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Buckle up, folks, because the world of web design is in for some exciting twists and turns! As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so does the way we design and experience websites. Curious about what lies ahead? Well, you’re in for a treat as we dive into the future of web design, with insights

Alright, let’s talk about your website – it’s like your business’s online face, right? When your site starts feeling outdated or just doesn’t vibe with what you need anymore, it’s a definite sign that a makeover is in order. So, this blog post is spilling the beans on the top five reasons that scream “time

We all know your website’s the face of your brand to potential customers, right? But what happens when it starts looking a bit stale or just doesn’t vibe with your goals anymore? That’s when the call for a redesign starts ringing loud and clear. Our crew of design pros is here to lay down some

Ready to give your website a fresh new look? Redesigning your website can be like giving it a whole new lease on life, but it’s no small task. Whether you’re going for a minor touch-up or a complete overhaul, there are some definite do’s and don’ts to keep in mind. So, let’s dive into the

In the ever-changing world of the internet, deciding when to give your website a makeover is a common puzzle for businesses. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! This blog post is all about helping you figure out the perfect time to spruce up your website. Staying Fresh with Design You know your website needs a

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a groundbreaking capability: automated design. Leveraging AI algorithms and machine learning, automated design empowers web designers to streamline their workflows, generate creative options, and accelerate the website development process. This article explores the transformative impact of automated design in web development. Streamlining the Design Process Customized Designs

The synergy between artificial intelligence (AI) and web design has revolutionized the way websites are created. AI technologies have provided designers with powerful tools to enhance user experience, optimize content, and improve search engine rankings. This article explores the potential of AI in web design and how it can benefit businesses and users alike. Enhancing

Having a well-designed website is crucial for any business or individual aiming to establish a strong online presence. Your website serves as the virtual face of your brand, making it essential to create a user-friendly and visually appealing platform that effectively communicates your message. To help you navigate the intricacies of website design, we’ve compiled

Having a strong online presence is crucial for the success of any business. One of the key elements that contribute to a successful online presence is an effective website design. Website design goes beyond aesthetics; it plays a significant role in attracting visitors, engaging them, and ultimately converting them into customers. In this article, we

Having a stunning website design is crucial for any business or individual looking to establish a strong online presence. A well-designed website not only attracts visitors but also engages them, leaving a lasting impression and driving conversions. In this ultimate guide, we will walk you through the essential elements and best practices to create a

Before using any kind of framework or tool at King Design, we thoroughly research and test them. One of the more common questions we get asked by clients who need a new online e-commerce platform, is which platform they should use: Shopify or WooCommerce? There are more in-depth comparisons that exist but this post serves

A new version of WordPress was released last week and there are quite a bit of great new features. I’ll touch on ones that I think are the most helpful for an average user. Inline Image editing Inserting an image onto a post or page and realizing it needs cropping was a somewhat tedious process

Choosing an e-commerce platform can be a daunting task. Whether converting from an existing platform or starting from scratch, there are many things to consider. While each client will have unique needs to factor in, there are three areas that will be fundamental to all online stores: security, theming, and platform ecosystem. By focusing on

One of the greatest tasks a creative team faces is interpreting design feedback from a client. It’s a difficult job for various reasons, however, it’s worth noting that, for the creative team, this feedback, unlike a critique from peers, such as an art director or a creative director, originates from those who are paying the creative team to solve a business Read More

One of the most important considerations one can make in valuing their website is how effective it is as a sales asset. The web is a versatile place, and a website can offer great value for a first time visitor (read: “potential customer/client”) when proper and intentional web design and development practices are followed. The Read More

As performance-minded developers, keeping up with latest (although not always greatest) best practices when it comes to building fast sites is just part of the job. But testing and implementing solutions that yield meaningful results can be frustrating. It’s easy to get bogged down in trying shave off a few more milliseconds based on what

In need of a reliable pinch hitter for your sales team? Look no further than your website. Websites, when designed strategically, can be your best marketing asset. Your website is your virtual brick and mortar shop in the online world. While it lacks a physical address, it’s still important to dust off the shelves, showcase

It’s no secret that we live in an ADD world. Smartphones, tablets, text messaging, the Internet, streaming video — they all conspire to sap audience attention spans. On this point, the research is pretty clear. Studies have shown that the average human attention span fell from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8.25 seconds in 2015.

No React, No Problem Advanced Custom Fields now offers a simple way of converting traditional ACF field groups into Gutenberg blocks without writing a line of React. This exciting announcement from the ACF team is really appealing if you aren’t ready to dive head-first into building custom Gutenberg blocks, which can be a time consuming and daunting

Mason, our lovable, sometimes Marley-like, mascot was the heart and soul of King Design for over 14 years. Sadly, he passed from old age in February.  We miss him around the studio, but are happy to say he had a great life. We adopted Mason from a shelter when he was 9 months old and

Ordering lunch is a pain. We fixed that. Every Friday we gather for a group lunch. Lunch is great, but ordering for a large group of people is really hard. What do you all want? Where should we order from? Who’s calling it in? That’s not too bad unless half the people want pizza and the other half want… Read More

This is the third post in a series teaching the basics of WordPress from a client’s perspective. There are a lot of different Content Management Systems (CMS) out there but the most popular, and the one we use at King Design is WordPress. Using a CMS allows our clients to edit copy, swap images, and show/hide Read More

For years, we had a simple workflow from design to development, that I assume, most other agencies also utilized. We worked this way, like cavemen, until some new software emerged recently and brought us into the modern era. Often times, we used software for purposes that it might not have originally been intended for which Read More

Sketch was on our radar for about a year and a half before we finally decided to hunker down and make the time investment to learn a new tool. We read a lot of reviews around the time we first discovered Sketch that led us to believe that, while its offerings were promising, its current Read More

This is the second post in a series teaching the basics of WordPress from a client’s perspective. At King Design, we like to give the power to our clients by giving them the ability to edit their sites after they’ve been built. We mainly use WordPress to accomplish this goal. For someone not used to using Read More

This is the first post in a series teaching the basics of WordPress from a client’s perspective. Here at King Design, we pride ourselves with not only making great looking and functional websites, but also making them easy for our clients to edit for themselves. We do this by using a Content Management System (CMS) Read More

Every once in a while, I’ll see an email signature come through as an image. Sounds like a small thing but it is one of your most powerful marketing tools. I would recommend changing it to text. Here’s why: 1) A large number of email programs block or don’t display images. So your recipient won’t Read More

This article will teach you how to properly choose and convert colors from PMS to CMYK so that they will appear accurate and consistent across your brand, whether print, digital, embroidery, signs, or screen printing. Colors are hard. Think about the last time you painted a room. No one walks into Sherwin Williams and says Read More

Every year, here at King Design, we like to come up with a fun microsite for the holidays. Last year, we shrunk ourselves into a snowglobe. After that successful creation, we brainstormed ideas for what might be fun this year. What about a Santa brand book? How about a Duck Hunt-esque snowball game showing how much we love Philadelphia? Read More

Recently, I celebrated my year anniversary at King Design and purely by happenstance I had to do some website updates to the very first website I developed at King. If you haven’t looked over your code from an old project, you should. Now, don’t be scared, I know what you think you’ll find; Alright, it won’t Read More

Wouldn’t it be great to have one, secure password for all of your 10,000 accounts? Even better – wouldn’t it be great to not have to enter a username and password again? To just go to any site and automatically login? And one step better – what if you could share this magic with your Read More

A couple weeks ago, we had our first organized BBQ and team building event of the year. We started the day off at the Kings’ house playing Kan Jam, Washer Toss, Dodge Mason’s Landmines, and enjoyed some homemade springtime goodies including Chris’s Mean Green Gila Monster Guacamole, Fun-in-the-Sun Mixed Greens Salad with apples, nuts and seeds, Read More

What Are WebSockets? WebSockets are one of many new technologies coming to the web that should have people excited. WebSockets will allow real-time, two-way communication between the browser and the server. While this article won’t be getting into too much technical detail, if you are interested you can find more detailed information at the resources listed Read More

Google has officially announced “Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal” on their Webmaster Central Blog. What does this mean to you? In short, if your site is not mobile friendly you’ll to drop in ranking. “This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and Read More

At King Design, we strive to keep up with emerging technology and web design standards. Some online sites and podcasts that are extremely helpful in our journey include: CSS-Tricks Codrops Smashing Magazine A List Apart ShopTalk Show The Web Ahead Recently, we attended the Environment for Human’s RWD Summit; an online conference over three days with Read More

At its core, the role of a UX professional is to empathize with the people who interact with your product. When you think about it in those terms, it is not unreasonable to expect that everyone involved in the creation of a website should be UX evangelists – from the client to the developer and everyone Read More

A question that comes up from time to time with clients is whether they should use a third-party hosting company or host the website internally. At King Design, we recommend hosting with a third-party, such as MediaTemple’s Managed VPS. There are exceptions to the rule however. Here are some of the topics to consider: Security Read More

Okay, so all the paperwork has been signed and you absolutely cannot wait for us to get started on your project, right? Well, we’re pretty excited too, but first things first, we need to have an official project kickoff meeting. What should you do to help prepare for this meeting? Check out this list: Send Read More

Did you know that it can take up to three whole days for a new website to be made available on the web? If you were planning to coordinate a marketing campaign with your website launch and weren’t aware of this time delay, this could be very bad news. That’s why I think a little knowledge can go a long Read More

A while back we introduced you, if you were previously unfamiliar, with the concept of responsive web design. We discussed two very different routes that can be taken when it comes to designing for the ever growing mobile/tablet audience. Option 1 was the responsive/adaptive web design approach, which takes a single website and [aesthetically] pinches and squeezes Read More

A common issue web developers run into is how hover effects on desktop transition to a mobile device. Since obviously there is no hover on mobile a discussion needs to be had about whether that hover effect is still vital/functional to the design or not. A good example of this is an effect we use on Read More

Amongst web designers and developers, few things will cause eyes to roll faster than the age-old debate about the existence of the “fold” and user scrolling behavior. Personal opinion and semantics often derail the conversation into one that isn’t productive or relevant to today’s multi-device landscape, but there is value in discussing both the “fold” and scrolling. However, we need Read More

As our studio began filling with festive holiday cheer, one question sat near. “What to do for our holiday campaign?” we asked with a smile. “How about a shakable snow globe!? That should keep folks entertained for a while.” kingdesignllc.com/snowglobe Many wild ideas were thrown about during one of our team lunches. The idea for Read More

Coming up with names for your soon-to-be-born children can be pretty challenging but so can naming your CSS. The main problem stems from each site changing over time. A class name might make sense now but what if the design changes? To help out with this, think of names in three main categories: functional, content-based, Read More

Directions: Assign points for how well each statement applies to you using the following criteria: Not true: 1 point Partly true: 2 points Mostly true: 3 points 1. I consider myself to be a good communicator. I’m not afraid or shy to ask questions or tell people what I need, even if it means I must Read More

You finally got your big website designed, developed, and launched…all of a sudden everyone just knows about it, and starts clicking through all your pages, eating up all your information, purchasing all your products. You have the Magic Bullet! All your marketing goals achieved simply with having a newly launched, brand spankin’ new website! Nope, Read More

Recently, at King, we moved our blog over from an old Expression Engine build (v2) over to a new WordPress install. I figured it would be helpful to share my experiences since a lot of the other articles I read were pretty outdated. First, I’d like to thank Domenico Bettinelli for his article and Travis Read More

You’re a visual learner. Think you’re not? That’s not what the interwebs say. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re a Digital Native, an Early Adopter, or otherwise technically savvy. And that means your attention span is minimal and you’ve been consuming information in a digital format, as quickly as possible, for as long as Read More

Web fonts saves lives. Alright, maybe they don’t save lives, but they’re pretty awesome and make the web look a whole lot better. As awesome as they are, there are a few things that everyone should know to get the most out of them. 1. Most fonts are licensed Your favorite font library is full Read More