Let’s Give Thanks for 7 Essentials That Survived a Wonky Past

Let’s Give Thanks for 7 Essentials That Survived a Wonky Past

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I This Thanksgiving, let’s step way back and congratulate our species for the long way it’s come. From, say, picking berries in the woods, to picking out a complete holiday meal kit on our phones for delivery. While the changes wrought by...
The Case Against Client Input Forms

The Case Against Client Input Forms

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I Sure, it’s easy to direct a prospect or new client to answer a bunch of questions in an online Input Form. Web designers, copywriters, and other marketing specialists often employ this tool, perhaps, to avoid the effort of having to...
Assign a Customer Advocate to All Marketing Efforts

Assign a Customer Advocate to All Marketing Efforts

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I Developing a website or other marketing piece? Everyone has their role. The company CEO or manager provides input (from an insider’s point-of-view). The designer arranges the content elements (from a visual design point-of-view). The...
Hey, Have a Little Empathy

Hey, Have a Little Empathy

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I Everyone’s got problems. We’re always trying to solve something, achieve something, or maintain something – but something else is standing in the way. Overcoming those obstacles, from the trivial ones to the truly threatening ones,...
Wonder Why No One is Visiting Your Website?

Wonder Why No One is Visiting Your Website?

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I Every day, somewhere, some company gets a brand-new website. They’ve invested some serious time and money with a web designer, and after some fine-tuning, they’re happy with the result. The company owner is looking forward to all the...
Why Marketers Should Pay Attention to Their Attention

Why Marketers Should Pay Attention to Their Attention

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I What I’m talking about here is noticing where your eye goes whenever you land on somebody else’s web page – or really, any piece of marketing media. What captures your attention, making you ‘mentally lean forward’? What’s easy to...
Why Do So Many Websites Hide Their Company’s Identity?

Why Do So Many Websites Hide Their Company’s Identity?

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I It’s typical for designers to roll their eyes when their clients ask to make the logo bigger. The designer’s resistance is justified if the main goal of the piece is to win a design award. Minimizing logos and brand messages do in fact...
How Much of Your Website Content is Invisible to Readers?

How Much of Your Website Content is Invisible to Readers?

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I Throughout my college years, I was fascinated by subjects like Communication Theory, Visual Perception and Classical Rhetoric. These days, I’m fascinated by  how those principles apply to someone who’s just landed on a website. But most...
Don’t Welcome Me to Your Website

Don’t Welcome Me to Your Website

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I Here’s a “Bottom 10 List” of things that seemed like a good idea at the time … but may have ended up hurting your site’s effectiveness. So what can we do about these web worst practices? Read on. 1. Don’t ‘welcome’ me to your...
I Am a Designer And I Have Sinned

I Am a Designer And I Have Sinned

B Y   T O M   T O R T O R I C I It’s true. I look back with cringing regret at some of the things I did when first starting out as an advertising designer. Then, as you’ll see, I began seeing things from the audience’s point-of-view, rather than just from a...