All backups with the Perugi Design Basic Plan are saved monthly. If you wish to backup more frequently, let me know. For those of you not on my plan, but using Bluehost as your hosting company, you can reach out if you need help with backups or upgrading plugins and themes.

Please read the notice below and email me with any questions.

“In an ongoing effort to bring you the very best products and services, we’re excited to announce that we will be upgrading all of our servers to newer versions of PHP. In addition to improved data processing, which can boost your site’s speed and performance, you’ll also gain increased security. Newer versions of PHP have more frequent security updates to help protect your site against unwanted hacks or malware.

When will it happen?
At some point during the upgrade window — November 16, 2020 through November 20, 2020 — your account will be updated, and older versions of PHP will no longer be supported. You may experience a brief disruption in service, but we will work to upgrade your site quickly with the most updated version of PHP software your website will support.

Do I need to do anything on my end?
Yes, to avoid a negative impact to your site, we recommend that you upgrade all of your web installations to the newest PHP software available before we move your account. Newer versions of PHP are already available on your current server, and you can set your site to use those versions with this helpful guide. You should also backup all of your website files.”

At first it was mostly graphics for magazines and other publications, then I did more general graphic design projects such as annual reports, brochures, invitations, logos, etc. Technology was changing and I grasped the ring that came my way and started making html websites.

But as I reflect on the changing technology for design and marketing, I can appreciate what we have now that is so affordable or even FREE! I am a WordPress web designer. I (and my clients) get the WordPress software absolutely free thanks to Matt Mullenweg and his company, Automattic. I also get my favorite 80 themes cheaply, thanks to a special lifetime deal from Elegant Themes which I pass on free to clients. Many plugins that bring amazing functionality to your website are free as well.

Fonts, that we used to spec and order from Type Houses was expensive. And every new line of copy added up. Now, many fonts are free. In addition, clients enjoy free use of my font library. If you want to market your services, all you have to do is Blog (free) or use Social Media (free). Free Newsletters are possible with Mail Poet in your WordPress dashboard.

Are you noticing the word FREE a lot? Does anyone remember the days of news or magazine ads? Yes, you still have to be clever to convert visitors to customers, but the inbound marketing opportunities are there for the taking.

So, no, I don’t mourn for the Good ‘Ol Days. I’m happy for the Good New Days! I just wish they had come sooner!

Doctor John Zarrella and his team worked over the span of a few months to get the look and content they felt would attract their customers. We added previously researched text and graphics and a lot of information for the reader on all areas of dentistry. Doc Zarrella is my dentist. I can attest to his good work and his friendly staff.

Mii is a marketing company who’s client base had shifted over the last year or so. They wanted a compelling site that gives readers a lot of information. They have built relationships with leading non-profit and Fortune 500 companies in the areas of health care, financial services, telecommunications, technology, consumer goods, manufacturing and retail.

To view each site, click on their home page image. To see more DIVI sites we have made, go to our website library!

The internet has infiltrated our lives

Today, more than 40% of the public will look at your site on their smart phone and decide if they will do business with you. If you took the leap early on and procured a website for your business. but have never upgraded to make it responsive, then it’s time for a change. You don’t want your overage website to turn away potential customers.

Here’s what I suggest you do. Call a web designer who works with WordPress to get your web material copied onto a new site that uses a theme already programmed for smart phones, tablets and laptops. This is also the best time to refresh your material and take advantage of the functionality that WordPress offers.

WordPress comes built with blogging software. Many people feel they can’t write or don’t want to write as seldom as once a month. I suggest you use it as a News page for announcing events, new hires, products or services, and advancements in your field. Invite associates to write a guest blog. Many people feel comfortable to recite their elevator pitch. Just put it on paper and you have your first post. Posts are the best way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and increase traffic to your website.

Other WP functionality includes “Call to Action” buttons, forms, slide shows, video, sliders and ability to add publications such as White Papers. Your web designer can train you how to update your text and photos. And did I mention … WordPress is free! No monthly franchise fees.

Here’s a before and after picture of a company website we recently were asked to consult on. The one on the left is the old site. It is a good looking design, but is not responsive. Its the same size on any screen, which is a problem. The one on the right is the top part of the new vertically oriented site. It adjusts to any screen. and is using a responsive ready WordPress theme called DIVI, by Elegant Themes. It can be updated from any computer in any browser with a user name and password. You can have it too! Are you ready?

Someone viewing a website, for instance, may not realize they are tracking their eyes from image to text and back to another image. Or, that the combination of these elements and the content, will influence her to click the button to “find out more”. Conversely, an unbalanced page, confusing message, or distracting graphics, will turn her eyes away. By all means, avoid cluttering your web page. Here are four recommendations for better layout design:

1. Start with attractive, color corrected photography and graphics. If you can’t afford a professional photographer, don’t use your smart phone! Go to Big Stock or another stock agency for larger, sharper images. They cost less than $10 per image. Sliders or banners require at least 1000 pixels wide images. If you enlarge an out-of-focus photo to twice its size, you get a fuzzy, colorless website. If you must, use a point and shoot camera.

2. Use good typography. First, don’t mix too many typefaces in one website. It’s the same principle of clutter being distracting. The type face must be easy to read. Some fonts are designed to be used for display (large) and others are designed to be used for body text (small). If you choose a theme for your website from a premium company, then chances are, the typography built into the design will be good. I recommend Elegant Themes, Theme Trust, and Studio Press.

3. Informed layout practices. If you have a theme that allows you to build the design with modules, you want to either follow their default layout or keep the following rules in mind: Don’t run text across a one column wide space. The eyes can’t follow a line wider than about four inches, longer makes it difficult to read. Add images flush left or right and let the text wrap around it. the white space on either side of a centered image is, you guessed it…distracting! Not to mention, a waste of good space. Balance your art vertically. If you have three columns of art and text and the art is at the top, I recommend you try to crop the images so that they are the same size. If one must be deeper, then keep the other two the same. The less your eye is jumping up and down the better.

4. Fill the layout with good content. Avoid too little text or two much text. If there is too little, it reduces your credibility as a business. And did you know that graphics alone does not aid search engine optimization? Too much content becomes boring. Today’s readers want your point in a nutshell. You can add a “red more” link to fan inside page for people who do want to dig into your story. Avoid widows in headers and body text. Widows are extra spaces at the end of a line adds a long line of white space. Edit the copy by either adding words or taking away a few. Use relevant, content rich words in text and headlines, both in the pages and posts. Try to add a new post at least every month. You will be surprised at the number of visits. Hopefully, with your improved layout, you will be converting some of those visitors to customers.

Without further ado (minus the imagery):
______________________________________________________________

Let Me Introduce Myself
Some people would say I should retire, after all, I am 62 years old, raised some amazing children (twins), and have a comfortable life. But my inner creative has always led the way and I can’t wait for the next turn in the road.

I went to school for Fine Art, and got a job at a small map making company in Harvard Square, Cambridge. They needed an illustrator and I was happy to be drawing pen and ink sketches for their city maps. This led to designing and making the maps in the old way, with layers of acetate and line tape. Fortunately for me, my experience in the map trade opened up a career at the Boston Globe, Boston’s best newspaper. I became the first female cartographer in its 120 year history. I illustrated news of all kinds with info­‐graphics: science diagrams, business charts, event maps. Sometimes I wrote the captions within the graphics.

Information graphics became very popular in the publishing industry, led by Time Magazine’s Nigel Holmes. Today, information graphic design is making a comeback. I won a few awards including Time Magazine’s Map Making Award. I think it was the perfect practice for web design layout and user experience. Little did I know that I would someday be coding for the internet. I left The Globe after ten years to start my own business, and being a full service graphic designer. By then, I had a desktop computer, fonts, and software tools to help me. I used Macromedia Freehand mostly. I continued to design maps but also, annual reports, logos, brochures and books.

The Internet Changed Everything

Then the internet happened. We were curious. We knew it was big. I attended a few workshops. I bought a few books on html. I taught myself the code and how to add Javascript and CSS. What I loved about it was its immediacy. WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get. I could play with color. It was fun.

But, the internet continued to develop faster than I could. I had to think about smart phones, iPads, and testing on all browsers. It was becoming overwhelming. One day, I called a local developer to help me with a difficult job. The Javascript animation was not working on my client’s android. They invited me to visit them at their studio. They asked, “Do you know about WordPress?” I didn’t. I learned. It was amazing!

I designed a few websites using Photoshop and hired the developers to code them into PHP. It wasn’t cost effective. Not many of my clients could afford the price tag. WordPress was obviously taking off, because it allowed you to concentrate on the content and organization and not spend endless hours testing code. Looking into Themes, I realized there were a lot of inexpensive alternatives other than the free ones offered by WordPress.org.

Pergui design is my web design company. Elegant Themes became an obvious choice. With one price point, I can download as many as I need each year. The support is good. The themes are versatile. And more come out every month/year. I can offer my clients a site that is professional, beautiful and the best marketing tool in their kit.

Using WordPress saves me time and it allows me to continue fine art where I left off forty years ago. I’m painting again and having a blast. I can paint and create websites in the same day. Who says you have to retire at 62?

Rossi and Deb searched together for the right theme. She liked the idea of something professional and calming. Blues and greens being a favorite color combination as seen in her logo. We even looked through Big Stock photo agency to find the right images to complete her message. Rossi hired Perugi Design at an hourly rate and got the job done fin less than 10 hours. All along, Rossi learned how to use WordPress and worked along side Deb, while Deb worked behind the scenes to format the theme. Now, Flow has to add more posts and WordPress will pull in new clients off the search engines.

Another site for a local professional photographer in Waltham is about to be published. John Swisher first had to reconcile the two business names he was using: J Ray Photographics and John Swisher Photography. He decided to use John Swisher Photography, then altered his logo to reflect that change. Deb helped John simplify his current logo which now graces the top of the website. John also picked out a theme designed for photographers. Glisseo is an elite theme with a lot of bells and whistles. As we have mentioned in an previous post, Not All Themes are Created Equal, this one was not as straight forward as we like. But, despite the difficulties, see for yourself how this theme beautifully renders John’s photographs. We can’t wait to see what John has to say about his images via captions and posts!