Graphic Design Services - London, UK

The brand new search engine Cuil - complete with funky logo, web 2.0 design, black background, frame type interface and pictures in the results column!

We have already seen by now the blaze of glory that surrounded Cuil has helped to unleash an online backlash against it, with the claim that Cuil was more of a danger to itself than any other company thanks to downtime and poor performance on both a technical and functional level being a common one. The fact that Cuil has set itself up against Google only made matters worse.

But putting all that aside - what about the look and feel of Cuil? Once all the initial bugs are resolved (and believe me, after some of the images that came up on the most innocent of searches can attest - they have some serious bugs) - will the user experience that is Cuil prove cool enough to pull users off Google and co?

One commentator over at Information Week didn't seem to think so -

" The front page is oppressively dark - I understand that it's a "cool" color scheme, but it's psychologically stifling. The kludgy results page is even worse; it appears as though someone decided to use their 1337 AJAX skills to cruft up some new-fangled frames, which have been deprecated in design circles for years on account of they're also psychologically stifling - they eat up browser real estate and you can't get rid of them. And of course the ill-conceived double-or-triple-column business. The frames would be bad enough, but now we're expected to scan the page in a non-intuitive way between them? Ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the cheesy generic Web 2.0 gradients and that chromed-out out-of-place accordion menu. The content of the menu is interesting, but the positioning? tThe presentation? All pretty much awful."

Ouch.

I would agree that the color scheme leaves a lot to be desired - especially if they are not aiming for some underground niche market.

The main problem with the column system is the alignment - you just do not feel comfortable looking at the results page.

There is definately potential at Cuil - with the suggestive tabs and the additional category menus smart extras, but the layout and User Interface will also need tweaking along with the indexing.

The miffed commentator does not stop there - posing the question "the whole show makes me wonder if they did any usability testing at all, or even if they tried more than one design. Simplicity, familiarity, and functionality are paramount when trying to step to the Google empire. If the algorithms behind the engine are "better" - and so far, given the way the information is presented, that position is hard to support - let that speak for itself"

Well, the fact is we cannot be familiar with Cuil yet since it is so new - once you use the search a few times you can begin to get a sense of what it could be - but only if the search capabilities are tightened up considerably and a little more attention is paid to presenting what are essentially a potential very good set of new good ideas in a way that is visually rich and yet simple and appealing.

And whats with the blue i? Anyone?

"When you want logo design, web design, annual report design, etc. appointing the right design company to carry out the work will be a big decision".

Outline Brief

The purpose of a brief in simple terms is to create an understanding of your requirements. It should outline and clarify the project objectives in an informative manner and thus time and effort must be spent in its formulation.

In short, the brief allows the client to present the weaknesses of the company or the particular requirements of a specific area(s) of concern, for example, the brand image, marketing material and so on, also to state what goals are to be achieved. It may be a good idea to get colleagues or those who may understand the company’s goals to contribute in the formulation of the brief.

Often the client will provide the design company with a brief prior to the commissioning of the project tasks. For lengthier projects, the client may require input from the design company or alternatively the responsibility to produce the entire brief. Either way, an in-depth discussion with the client will identify the project requirements from which the detailed project brief can be written. The detailed brief will provide the direction in which the work will be carried out.

The brief is the key focal point of the project since it will be referred to at all times and formalises the task to be completed. However, the brief should not be considered as a static entity since should there be any necessary amendments to be made to the project objectives, the brief should also change to accommodate this. 

The brief will not only help the designers to understand the problem to be solved, but provide the client with a clearer idea of their requirements and remove preconceived ideas of solutions. It will also clarify the deliverables the design company will supply. This should help avoid any misunderstandings as to what should have been delivered at the end of the project.

Although the above-described brief process is often used for larger projects, some kind of brief or basic project requirements document should be created even if the company uses it for internal purposes. This will always help avoid confusion and miscommunication on the deliverables. 

Branding / Logo Design

Reaching your target audience in terms of fulfilling their needs and causing an impact can be achieved if they can easily identify with the product or service you are providing them. Many businesses are increasingly aware of this and realise the importance of their company brand has in capturing and maintaining the attention of their customers.Some companies do not express any brand values with any form of consistency and their product or service may not function to create more of an awareness of the brand itself.
 
So why is the brand image of a company so important? A brand doesn’t merely function as the company logo but has a far greater responsibility in shaping the perceptions and feel of a company. It signifies a linked series of statements, which helps to construct an image of what they represent and the experience that the target audience can anticipate when they interact with the company.

Brand Image Generation

The creation of a successful brand image for a company relies upon the incorporation of certain core ideals, for example, quality, value for money and catering for individuals from all sectors of the general public. This in turn is a key tool to reach customers and involves constructing a promise that will capture their attention thus enabling them to identify with what your company has to offer them.The brand image is essentially the visualisation and expression of the core brand values that are to be portrayed to the customers. This can be accomplished by creating a brand image and ensuring its expression is consistent by means of a variety of mediums, such as the company website, advertising/promotional material, stationery, signage and vehicle livery.
 
The generation or revival of a company brand image will provide the company with a greater sense of direction by providing corporate strength and distinction in the marketplace.

Brand Interactivity

Creating an impacting brand image for a company will increase the customer awareness of the brand to levels not previously experienced. Consequently, this can increase interaction between the brand and its target audience significantly. The knock-on effect is the elevation of the company profile, which gives customers the confidence they want from any brand they wish to make a regular part of their lives.
 
It is important to increase interactivity between the customers and the organisation in its entirety and not just with the products on sale. This is especially true when a company does not just provide one unique product but a whole series of items.

Sustained Market Position

A well echoed brand image will positively influence the way your customer thinks about your company and the values they associate with it. Ensuring that your customers associate you with satisfying their needs will raise your company profile and subsequently increase sales.
 
The effective maintenance of the brand image is imperative since failing to do so means a short-lived presence in competitive markets, particularly in markets where your company is up against rival companies who do manage their brands well. Many large companies recognise the importance of this and set aside vast amounts of resources to guarantee that their brand is expressed in a consistent manner.
 
This is a trend that should be followed by smaller companies who undoubtedly want to grow and succeed like larger companies.