My new favourite web site

www.customink.com. In particular, I like the "lab", where you can design custom apparel.

I found them through a Google search, and loved them right away. I'm making some custom t-shirts and the site is terrific. Here's why:

1. Everything you need is right in front of you. Through the clever use of tabs and icons that serve as link buttons, you never need to navigate away from the page - always keeping your t-shirt design right in front of you.
2. It's clean, but not bland. That's a significant accomplishment.
3. All the functions are obvious. If you find yourself asking "I wonder if I can...", the answer usually presents itself to you before you finish the thought. Terrific user experience.
4. You get exactly what you want. Promotional gear, exactly how you want it. And you can order 1 if you want.
   
5. They use words that everyday people use in everyday conversation, like "talk to a real person" and "super rush delivery". It's just nice to see a site that doesn't pretend to talk down to you.
6. Great main navigation: Home | Products | Ideas | Lab. That's it. Simpler is better.
7. OK, this next one isn't related to the site design at all, but it has to go on the list. Sorry. Their tag line is "You think it. We ink it." Does it get any better than that for the product they have? Genius.

(WEB DESIGN) LESSONS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

• Simple is good
• Clean is good
• Tabs and buttons that keep you on a page as opposed to links that open new pages are great for enhancing the experience. You don't want people to get lost on your site. The "lab" on this site looks (to the user) like one page, yet you can do all kinds of things.
• Put yourself in the customer's shoes, and imagine they are considering or buying your product in person. What would they want to see and do? Take that, and replicate it on your site to the greatest extent possible.
• Use words and phrases that people actually use when they talk.

YOUR TURN:

What are you favourite sites from a design / user experience perspective?

Blackberry: the good, the bad and the spectacular

Blackberry's running a new "Blackberry Loves U2" campaign, and I'm not quite sure if I like it or not.






The good:

It's different.

I'm really tired of the "me-too" ad. Too many industries include brands that just copy each other's ads. Watch any car commercial and you'll know exactly what I mean. With the exception of the iPhone, advertising in the mobile market is fairly repetitive. All about features. "My phone has this, my phone has that, my phone flips this way, my phone flips that way". It's no wonder the iPhone does so well - their ads really stand out. Well, now so do Blackberry's. Their TV spot in particular is intriguing to say the least. And it doesn't list one feature.

The bad:

You can't tell what it is. The TV spot shows only U2 in concert, and closes with a "Blackberry Loves U2" teaser line.

OK.

So what!

I'm happy for you that you like U2, but that doesn't do anything for me - the consumer. What are you trying to tell me? What are you trying to sell me? All I can do is go to the dedicated url to learn more. But that's asking the consumer to do quite a bit. The more you ask them to do, the less they will be inclined to do it. I would have at least liked them to tell me what it is they're trying to promote. The ad is memorable, but all I remember is that Blackberry thinks U2 is cool.

The spectacular:

This ad is far from ugly. The production quality is outstanding and if nothing else, you come away from it feeling impressed by Blackberry for such an undertaking. And that's saying a lot. Do something impressive and people will remember you for that reason alone. It's not cheap, but it works. Remember the launch of Windows and the whole Rolling Stones "Start Me Up" thing? I thought you would.


So while there are some holes in the approach, Blackberry is certainly taking a leap. And getting noticed in the meantime. As a marketer, I just think they needed to tell us more while they had our attention.

Agree?

From the "why bother?" category

Here is a photo I had to take when I came to a stop behind a truck recently.

You have to be completely stopped, and the car immediately behind the truck to be able to read it. So this marketing tactic will work on exactly ONE person.

Why bother?

What's worse, even if you happen to be the lucky one that has the chance to read it, you can't even tell whose truck it is!

Again, why bother?

If you have the opportunity (i.e. if you have a truck), post your brand name and your tag line. And by the way, your tag line should be somewhat descriptive or at least intriguing.

All it takes is some common sense and some attention to detail. It just upsets me a bit to see companies wasting marketing opportunities like this. Don't waste. Pay attention to how you position yourself in everything that you do.

This is a blog post

Doesn't that title stink!?

Yet that's the same sort of generic boredom that SO MANY companies choose for their tag-line. Just yesterday I was driving home from a client visit when I heard a radio commercial for some non-descript company whose tag-line was "Large enough to meet your needs. Small enough to care." At the EXACT same time, the tractor trailer beside me had the tag-line on the back: "Large enough for your needs, small enough to care."

I can't even count the number of companies that use some variation of this tag-line.

Generic stinks when it comes to tag-lines.

If ANY company can insert their company name before your tag-line and still achieve the same result, you need to change it!

Your tag-line should convey some benefit, relate to your product (or at least industry), stir up an emotion, or create a unique market position. Here are examples of great tag-lines from each category (respectively):

"The ultimate driving machine" (why BMW dropped it after 31 years I don't know)

"For all you do, this Bud's for you"

"You're in good hands"

"We're #2. We try harder"

Your tag-line needs to accomplish something. Something unique! Generic, unoriginal tag-lines that anyone can use accomplish nothing. You need to think about your own tag-line and what it accomplishes. It's critical for maintaining your competitiveness.

Just do it.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)