You're probably thinking I'm crazy. Did I really just assert that About pages are tired? Why yes I did. Don't think I'm crazy. I'm not suggesting that everyone has to ditch their About pages. What I am suggesting is that it is lazy site planning to simply include an About page by default.

We've written a previous post in an attempt to define branding using an illustration from Breakfast at Tiffany's, however we wanted to write a companion post in hopes to clarify branding a bit more.

For many businesses, photography can be such an important part of putting your best foot forward. However, many people don't take proper considerations before taking their photos. Here are a few tips for how to prepare for a business photo shoot.

Goodness knows websites have changed a lot site the first one launched back in the early 90s. The technology has grown immensely in the past 5 years, and even more rapidly in the most recent couple of years. Now more than ever, it is important to have a great website, as the web is most people's primary means to getting the information they need.

Taking the step to hire someone to design your website—whether for the very first time or as part of a redesign—can be a pretty scary thing. It is typically a big step both trust-wise and finance-wise. For most businesses, their website is a very important part of marketing their business, so it is natural to be wary of turning to someone else to help with that task.

Around the Strong Design studio, reading is one of our favorite past-times. I always am surprised by the new things I've learned by the time I've completed a new book. Often I've gleaned all sorts of tidbits that might not even relate to the true thesis of the book—tips on process, procedure, culture or the way people think. Here are a half-dozen of my favorite business books, and a quick synopsis of what I learned from them.

A little over a week ago, I attended the HOW Live Design Conference, and attended a session by Von Glitschka entitled "Drawing Conclusions: How Drawing Improves Design." At the end of that session, Von challenged each of us to a 21-day drawing challenge.

Whether you're just starting your business, or you've been in business for years, you understand the importance of your logo. As we'd explained before, a great logo design serves as an identifier for your company—a visual shortcut—and sets the proper tone for what it is like to work with your business. But what if your logo was more of a set of elements, rather than one single item?

Sometimes, as much as you value the idea of having a professional logo designed, it just isn't in your budget yet. Never fear, here's a few tips you can take to develop your own logo design that can hold you over until you're ready to have a professional logo designed.

Although web design has become quite affordable, the cost can still be too much for a brand-new business. Thankfully, there are a lot of options available to create a great starter websites that can hold you over until you can afford to make an upgrade.

By now, you've probably heard about how mobile device usage has skyrocketed in the past couple years. With this insane growth, comes a lot more people browsing websites on the web. When most people think of the mobile web experience, they think of people frantically looking up addresses and store hours on their iPhones at stoplights. However, that's not always the case.

If you haven't yet noticed this trend, keep an eye out—websites are starting to cut the fat and get much simpler. People are becoming more an more harried, and simply don't have time to wade through dozens of menu options, or pages chocked full of lengthy copy.

There was a time when drop-down menus were rampant across the web. You've probably seen them (and cursed at 'em), however, we're coming into a time when drop-downs are beginning to fade out of popularity in favor of simpler, more user-friendly navigation and content positioning.

Why is visual consistency important to my brand? Branding expert Marty Neumeier explains in his book that a brand is not what you say it is, but that it is what your customer says it is. This means it is incredibly important that you are transmitting the values you want your customers to associate with your company. Once your customers start understanding what your company is really all about, it is important to continue to maintain that impression. This is where consistency comes in.

As a business in search of design help, it is completely understandable that you want to go into a new design project feeling confident that you'll end up with a finished product that achieves your goals. The thought of limitations can make you afraid that you won't be able to get the project finished the way you hope for. Rest assured that it is incredibly important to us that you are thrilled with the final result of your project. That being said, there are essentially two reasons we limit revisions on a project estimate.

Branding is definitely an important element of building a business. If you're like me, the term "branding" probably brings up images in your mind of ranchers jabbing cattle with searing hot metal stamps. Well, that image actually isn't that far off—only we're looking to sear impressions of your company in the minds of your consumers.

A logo is a pretty pivotal part of your brand identity. But what makes a particularly great logo? There are two different ways of viewing a logo as successful: It achieves the true purpose of a logo, and it is technically usable.

Most people really struggle to write about their business. Because you know all the little facets of your business, it can get really hard to narrow down what you want to say and how to say it. Over the years I have formed a system that helps me to write passionately about my business. The system can be a little chaotic, but it has always enabled me to capture my creative copy ideas when I might not have the time to sit down and write.

Twitter has been all the rage for the past few years. However, a lot of people have had a hard time understanding what the “point” of all this twittering is.