps with any of your Typography questions.

We will also be implementing a unique image upload service so that her clients can view and download their photos.

Look for www.traceymadder.com to launch in the next few weeks!

2.  Many people research products and services on the internet prior to their purchase.

3.  You are able to update important information about your business.

4.  A web site allows a business to reach their local market.

5.  By having your customers utilize your web site to answer frequently asked questions, you will be reducing costs.

6.  Information about your business is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

7.  Obtain important feedback from your customers.

8.  Stay in contact with your customers.

9.  Promote your business by allowing your customers to view your product or market.

The future of Web sites involves using a background image along with the layout in conjunction. For many years we have put patterns and one color backgrounds in our sites. It is time to  evolve into large background images and integrating those images into the layout of Web sites. Overlap some images with text, extend them over other elements. Make things interesting to the viewer so they will want to be more visually engaged in the Web site. Don’t be afraid of white space. There is nothing wrong with it. Its there to push your eye to where you want your customer to go.

As a business owner please be aware of these evolving strategies and make sure you make the right decision when choosing who is creating your Web site.