10. Enormous footer An enormous footer is now an inseparable part of a contemporary web site design. Yet, in 2010 it will become even bigger and impressive than ever. This year’s footer will no longer be that necessary but sincerely boring web design element and will be successfully integrated in a web site layout and functionality. An oversized footer will attract visitors’ attention not only for its exaggerated sizes but also for the informal information it will provide: social network updates, news, Flickr photo stream. Main idea: Enormous footers will not contain important information but the information it will provide will be of much personal character that the rest in the site and will be useful for corporate communication with its audience. 11. Retro style Retro is new web design fashion. Although many web designers admire the trend, most of them may find it difficult to warmly embrace the style because to create a really...

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5. Large photos and images Like enormous logos and headers, the usage of large photos and images aims to attract users’ attention and to remain a visual trace in their memory. Oversized images have great visual effect over users’ consciousness. In contrast to big logos and headers, large images are not part of web site branding elements. Yet, they tickle users’ fancy and incite them to take a closer look at the image (if not because of their content, at least for their extraordinary size. Main idea: Large photos and images can be used to incite users to surf through the entire website. 6. Change of the perspective No doubt, you have noticed that most websites lack perspective. However, in 2010 we’ll see a noticeable change – a current trend requires change of the perspective to a more realistic view. Main idea: Changing perspective designers will have the chance to give users the feeling of new website dimension....

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It’s naïve to be considered that trends in one or another creative sphere change on 1st January each New Year. However, now in the middle of 2010 we can differentiate the most significant trends that are dominating and directing contemporary web design. These are  several current aesthetic approaches and concepts that designers focus on more intensively in order to create products with hot, trendy layouts. In the list with current designer trends below you may find your own professional inspiration and motivation to get outstanding results. While thinking over how to cooperate them with your own personal style or project, focus on the main idea and purpose of each trend. Don’t be afraid to dive bravely in it and to be influenced by the entire movement. 1. Enormous logos/headers Splash pages are now old-fashioned. To make a great impression to your website visitors you have to embrace the idea of enormous logos and headers. Those headers can occupy...

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The last post of Corporate blog trends is dedicated to several really success corporate blogs. We'd like to present them and we take a closer look to those features that make them so efficient and useful. Besides, below the post you'll find a gallery with print screens from numerous corporate blogs. American Express Corporate Blog American Express has one of the most impressing corporate blogs. It’s a part of OpenForum.com and its aim is to offer businessmen information and resources. The blog in Open Forum features trendy design and easy navigation. Besides the main navigation, the left slide menu is used for product promotion. If you pay attention to the posts you'll find that popular authors like Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin often write posts. With its blog in Open Forum, American Express strives to provide useful information to its target clients – small business owners – and doesn't encourage directly its products' consumption. McDonald's...

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Current trends in corporate blogs Corporate blogs, like other blogs, have their own unique trends to follow. Of course, these trends are not necessarily shared by all corporate blogs, but still it is true that many of them feature the functions and design element presented below. These features are used in order to make the blog more efficient and user-friendly. 1. Simple layout, with few glamorous visual elements Although many companies that have corporate blogs spend huge amount of money for creative commercials and fancy events, when it comes to their corporate blog design, most of them prefer quite simple. Blog content is the most important element so in many corporate blogs it’s situated in the most visible and easily accessed place. Going against the trend: Nike is one of the few companies that have put more emphasis on the look of the blog. 2. Branding Usually between the layout of the corporate website and the...

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Potential issues for corporate blogs Although blogs provide companies numerous communicative opportunities, there are several common problems that can occur. If a company wants to offer its readers positive experience with its blog, the company must consider these issues in advance and develop a plan to address and prevent them from happening. Having these particular issues, the company will have a useful blog that is relevant to its readers’s need. 1. Negative comments Although communication with target public is one of the most significant benefits of corporate blogs, it can also work the other way. Not all comments that are left in blogs are positive. The presence of negative comments may not be a big issue on smaller blogs run by individuals, but they can be a problem for corporate blogs. After all, the company’s reputation management isn’t being helped by a blog that includes a lot of negative comments from readers. In order to avoid potential...

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Having realized the potential and the communication opportunities of a blog, many companies start to appreciate the advantage of an interesting and carefully managed blog. Nowadays, a corporate blog is an inseparable part of companies' target communication channels. It's due to the communication opportunities a blog provides: sharing non-formal and interesting information from company's life. Another great blog communication advantage is the fast feedback it provides – a company managers are able to get more adequate view of what the public opinion about their company is. Yet, managing a corporate blog is much different and responsible than managing a personal one. Corporate blogging distinguishes for its unique range of challenges and opportunities that should be considered by a company so that it can offer its online target audience a positive reading experience. That's why, in a series of posts we will go into the reasons for creating and maintaining a corporate blog....

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It’s hard to believe that it’s only 25 years since the registration of the first dot-com domain. Nowadays, 668 000 dot-com websites are registered monthly and 80 million dot-com names are used which means that Internet has passed a long way during last decades. Generally, technology on which websites are based and developed hasn’t changed dramatically since the last 10 years. What has changed are several other factors: the way users interact using websites, the way they broadcast content and the real time they communication. A distinguishing feature of contemporary online content is the fact it’s dynamic and socially integrated. The main reason is users’ requirement web sites to be functional and interactive and involving at the same time. It occurs that websites with dynamic content receive with 73% more traffic than static content websites. Thanks to Internet development people who don’t have professional skills in web design and web...

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According to a new survey that involved scientists, business leaders, and technology developers Internet is actually making us smarter. 900 selected experts were interviewed for Pew Internet report The Future of the Internet IV that was presented last Friday. They were asked to share their opinion about the way Internet influence us now and how it will do in 10 years. Most of the interviewed people consider that internet improves and will improve our writing, reading and our range of knowledge as a whole. Of course, there are some who completely reject this opinion. According to Janna Anderson, study co-author and director of the Imagining the Internet Center “three out of four experts claim that using Internet is increasing human intelligence, two out of three consider that Internet has improved our reading, writing and knowledge”. Nevertheless, Anderson doesn’t deny that still there are “lots of people who criticize the impact of Google, Wikipedia...

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The technology industry is opening up its wallets and its Web sites to help the victims of Haiti earthquake. The decision was taken after a massive 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti and left millions without home and access to food, clean water and sanitation. Apple has set up a donation page within the iTunes store where customers can easily donate to the Red Cross. At the same time Red Cross has taken a partnership with a telecommunication company starting a sms fund-raising campaign. According to Verizon Wireless represenatative, the money gathered up to now is $4 million. He also claims that the amount has surpassed all the money gathered by SMS-s fof the whole 2009. Google has promised to donate the victims $1 million; to create a special page for donations and to add updated satellite imagery of the region to Google Maps. Microsoft has also shown some sympathy. The company has announced it will give up to $1.25 million in cash and in-kind donations. T-Mobile announced that...

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