This is a follow up post to apoorvvaidya.com second post on "Creating a website from start to finish," this is the part 2 video. As good as the first one.

This video tutorial goes into the psd files and creating the css. Watch it, learn it, refer to it. Check it out here.

Does branding really matter for smaller local companies? Is a strong identity going to help sell more product, drive business through the door or sign more clients? My answer: YES! Without a doubt.

If you think branding is something for the large companies, the big boys, then let's see if I can convince you otherwise. See what I have to say about branding for small business here.

Ever wonder what web design is all about? or maybe your a client and you don't really understand why a website, even a simple website, can cost so much? Well, I came across this really great video tutorial that is called "Creating a website from start to finish" and its a 3 part video series.

Of course every website is not the same, and this tutorial was well planned, but this will give you a great overview. The tutorial video is below is from apoorvvaidya.com and it's done very well. Worth exploring. Check it out.

Great Find! Great tool for blogging, web design, development, hosting and more all at a low monthly price. Starting at $8/mo.

I love design because its free, open, expressive, contained, masculine, feminine, outspoken, contained, minimal, stylish, progressive, classic, unique and creative, trendy, hip, simple, effective, communicative, masterful, immature, large, elegant, artistic, fluctuating, constructive, attractive, energetic and structured all at the same time.

Design builds brands, creates beautiful and functional products, gorgeous buildings, magnificent landscapes and sports cars that little boys and grown ups dream about. Design is expansive and it's principles can be utilized in almost any industry, or creative situation around the world. The principals are universal.

Read More

Working with Bauer360 a new website was launched for California Credit Union. This was a re-design project for us of their current website, and then Bauer360 did all the build out on the site.

Check out the new site.

Working with Garden Internet Solutions we recently launched a new small eCommerce website for a massage training school enabling them to sell their DVD's online.

Check out the new site.

I'm not much of a Microsoft fan, but I absolutely love their video presentation they had at this years TechFest. It shows their version of the future of computer technology, supposedly based on current active Microsoft projects. Essentially taking their Microsoft Surface product and integrating it everywhere. If you haven't seen Surface then check it out. It's essentially the future of how we will all interact with computers, and interface with technology.

Are you a project manager or just need a good solution to keep track of your projects? Well, I have some suggestions that you can try out. Here is a list of web based project management solutions that I have had some experience with. A few are free and other you have to pay for but they at least start you off with a 30 day free trial.

Keeping track of time spent on projects is a big deal. Specially in today's economy. We should all be tracking and reviewing where we are spending our time. Do you know? Can you honestly say what tasks take you the longest, where you waist the most time and when you're the most productive? If you have employees can they tell you about their time, or can you view a report on-demand? If you can then you might be looking for a better solution, and if you're not using anything then make sure you review some of my recommendations.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a must if you want your website to be found or be competitive on the internet. There are certain basic SEO guidelines, or rules, that should be completed before your site can even begin to be indexed with Google, or the other major search engines. Surprisingly a lot of websites don't even have the basic ground work laid to even begin thinking about getting search results. Luckily I have some answers for you straight from Googles mouth.

Ever wonder about type? Did you know that each part of a letter has a name? You have probably heard the term "Serif" thrown about or "SansSerif" but what about "Slab Serif", "Ascender"  "Descender" or "Counter." Well if you're just starting to learn about type, or maybe your just curious about it, then you should check out the FontShop Type Glossary.

The internet is still a baby, but it's pretty amazing to see how far we have it's come since the beginning. It's amazing what web designers, web programmers, software engineers and people with big ideas are doing with the internet. For some of us we depend on it's existence, and it's integrated into our daily lives. The internet has only really been around for 20 years. Think of what it will be like in the next 20 years. Check out this video on the History of The Internet.

I was a little hesitant when I decided to purchase Quickbooks because just like any desktop software you have to buy the upgrade in a year or so to stay up-to-date, and Quickbooks can do so much truthfully I was a bit intimidated. I'm not an accountant I'm a creative. So I decided to research what other accounting options there are, and I found some really great web based solutions that I like a lot. Some of them are free, others have a small monthly fee but all of them have a free trial period so you can try them out to see which one fits your business the best.

Twitter, heard of it? It's a "social networking thing" and it help your business. If you're currently using Twitter then here are some ideas on other ways to use it for your business, but if your not then well...here are some ideas on how you could start using it for your business.

We recently launched a new website. If you live in Sacramento, or the surrounding areas and ever need auto body work then call these guys. Check out their new website.

If you're a small business owner, involved in marketing, a graphic designer, web designer or simply interested in branding and identity then your should read this book.

We recently launched a new website for a Sacramento corporate and personal event planning company Occasions by Audrey. Check out the site.

The last article in the list of 6. We end on discussing some tips for formatting the content on your website and website analytics. Read the tips.

In this article we're talking about tips for design and then developing your website and we also briefly discuss content management systems.

Getting into the meat and potatoes of planning your website we discuss creating your site map, writing a content outline and some quick tips.

Find out about researching for you website to establish a purpose, writing user profiles/user personas and how planning before you design is a very critical step.

Choosing a domain name for your website is one of the more important early decisions you will have to make. Use these tips to help you make the right choice.

Looking to start a website? Need some direction? This is the first post in a series of six that talks about planning your website. This post goes over what to expect in the articles that will follow.

Are you a small business owner? Do you think branding does not apply your company? Don't mean to be rude, but you're wrong. Branding is important to every business no matter what size, shape, product or service you provide.