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<a href="http://www.paperstreet.com/blog/3601"><img src="http://www.paperstreet.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Alejandro-Infographic-v2.jpg" alt="Vector Logos" width="500" border="0" /></a>Via:<a href="http://www.paperstreet.com/">PaperStreet Web Design</a>

You can read more about Vector Files here. Please Contact PaperStreet Today with any inquiries regarding Web Design, Logos, Branding or Print Design.

Total Control

Total Control has gone through several revisions since being developed by PaperStreet and currently operates under our newest server. Any site using Total Control will be hosted at PaperStreet, which also means nightly backups to our servers and excellent support. As mentioned earlier, Total Control is designed primarily for lawyers with specific sections for practice areas, seminars, offices, cases, news and more. Also, if you need a custom add-on, we can create it for you and customize Total Control to suit your needs.

WordPress

First released in 2003, WordPress is currently on version 3.1.1 and has been downloaded over 30 million times. Several major websites are based off WordPress with custom themes and colors disguising the standard WordPress design. A main component of WordPress sites are plugins, which, simply put, are user-developed applications created primarily for one task. For example, a great plugin we use at PaperStreet is the All-In-One SEO Pack, designed to make SEO tags easy to update. With a very large community, a plugin has been developed for nearly everything from database backups to contact forms.

Overall, both Content Management Systems are very useful and make updating the text on your page as simple as possible. As a developer at PaperStreet, I work with both systems on a daily basis and would recommend both. WordPress takes some customizing and will require more input at the start to set up local backups and attorney fields. On the other hand, Total Control will be easy right out of the box, but doesn’t have thousands of pre-built plugins. In the end, both allow for easy updating and will make your life easier.

For a brief demo of Total Control, please visit our Content Management section to learn more. More information about WordPress can be found at the official website. Also, don’t hesitate to contact PaperStreet and we’ll fill you in on all the details.

Occasionally, this isn’t a problem; the existing copy is of high quality, and it can just be copied into the new framework. But sometimes, this is like pouring soured milk into a nice, new container. Everything looks great – until the user tries to take a drink.

When To Revamp Your Law Firm Website Content

Cases where you should revamp your content include:

• When the website redesign is part of a rebranding effort;
• When your firm targets a new clientele or audience;
• When your firm focuses or expands its practice areas significantly;
• When your existing copy is dense, unoriginal, long-winded or disconnected from any of the site’s new design/usability elements;
• When the content is so outdated it includes numerous factual errors or makes the firm seem “behind the times;” and
• When your existing copy is not optimized for search engines.

Simple Ways To Improve Your Law Firm’s Website Content

Revamping need not entail starting from scratch. If you don’t have the budget to hire a professional, there are several fast and simple things you can do to improve your existing website content:

• Focus on improving the elements visitors notice most (taglines, headlines, subheads, photos, video);
• Break up long run-on sentences and lists into short sentences, bullet points or numbered steps;
• Include – within the limits of good taste — important search engine keyword phrases that people are likely to search for;
• Edit existing copy to bring it up – or down – to the appropriate level of the intended audience;
• Cut any outdated/factually incorrect info;
• Give specific examples of cases and legal issues your firm has handled, outcomes/verdicts (so far as your Bar rules allow), testimonials, client lists;
• Add a FAQ section; and
• Share the burden of writing new practice area content by assigning each attorney/partner one practice area, versus overloading one person with the work. (The exception to this rule is if there is one motivated individual who wants to handle all the content, has the time to devote to it, and possesses the authority to make decisions without being second-guessed.)

If You Do Nothing Else, Do This

The biggest piece of advice, however, is this: Start early. Firms should begin working on their new website content at the beginning of the redesign, not the end, when the rush to “get things done” inevitably lowers standards.

Incomplete content is one of the most common reasons a website launch is delayed. Poor quality content is one of the most common reasons a website redesign fails to reach its true potential.

A newly designed mobile theme can act as a simplified framework around the same text content. Why do you need a mobile version of your site, you might ask? Page load times are cut down because of the slower download speeds, and the dimensions/layout are designed for a smaller screen. “ Buttons are enlarged so the visitor to your site doesn’t end up yelling and shaking their fists at their touch screen’s disobedience.

Total Control – Using Existing Content for a Mobile Site

When we design a mobile site for clients that are in Total Control, we create a design that has the same branding elements as the main site: logo, colors, button styles, etc. The home page is the most customized, with a navigation to point visitors to only what’s important to someone on a mobile phone.

When using your main site’s content in a mobile site, we do the following behind-the-scenes:

• Remove certain things from the body content before it’s displayed on the site. This could be stripping out flash or images that don’t work in the mobile context. (PHP)
• Resizing images that are too large. (CSS)
• Adding a “NoIndex” meta tag. Because we are using the same content, we do not want Google to index duplicate content. (HTML)
• Many pages are way too long, and would involve a lot of scrolling. Read more links are automatically inserted after a certain number of characters, to the nearest word. The content past the limit is hidden and will expand when Read More is pressed. (PHP/JavaScript).

Total Control – Custom Mobile Content

Using completely unique content for your mobile site is also an option. In Total Control, we would set up a mobile content category that would be excluded from the main site’s navigation. Any pages added or removed under this category would be reflected immediately on the mobile site.

Mobile Sites in WordPress

To quickly get a mobile version of your WordPress site up and running, you can install a plugin such as WordPress Mobile Pack. Initially you can use the default themes, or some free mobile themes that are available on the web. If you would like your site’s mobile theme to match your site, contact us today. Read more on our Mobile Web Design page.

This article is a guide to vector formats (a.k.a. EPS files), explaining what they are and why you should use them for your firm or company logo. We also have written another reference article on other file formats if you want to know more: http://www.paperstreet.com/blog/2885.

What is the definition of Vector Graphic?

According to Wikipedia: “Vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colors that make up an image as mathematical formulae.” They are also known as EPS files.

Have you heard of Adobe Illustrator? It’s the way to do it.

A vector graphics program (like Adobe Illustrator) uses these mathematical formulae to construct the screen image, building the best quality image possible. The mathematical formulae determine where the dots that make up the image should be placed for the best results when displaying the image.

Should you care about resizing your logo? Yes, all logos can be on a billboard.

Since these formulae can produce an image scalable to any size and detail, the quality of the vector image is limited only by the resolution of the display. The file size of vector data generating the image stays the same.” For example, printing vector images on paper will usually give a sharper, higher resolution output than displaying them on a screen, but they use exactly the same vector data file.

Why Should I have my Logo in Vector Format?

• We can manipulate it better and have more creative options;
• We can separate it from the background and pull apart elements;
• We can edit the colors;
• We can use it on stationery designs;
• We can use it for other print materials, including brochures, direct-mail pieces, and other print materials;
• The colors can be set up to be printed consistently from any commercial printer;
• It can scale to fit a billboard and won’t lose quality; and
• It can be created in outlines so the font never loads differently.

What if I have a logo but it is not Vector?

In most cases we can trace and recreate your existing logo in vector format. Call us, and we can give you a quote.

So the question is: Does a designer really need to have all the content before they begin a successful design concept?”  In a perfect world, yes — but there are ways around it.

Clients & Mock Content

Often, a client will not have content ready at the beginning stage of the project. If the client does have some content, it’s typically nothing more then a mission statement from a brochure or a blurb of text from a previous website’s “About Us” section. The best I can hope for is that the client will write the content (or ask our PaperStreet writers to write it) in parallel with the website design.

The goal, then, is to get the client to review the design as the content is written, keeping in mind the length of the page and how the design expands to accommodate the copy.

Without any real content to work with, I will often rely on dummy text. Dummy text can actually be preferable during the initial wireframe process. It keeps the client from nitpicking the actual content, instead focusing on the layout and where content will be living.

But using too much dummy text can be problematic. When you use dummy text, you make an assumption that the communication problem has been solved. That it is just white noise to the “more important” issue of stylization. This can lead to your message becoming missed or lost by the user. It can also lead to nothing more than paragraph after paragraph missing opportunities for potential design elements and technology to organize and highlight important messages.

The True Meaning of “Content’

Now “Content” doesn’t necessarily mean, “having all the copy.”"  Heck, content doesn’t even need to necessarily be the words. I define content as the story you want to tell the user. It means knowing:

• What the website is all about;
• What kind of information needs to be presented; and
• Who the intended users visiting the website are.

This is the most important thing to keep in mind before starting a wireframe sketch. Clients should also be thinking about copy, videos, photos, quotes, and other visuals such as charts and/or graphs to make their site more visually appealing and unique.

Conclusion

To design a successful website, I do not need to have all the written content in hand. What I do need is a subject. I need to know both whom my client intends to reach and how they intend to reach them.

Successful communication requires understanding. The less you understand, the less likely you are to communicate successfully — both visually through design and through the content on your site.

Copyscape

Copyscape is a good tool for checking on your content. Copyscape.com can monitor your web site, or you can do a manual search through their database, too. They have a monitoring program that will do this automatically for $4.95 a month. We just use their 5-cent manual search to find content that is similar.

Recommendation – Run Copyscape.com every month and send a quick notice to the infringers. If you have key content that is taken a lot, sign up for the monitoring service. If they fail to take action, go upstream and contact their web host. Send the web host a DMCA notification, and usually the offender will comply, or risk having their entire site shut down.

Technology

You can disable the actions easily using JavaScript code. This prevents users from highlighting and copying the text. However, any capable web designer can simply save the page and then copy the text on their local program.The good news is that it prevents the easy copiers – those that want to copy/paste instantly. The bad news is that it is not fool-proof; people who want your content can get it. It also prevents full use of your site.

Recommendation – Do not use, unless you don’t mind annoying your users and still having your copy/images stolen. I think this technique went out of style back in 2001.

Google Itself (and other search engines)

From time to time, we run a Google search on our key text. Same as Copyscape, but it allows us to conduct multiple searches to find infringers.

Recommendation – You should run a full search every quarter in Google of all trademarks and key copyrighted text. Copyscape will not find everything, and it does not really monitor trademarks at all. Use Bing, Yahoo and other search engines to turn up different areas of the web for your content and trademarks.

Word of Mouth & Random Findings

Surprisingly, we find infringers via word of mouth. People do leave comments or send us notes when they find infringement. We also just know our sites and text. We find them every once in awhile randomly.

Recommendation – This is not a great way to track, but it’s always good to just keep an eye out for your content. Have your staff know your web site, content, designs, images, and you will bump into pirated content more than you think.

Conclusion

You should regularly track your content. If you rank high, it will be stolen or scrapped at some point. It’s rather easy to notify infringers these days. If they host with United States companies, it’s also easy to shut them down.

Unfortunately, if they host outside of the United States, it becomes very problematic and you may not shut them down (or it’s not worth the time and effort). Sometimes, going the “shame” route, where you notify and blog about them, will help force the removal of your stolen content, but not always.

• How will a customer or consumer interpret my new brand?
• Does it reflect my companies target market?
• Does it fit the style that we’re trying to convey to our target audience?

In order to answer these vital questions we have to go through what is known as a logo design process. We have taken one of our logos and walked you through all the steps.

The Design Brief

A majority of all designers will agree that the first step in developing any new branding is figuring out what the client is exactly looking for. The first part of this process is typically known as the design brief. This is when the client will give an initial accumulation of information which should give the designer an understanding of what direction to take. We always provide the client with a logo design questionnaire which provides me important initial information on where to start. Once the questionnaire is completed we will often have further questions for the client in order to fully understand their needs and goals.

Research and Brainstorming

The next step in the process is the research and brainstorming phase. This is when we take all the original information we’ve accumulated from the client and begin analyzing. We will research the client’s competition, history, future, current branding, trends in the market and what could set the client apart from the rest of the crowd.

Sketching & Conceptualizing

After we’ve finished the research and brainstorming phase we will begin sketching out our ideas on plain paper. This allows us to generate a large amount of possible ideas which most of the time can become quite redundant after a while but the goal here is to not rule anything out.

Prototype Design

Once we’ve completed sketching out my ideas we will then begin transferring the ones we think will work successfully to the computer. We call this the prototype design phase. We will render the logos in a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator and we generally don’t incorporate any color at this time. If a logo works in black and white then it will typically always work in color. We regularly try to provide at least three unique logo concepts for the client to review.

Client Review

The next step once we’ve completed the initial round of logo prototypes is to prepare the files for the client to review. We will compile a PDF file with the logos laid out nicely and formatted in either a black-on-white or white-on-black which helps the client concentrate on the shape and form of the logo. This allows the client to not become distracted by easily editable aesthetical elements. As we mentioned before, we only present the logos initially in black and white until the final stages where we will then begin to introduce color.

Revisions & Polishing

Following the review from the client we will begin finalizing the logo. At this stage we will begin making any revisions the client has asked for or suggested and depending on the extent of the revisions may submit another round of logos for the clients review.

Conclusion & Final Product

As you can now see, creating a unique branding is very complex task. It takes time, experimentation and exploration to come up with unique ideas which in the end will produce a great brand. Hopefully this article gives you a good idea of why it takes time to produce and develop a good branding. Here is the logo the client finally picked.

The definition of a logo according to Wikipedia is: a graphical element (ideogram, symbol, emblem, icon, sign) that, together with its logotype (a uniquely set and arranged typeface) form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo’s design is for immediate recognition.[1] The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand, or economic or academic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are different from others in a similar market. Logos are also used to identify organizations and other non-commercial entities.

Here are some things to think about when designing a lawyer logo or a law firm logo.

When designing a law firm logo you should strive to create a logo design that people look at and say the following things:

• How creative. How did they think of that?
• Look how simple, yet how effective the design is.
• A simple font enhancement made all the difference in the design of the logo.
• I can tell the designer didn’t just type a font. A printer can do that.
• I really get a sense of what this law firm is about.
• I didn’t think lawyers had a brand or image.
• This logo design is unique compared to typical lawyer logos.
• This brand is not just a current trend. It maintains longevity and is considered timeless.

Here are some good examples of how type has been altered in drastic or slight ways to establish an identity. They are not just fonts typed out. (Kerning and Leading only, do not justify good type alterations). Oh, by the way, I hope you have seen the arrow in the FedEx logo by now.

Successful Typeface Logos

Here are some of my personal thoughts on how to create a logotype or typeface logo

• Sketch out the Letters and/or Surnames for the law firm logo – start looking at how the letters fit together in different ways.
• Find a font or fonts, but create outlines (save a reminder of the actual font) start redrawing the points of the letters to alter their shapes, keeping in mind how they fit together.
• Evaluate how letters start to transform into objects. Do any of these objects reference what the product, image or practice areas are about?
• Try manipulating the letters into those objects or shapes.
• Try manipulating letters to fit together the entire typeface as a whole.
• Try stacking the names to see how they fit that way.
• Do these same steps with the initials of the surnames as well.

In conclusion, conservative law firms and clients in general do not have to equal boring, mindless design.

Unleash the creativity! Change your process! See the improvement!

•” ” ”  Pantone colors on the other hand should be used for stationery and logo designs.

The Reason
The reason a Pantone color should be used is to ensure your branding color is consistent throughout.

Quick Example
A specific example of cost savings is a batch-printing job using CMYK over Pantone. A Pantone color process is more expensive due to the labor involved with printing – ink mixing, loading the press, printing the job and then cleaning the press.

Long Technical Explanation
CMYK (Process) – When printing an image in CMYK, the file is separated into four primary colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.CMYK colors are simulated colors and are not pre-mixed. When an image is recreated there are screen tints made up of small dots that are applied at different angles to the four process colors. The separated colors are than transferred to four different printing plates on the press. The colors are than printed multiple times one after the other to create the final image.