Advice for Struggling Web Designers
January 25th, 2012 by Mike Locke  |  7 Comments »

In this video I talk about why you might be struggling as a web designer and ways to break out of this zone to become a more valuable web designer that people are willing to pay a premium price for.

Friday Favorite – Reebok.com CrossFit
January 20th, 2012 by Mike Locke  |  Comment

This week’s favorite website goes to Reebok.com. Great all-around design to accompany their cool CrossFit marketing campaign. Visiting the site will give you a better appreciation for the interaction and user experience as you click and hover over buttons and icons.

3 Simple Web Design Tips for 2012
January 17th, 2012 by Mike Locke  |  6 Comments »

In this video I share 3 simple web design tips you should take advantage of in 2012.

Good Example of an Effective Home Page Design
January 16th, 2012 by Mike Locke  |  6 Comments »

Below is an excellent example of an effective simple home page design. I recently ran across this site and thought I would post it to show how a website can be very effective following some very basic principles.

There are a lot of things done right within this design. First off, it’s simple. There isn’t a ton of clutter to distract you, just simple beautiful color combination with an attractive hero image. In marketing you call this the human factor. Having an attractive human element really draws engagement. Secondly, the message is strong and clear. Many times people forget to explain what their website is about. Upon visiting this site, you know right away that the site is “OKC’s first pediatric after hours clinic, where kids receive direct care from pediatric trained physicians everyday.” Lastly, the 3 boxes below the main billboard is positioned slightly above, breaking the grid, causing more attention to that area for higher engagement.

I will go into more detail into these principles in my web design training course. For more information on this standard website layout and billboard design, check out these two videos below:

The Standard Website Layout
Website Billboard Design Best Practices

Friday Favorite – Nokia.com, Beautiful Color, Imagery and Product Display
January 13th, 2012 by Mike Locke  |  3 Comments »

This week’s favorite website goes to Nokia for its beautiful imagery, color combinations and great product display. I really love the strong royal blue tones throughout the website in addition to their nice imagery, icons and overall design. A great website to show off their new phone, the Nokia Lumia 710.