This article is about asking challenging questions in business. One of the reasons why Design Inspiration is still designing websites and corporate IDs 20 years after I set it up, is that we make a point of asking ourselves the tough questions and learning from our answers.   It’s Easy To Avoid the Important Things Running your own business is tough work. You have to learn skills that you never previously dreamed you’d need....

I get asked to look at a lot of websites and it’s pretty rare to find one that isn’t doing something wrong. Sometimes it’s a simple thing like poor navigation preventing website visitors from finding their way to your best content. When your website is driving clients away though, it needs to be addressed immediately. But how do you know which are the worst problems? Luckily for you I’ve put together a list of the top...

The Harlem Shake is the latest viral video to grab the internet’s attention. Just 30 seconds long and horribly addictive, the Harlem Shake videos are everywhere. Now it seems there’s a formula which anyone can use to create their own viral Harlem Shake vid.   If you’re one of the few humans left who haven’t seen one, check out this website that displays randomly chosen Harlem Shake videos. If you’re curious...

Don’t play the field my friend. You can’t entice everyone at the same time. These techniques may be powerful but are most effective if you pick a few different clients each week and focus on wooing them with that little bit of extra attention. Love Letters Tell your followers what you like about them. For example, this could be in the form of customised Follow Friday tweets highlighting what each person is particularly good at. You...

There are three types of website design that drive clients away. The trouble is, we see them all over the internet. Unless you want to drive clients away from your website, you’d better make sure it doesn’t fall into one of these types. Here’s your very own guide to spotting and avoiding them.     The Chic Sleek Freak These are those über-cool ‘visual essays’ that need a degree in Graphic Design to be...

I’m going to let you in to one of the secrets of my success. Whenever I meet a potential client I ask what their biggest challenges will be for the next 12 months. The answers vary but the ones that overcome them use a variety of skills. Here are the top three of these skills. Learning them could give your business just what you need to overcome yours.     Attitude “If all it takes is an angry stranger to ruin your day, what...