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Advertising is the age-old medium which has been transformed via the Internet. Ads can be served on websites in different ways than TV or radio shows. Google AdSense is the most notable company, although there are plenty of alternatives to consider. Not to mention the growing popularity of in-video ads!

But there is a systematic process for blending advertisements naturally into any website layout. Designers who have little or no experience with ad displays would do well to follow through on even a few examples. There is plenty of money to be made on the Internet if you know how to do it. And genuinely incorporating advertisements into your layout is the best solution.

Segregate Ads from Content

This should be a no-brainer since most visitors aren’t coming to the site for advertising needs. Your webpage content is king and all advertising should take a secondary backseat.

Now this isn’t to say you should avoid ad placements in-between areas of content. This technique is actually a wonderful way to increase click-through rates as visitors are scrolling through each page. However you don’t want big Flash banners protruding over words and paragraphs. This makes the site appear very unprofessional and you’re sure to lose traffic over time.

If you have courage test out some ad placements 1-2 paragraphs into the article. Some layouts also work with a small square ad block floating to the left or right of each page content area. Though in most cases this will look tacky, and it’s much nicer to keep ads horizontal in-between key blocks of text.

Matchup Color Schemes

Every website design must have some type of color scheme. Your choice of colors and fonts will dramatically affect the overall feeling of the site. And because of this you want to blend in your text ads whenever possible.

This can’t always be applied to larger ad blocks with images or flash banners. But match link colors if you are using contextual ads or even selling a link list in your sidebar or footer. When you have colors matching together it makes each ad block appear more ingrained into the site. Your ad links won’t stick out like a sore thumb which will definitely garner more clicks.

Utilize a Sidebar or Two

Unless you’re designing for a minimalist layout you should have extra space to include a small sidebar area. This is perfect for additional navigation links and extra related content. But it also leaves room to mix in advertising where available.

A very popular network BuySellAds offers extremely reasonable rates for independent publishers. You can setup smaller squares and sell ad blocks for a going monthly rate. Not only is this a wonderful alternative to AdSense but the network itself only serves professional-looking adverts. You won’t be caught up with spammy animated gifs or Flash content.

Now if you have the room it wouldn’t be a bad idea to incorporate two separate sidebars. You can hold more important navigation links in one side and still keep some advertising above the fold. This is the best area on your page for marketing and making money through ad networks.

Decorate with Flair

Each ad block area can be dressed up with some additional flair. How creative you get will surely be dependent on the design itself, and not every ad needs to be flashy. But sometimes it can look nice to include a custom border and background around the advertising space.

This rule mostly applies to ads found within your main content area. You can use different styles such as sketching borders and arrow glyphs to point out the ad zone. Creativity like this will attract attention from your visitors. But it can also make your ads look at bit prettier squeezed into the layout.

Offer Open Ad Sales

If you have advertisement zones open on your site why not offer them for sale? This can be accomplished with a simple informational page somewhere on your site going over contacts and payment methods. But additionally you could design a generic graphic in place of some ad forms(such as a 125×125 block). This could read something like “Buy Ad Space” and would lead to your advertising/contacts page.

If you can manage control over the design then it’s simple to match these sale zones with your overall color scheme. This technique is a great way to attract attention from interested publishers looking to advertise around the web. It also gives you content to fill in the sidebar while waiting to acquire some initial advertisers.

Visitors aren’t expecting you to pretend like ads don’t exist. We all understand the purpose of advertising and how it makes money for webmasters. Don’t pretend like your visitors are ignorant and must be tricked into using your ads. Just place them in opportune areas on the page and blend as best you can with colors and possibly background patterns. Over time you will draw attention and may even turn a small profit.

Conclusion

These tips and tricks should get you started thinking about customizing with many different ad block areas. It requires time and practice in the design field to understand and build compatible web layouts. Advertising and marketing is just another facet to consider.

Stick with what works best and check out websites similar to your own for inspiration. If you have ideas or suggestions on web advertising feel free to share with us in the post discussion area below.

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Savvy tech consumers are slowly adapting to a world where smartphones and tablet PCs are commonplace. With these new devices comes a revolution of mobile software which we have never seen before. Mobile dev studios are popping up everywhere to showcase and market their latest app ideas.

In this article I’d like to go over the concepts behind working in a creative studio. How will projects differ when we’re planning for app development? Mobile labs and studios are like any small business with big aspirations. And the most exciting part is that anybody can start! Many studios run with only 2-4 employees working full time.

Why Design for Mobile?

The mobile marketplace has been thrown together in just a few short years. The original iPhone began development going back as early as 2005 and still commands a large share of the mobile OS devices. Android was originally released later in 2007 and is trailing behind as a close second, followed up by Windows Mobile and Blackberry phones.

You should take mobile development into consideration only if you have a personal interest in the area. If you have ideas for apps you should take it upon yourself to build them. Websites are cheaper now and easier to setup with open source CMS solutions such as WordPress. But mobile apps are still fresh and the market has barely been touched.

This is why mobile studios are currently growing so rapidly. If you can release one or two good ideas then it’s very easy turning a profit through Apple or Google.

Selective Markets

Unless you are an expert in Objective-C and Java programming it’s unlikely you can publish for both Android and iOS together. Mobile studios who are just getting started should pick an app store based on their own preferences.

If you have a team of knowledgeable developers you can get together and build apps much more quickly for all devices. This can include tablet PCs as well. Not every situation will be so lenient, but if you can pull it off I recommend submitting to both of the App Stores for a larger audience. The popular task management software Wunderlist immediately comes to mind.

From what I can gather the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad App Store has a much higher demand for developers. There are simply more devices to build for and users are more willing to spend money for apps. But you can’t go wrong sticking to either marketplace. Pick an idea and just start building!

Speedy App Distribution

Another facet of developing mobile apps is the speed at which you can churn out new ideas. Programming is definitely extensive and requires a lot of dedication for newcomers. However once you’ve completed your first idea you’ll be edgy to jump onto the next one.

Many app studios will choose between one of two paths for development. They’ll either focus on a single idea and expand it onto many devices, or alternatively they’ll launch a slew of many smaller apps with less maintenance. If you consider a studio like Cultured Code they have done an excellent job with the former dev environment crafting Things for all iOS devices.

When you plan your studio’s creative schedule make sure you consider all of these ideas. Will you and your team be working on many smaller apps or focusing to sell one solid brand? It’s a smart idea to split up tasks based on design and development skills. You’ll find product development to move tenfold when everybody is working on the same page.

Hungry Customers

Mobile apps may be some of the most in-demand software from consumers going into 2012. Almost anybody can setup their own web host and it takes a lot more work to build for mobile devices. As such these smaller studios are getting a ton of attention and reaping the benefits.

When you have a consumer base who is frequently shelling out cash for new apps it’s the perfect time to capitalize. Even many of the free applications for iOS and Android are still making money through advertisements and upgrades. You’ll find much less work in the realm of freelance app development. But some higher-end studios are offering freelance services and this trend may pickup when more wealthy companies grow interested in a mobile presence.

The Future for Mobile Labs

The outlook on the horizon is bright for mobile app studios. Developers can earn a small living off just a couple of catchy ideas. And mobile apps are so quick to produce that you can work part-time on a project while still holding down your day job.

Compared to the number of design agencies there is still room for growth in the mobile arena. The App Stores are just heating up and already boast quite a considerable number of competitors. If you are dedicated and have ambition then mobile apps are easily the best opportunity for a young developer. If possible try putting together a small team of developers and designer(s) to expedite the workload.

Conclusion + Showcase

In addition to the examples above I want to share some more wonderful mobile lab studios. Developers are hard at work all over the world churning out these apps for your smartphone device. Creative studios have always been popular and now we’re seeing a shift from print & web work into mobile. Let us know your thoughts and if you run a mobile studio please share your link with us in the comments below.

iPhone App Lab

Ecliptic Labs

Ninja Lab Studios

Tapbots

AppThat

Milk Inc.

Gideros Mobile

Sophiestication

Robocat

Halfbrick

Second Gear

Glasshouse Apps

tap tap tap

OneLouder

Nibirutech

App Cubby

jChicken

SayCheezzz

Tangorang Labs

Fusionlab

Apptivity Lab

Smule

PoweryBase

TapMates

Wandake Game Studio

9magnets

Vemedio

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The world of freelancing is host to many complicated skillsets. Artists and graphic designers are constantly trying to match their talents with the numerous demands pouring out from clients. Project work can be exhilarating, yet also very stressful if you aren’t prepared.

In this article we’ll go over tips to figuring out exactly what your clients are looking for. At times it can seem like communication has fallen through and all is lost. But the ranging issues of a freelance project should not stifle your creativity. Once you understand how to effectively ask questions it’s not so difficult to get your clients on the same page.

Build a List

A great way to kick start the planning process is with a list of ideas. You can’t go wrong with a bulleted list since it’s easy to skim and provides a bare-bones outline of the project work. In this way the client can peruse what you’ve made and possibly suggest changes if needed.

Try not to get descriptive with the first draft. Put down only the ideas which need attention and explain them in 2-3 sentences. This should be enough for your client to gauge if you understand their thought processes. If it’s beneficial to include examples of other websites with similar traits(design patterns, navigation, etc.) then create a sub-list underneath each of your examples.

This list may consist of any number of ideas – UI features, page elements, graphics, or even functionality. It can become a working draft that you and the client may edit. Furthermore it allows collaboration between a single set of achievable goals and the project isn’t so wishy-washy from the start.

Provide Examples

The best way to clarify details with your client is through examples. Whenever you are discussing the project it will likely be difficult for the client to explain what they mean in technical terms. This can relate to design, but also interface effects with jQuery.

If you have a portfolio of works then maybe you’ve previously built similar functionality you can showcase. Otherwise try to keep a handful of websites in mind as you can utilize them for references. Clients will provide more valuable specs and you will feel confident when building each phase. If you can’t find a particular example try googling for better results.

With so many freebies on the web you can run into just about any pre-made open source script. There are plenty of great examples for image carousels, jQuery popups, navigation menus, and other page elements.

Keep Them Updated

Throughout the pre-planning and design process send your ideas over and communicate. Though in the end it is your client who has the final say in these matters. So pressure is on for your to conform with their desires and build what they are paying you to build.

Why get started coding a website layout when you don’t even know if the design is properly setup? There are only so many times you can go back-and-forth like this. Plan out an “average” schedule ahead of time so you have the details fresh in your mind. Touch base once during the sketching/wireframing process and again after the design has been polished off.

Work With Newer Ideas

Some clientel are smart enough to understand the basics of a website. Many will try to suggest how you should do the job, but this can feel slightly backwards. Don’t be afraid to point out some of the new source technologies available to web designers.

For example, just because your client has never used WordPress doesn’t mean their website wouldn’t benefit from the CMS engine. This is possibly one of the greatest hassles since editing page content and website administration can easily be accomplished through WP. Yet when you have a client who insists on building in straight HTML it makes your job a lot tougher.

credit Alex van Knippenberg

Even other code solutions may help with smaller-scale concepts. Check through resources like Github which are host to thousands of scripts in PHP, Ruby, Python, jQuery, and SQL. Working on top of these newer code libraries will speed up development time tremendously. It also eliminates the issue of buggy code since most authors scrutinize their work religiously.

Talk About Services Upfront

It’s certainly best to discuss your services before even accepting any project work. Often times you’ll find clients who are looking for a jack-of-all-trades and will push these expectations onto any freelancer. Even finding a sole web designer & developer together can be tough, let alone other services such as marketing and copywriting.

Be sure that you clarify what can be accomplished and what you cannot do. It’s not worth the extra stress tackling excess work in the hopes of making your client a bit happier.

However I would be wrong to tell you to stay away from new ideas. If you have the motivation to help with a new project or Internet marketing plan then go for it! As long as the client understands you are not an expert they won’t be looking for expert results. It’s also a great way to expand your freelance portfolio.

Conclusion

Freelancing is far from the easiest job in the world. Although it can be very rewarding there are plenty of challenges to overcome. When you start working on freelance projects you need to consider a handful of strategies for dealing with clients. Networking skills are vitally important for your success.

Remember that you both need to stay focused on the same goal and communication is key. I hope these ideas can influence your process of pitching and creating new projects. Everything ultimately boils down to simplicity. Keep all the details on a very understandable level and you shouldn’t run into any problems.

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The trend of using minimalist designs has been with us for a while now. It seems like every day major design blogs publish a new gallery of great designs. But do minimalist designs actually mean anything to a designer? Can you become a better web designer by going the minimalist way or is it just a fad?

Actually, I do believe that it is a fad. But at the same time I also believe that you can learn a lot from it and use it to improve your skills significantly.

First of all, minimalist designs are here not without a reason. After the dark age of the ’90s (the dark age of web design, that is) came the year 2000 along with many Flash animations, fancy Photoshop graphics, and all kinds of other clutter. So finally after 20 years of noise a time of calm has come, bringing us this whole minimalism. People simply had enough off all the sites that were impossible to grasp and extremely user-unfriendly.

Minimalist designs change all that and provide a new, friendly environment. There’s nothing else on minimalist websites except for the things that absolutely need to be there. There’s no clutter and no confusion. And the sites are easy to grasp within the first 2 seconds of looking at them.

That is, of course, when done right.

So how can web designers use the trend of minimalism to improve their skills, and how to actually design a minimalist site properly?

Focus attention on the main element

Minimalist designs have very little elements incorporated into them. There’s simply no place for clutter or anything that is not essential to the site’s goal.

This forces designers to choose just one main element that will be the focal point of the whole site.

What can be such an element? It all depends on the site’s goals, but just to give you an example, let’s say that you’re designing a site for a new online service of some kind.

In such a case the main element would probably be the signup form. Consisting of a button, some screenshots, and short copy. You know that you can’t include too many things because the design is meant to be minimalist, so you only have place for the essentials. This will force you to think twice on what is really important for the site and what can be omitted.

Good designers are not the ones who can fill a whole site with stuff, but those who know how to select only the few important elements and forget about the rest.

Get those few elements right

Obviously, minimalist designs incorporate only a handful of elements to convey their message and convince visitors to take action (whatever action it might be).

This forces web designers to get those few elements just right. When working on a minimalist design you can devote more attention to each individual element. You also know that these elements need to be the best they possibly can. Because if they’re not then they’re going to stand out (in a bad way), as there will be nothing to cover them up.

Minimalist design is not about creating a site with just a few elements for the sake of it, but about using the smallest number of elements possible to reach a certain goal. Every element has its purpose in a minimalist design.

You know that you’re doing a good job if there are no more element you can remove without affecting the site’s ability to reach its goals.

Getting everything pixel perfect

This is a strictly graphics-related thing. Minimalist designs have to look exceptionally good. And in order to achieve this you have to make all elements pixel perfect (or at least try to).

Remember, there’s nothing to cover up this one elements that’s not so good looking. Everything needs to be nice or else your main element won’t be the one that’s the most visible … the ugly duckling will.

Crafting minimalist designs teaches you how to be pixel perfect. In fact, there’s no other way of creating a great minimalist design than by doing just that (whatever it might mean to you – there’s no one definition of “pixel perfection”).

Working on your typography

Typography is yet another element of minimalist designs, and probably one of the most important ones.

Since there’s not much to show on a minimalist website the text becomes an element on its own. That’s why choosing the right font, size and decoration is so crucial.

This is an area often neglected by many web designers. In some cases, Arial seems to be perfect for everything, but for minimalist designs it rarely is. Choosing the right font takes time and teaches you the basic rules of typography.

Every minimalist website needs to make a striking impression in terms of typography. If you just choose some random fonts the design won’t make much sense and the visitors will see this. Well, they probably won’t be able to name it, but they will notice.

Learning to use whitespace

Whitespace is one of those things that only the more experienced designers are not afraid to use. Many beginners feel that every piece of HTML real estate needs to be occupied by something, while it’s not the case at all.

When you’re creating a more complex design you get tempted to use every possible piece of space and fill it with that one more element. While it might work in some cases, it surely won’t work for minimalist designs.

Whitespace is yet another crucial element for minimalist designs. The sole fact that a minimalist design uses only a handful of elements forces us to space them out evenly on the site. They can’t just simply be placed all in one place.

The skill of using whitespace is somewhat volatile for web designers. Creating minimalist designs makes you simply better at using it, and this comes handy in every possible piece of design work imaginable.

Standing behind your opinion

In other words, believing that the work you’ve done is the absolute best you could do.

Here’s what I mean. If you’re a freelancer you might be reluctant about delivering a simple design. You might feel that your client won’t be so eager to pay if there are only a handful of elements on the website, and if the form is rather simplistic.

By sticking to minimalism you’re making your skin thick, and you’re learning how to stand behind your designs and be able to explain what their values are.

This is not a strictly design-centered skill, but it’s surely helpful in your freelance career.

Besides, once you learn how to explain the value of minimalist designs to your clients you’ll end up understanding them more yourself. So it’s a win-win scenario.

10 Minimalist examples

What follows is a set of 10 really nice minimalist designs for inspiration.

madebysofa.com

cargocollective.com/christopherose

fellswoop.com

madewithlove.be

thepokerclock.com

eutelnet.biz

soulwire.co.uk/hello

rodrigogalindez.com

theconsult.com

epidemialab.it

What do you think about the whole minimalist design fad? Do you think it’ll stick for more than a couple of years? What will follow?

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Centering your attention throughout the workday can be a difficult process. You need to truly love your work and cherish the time you spend. Unfortunately not all of us can feel this way 100% of the time.

Freelancers are often given tasks related to concepts they care nothing about. In this regard there isn’t much compassion to put into your work. So how do you keep yourself motivated and on-task? I’ve put together just a few ideas which you may try to follow throughout the day. The sooner you complete work the easier it is to move onto the next task. Keep your mind in-check and always pay attention to what you’re focusing on!

Take Infrequent Breaks

To start off with this suggestion seems like I’m advocating slacking off. But honestly breaking from your work every so often is possibly the most important choice you could make.

It’s simply not healthy to stare at a monitor for 5-7 hours in a row. This is especially true if you’re churning out monotonous work in graphics design software or a programming IDE. Even a 5-10 minute period of stretching and walking around will give your mind some clarity. You’ll feel a lot more level-headed sitting down again and tackling projects.

Some people require more frequent breaks than others. I cannot truly offer a distinct set amount of time, so just feel it out for yourself. I like to break every 60-90 minutes after completing a large chunk of work. This gives me plenty of motivation when sitting down again to hit the next task on my list.

Work in Smaller Intervals

The best way to kill motivation is to start over-analyzing each of your daily tasks. If you spend 20 minutes going over what needs to get done you’ll feel majorly overwhelmed. A tasks list is only handy when it can be accomplished in bite-sized chunks.

The best advice here is to jump right into it! Don’t waste any time in the morning except to glance over your to-dos. Start with the important stuff and just bang it out as efficiently as possible. I also recommend waiting to check off tasks until a later time in the day. It takes away focus to move back-and-forth between your to-do list and real actual work.

Follow the End Game

Ultimately your motivation can stem from the reasons behind why you’re working. If your current project is for a paycheck then use that energy. Everybody needs to get paid to make a living!

It can be a bit more difficult with high-priority projects as stress is an added factor. Keep cool and follow through with smaller tasks one at a time. Whether freelancing or working on a personal project all designers will hit a wall sooner or later. However don’t let this creative block discourage you.

I use this time as an extra break session from the workday. I’ll go and throw on TV or call to chat with a friend or colleague. The only time I would force through the work is creating on deadlines – which at the end of the day is about money.

Find your own end game within each project and use this as the ultimate source of motivation. What is your bottom-line finishing point? And how quickly can you get to this point without too much struggle? Ask yourself these questions before taking on a project so you have an idea of how much work may be required.

Kill Over-Analysis

Another huge deal-breaker to losing motivation is over analyzing too much. When you try to perfect each work it takes a lot longer to achieve any results. This can be fruitful when you have a lot of compassion towards a project idea.

But you can’t expect perfection out of every artistic work you create. And this is especially true when you need to design for a living. Not all freelance projects can wait for your stroke of creative genius to kick in as unfortunate deadlines loom. Try to put aside ego and just get the work done. You’ll feel a lot better having something to look at rather than a blank slate.

This also gives the illusion of accomplishment even if you feel the work is sub-par. It’s generally much easier to go back and correct work you’ve already made than to build something entirely new from scratch. Take this lesson to heart and you will not have trouble cranking out loads of successful projects.

Get Plenty of Sleep!

In a similar domain as taking frequent breaks you need sleep to function properly. I can’t think of a single designer or web developer who has felt good running on barely any sleep.

Now I’m certainly in favor of pulling an all-nighter every so often as necessary. When you have projects piled up to the ceiling it can feel beneficial to work all the way into the wee hours of the morning. But this isn’t a strategy you can incorporate into your “normal” weekly schedule. Get to bed at a decent time and start working on projects earlier – this should give you a bit of extra time in the afternoon to build on your own ideas.

Conclusion

Motivation is key to the success of any business model. You’ll need to dedicate yourself to getting work done and moving forward even just a tiny bit each day. Luckily with so many handy web tools it’s never been easier to jump-start a new project.

But it is still a difficult scenario trying to force out creative work. When you can’t flow with creativity you often have to resort to mindful tactics of tricking yourself into motivation. This can be invigorated through money, connections, branding, promotion, or a dozen other self-rewards. Stay true to yourself and never lose sight of the end goal. Life seems to always have a way of working itself out perfectly.