Benefits of 3D Animation and Visualisation

When you think of 3D animation and visualisation, the first thing that may spring to mind is movies. However, 3D animation and visualisation should also be considered as a powerful tool for your business. Several types of businesses from architects, to manufacturers, to auctioneers to marketing agencies, can benefit from incorporating these techniques into their business strategy. There are several benefits of using 3D Animation and Visualisation for your business. These include:

1. Improving Current Marketing Mediums

A business can improve their marketing media by using 3D techniques in their videos and online display advertising as well as billboard ads. Such techniques can make such content more visually appealing and attractive to potential customers. It can make your brand look superior to your competitors by offering new-age, modern advertising which can enhance the appearance of a product.

2. Saving Costs

When developing a product, you can use 3D Animation and Visualisation techniques to identify any issues with design, before you commit to construction or building the product. By being able to identify any discrepancies in advance of physical construction, you can save yourself a substantial amount of money on labour and materials as well as saving yourself a lot of time. You can make any requested changes in advance of the product build, ensuring that the design sent to build should produce a quality finished product.

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The Android App Development Process

Android apps are simply small programs that enable the app to perform certain tasks. The development of an app may not be as intricate and detailed as the development of desktop computer software, but the process is very similar. This article assumes that the developer has a client (which will most likely be you).

Planning, pre-production, conceptualization and wire framing

You have to start with conceptualizing and wire framing. You need to fully understand the goals of your app and this is done with planning and market research. A solid idea and a plan of action need to be in place at the very beginning. As the developer understands the goals and requirements of the project, he or she can being work developing.

The functionalities of the program are the next thing to be discussed, in which the developer must figure out the features, specifications, platform and feasibility. The developer will often create a wireframe to help his or her clients get to grips with what they want and need.

The design is further developed

Now the app is developed in what is known as the design development phase. This is where an interface design team will define the actual app and check back with the product plan to make sure that all the elements required have been included. They must then account for the functionality, budget and timeline.

They will start by making mock up of the screens that will be present in the app and show them to the clients to see if it is what they want. A few of the functions can also be explained via things such as widgets and navigation on the mock ups. Once the client is okay with the whole process then the developers can move onto the next phase.

The application is then developed

The app development stage now has developers writing programming code for the app. The user interface is usually always created first, and this acts as somewhat of a template in which the programmers add more functions. As each function is created programmatically, it is integrated into the larger program. Once the user interface is created and a few of the basic functions have been added, the developers will start to coordinate with the client to be sure that everything looks and acts the way that the client requires.

The app is finished and tested

Once the programming has been done and the app does as the client desires, it is time to go on a major bug hunt. Three are a whole host of tools and tests that the quality assurance team have to work with. They have to test every aspect of the app to be sure that future problems do not occur. They also have to read the code of the app to be sure it will not break in the future.

Once it is fully tested, free of bugs, and safe from hackers and other malcontents, it can be submitted to the Android market. The app will most likely be tested repeatedly before it is allowed to go onto something such as Google Play or the Android Market. But if your quality assurance team did their job correctly then there is little to worry about.

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The Photography of George Georgiou Show the Clash of Man Versus Modernism

Most of us consider modernity as something that comes upon us gradually and in doses that arrive and are adopted almost unnoticed and without thought. In many places in the world, though, modernization has been garish and intrusive, erupting in a clash between long standing cultural tradition and the homogenizing effect of globalization.

In the images he has captured, photographer George Georgiou has acted as something of a war correspondent, describing the battle between the past and the encroaching future in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Turkey. Through his stark and sometimes disturbing lens we watch as people learn to negotiate the new space they now occupy.

A British-born freelance photographer, George Georgiou has always had a curiosity about Turkey, given its rivalry with Greece that has spanned the millennia and his Greek and Cypriot heritage. He started his journey, though, in Kosovo and Serbia. There, his black-and-white photography gave a graphic and emotional diary of life there.

He first visited Istanbul in 2003; at the same time there were horrific bombings of the British consulate and a synagogue. These events prompted George Georgiou to dig deeper to learn more about the conflict there and the people who were living through it. He spent five years in Istanbul, living and working and photographing life as it presented itself and the changes the country was undergoing.

As he drove across the country, Georgiou would come upon stark images of these changes and what he termed an "alienating landscape." Many of his photographs featured huge, faceless, and multicolored apartment complexes that would loom over the people and landscape in a jarring incongruity. The people themselves would tentatively interact amid these government-built monuments as a tiny representation of the culture that lives within.

George Georgiou started his documentation in black-and-white, but later moved to color. He favored an articulated LCD camera that could be viewed through a lens finder at the top, so the photographer was looking down at the camera rather than straight at the subject. He said he found this to be less disruptive and off-putting.

The result of his immersion into Turkish life is the book, Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West, in which he displays the altering landscape and spaces of the region, which has long been considered the bridge between East and West. Many of the shots that are featured show an emptiness and desolation, even in the faces of his people. The book ends, however, on a seeming positive note, with photographs of younger Turks who represent the human capability of adaptation while maintaining identity.

Georgiou has moved his work to Georgia and Ukraine in a multi-year effort to document their efforts to separate from "Mother" Russia in a work titled, In the Shadow of the Bear. The project is his effort to show how the people of their region are again adapting to transitions that are physical, emotional, and societal.

George Georgiou earned his degree in photography from the Polytechnic of Central London. In addition to his freelance work, he has taught photography at London's Barnet College and in various workshops in Europe. His work has received worldwide recognition with two World Press Photo prizes in 2003 and 2004, and The British Journal of Photography project prize in 2010, and first prize in 2004 in Pictures of the Year International. He has shown his work at MOMA and is a featured artist on www.jacksonfineart.com.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Georgiou

http://www.georgegeorgiou.net/artist.php?ArtistID=19&GroupID=1

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/george-georgiou-in-turkey/

Article written by Wendy Northcott

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5 Killer Landing Page Design Tips to Maximize Conversion Rate

Webmasters should always strive to increase the conversion rate of their landing pages, whatever the conversion may mean to them, email sign-up, product purchase, subscription, etc. In order to increase conversion rates webmasters must always test different variations but while testing they should also keep the following 5 elements in mind as they are some of the most important ones for driving conversions:

Images
When there are images that are going to be on their landing pages, these photos must be clear and crisp. They should pertain to the information on the page. The photos will catch the eye of many people visiting the site, and it is important to have the best quality possible. Many people use a professional photographer to assist them in getting the best images for their site.

Calls – To - Action
When people visit a site, they will need to be able to reach the company easily. There should be a phone number and address so that people will be able to reach the company for any questions that they might have, especially when the service or product is expensive. If a company is selling a product that is not very expensive, it is important to have an “Add To Cart” or “Buy Now” button in place. Testing the buttons is important, so a company should try to use different fonts and images to see how they will affect business.

Content
When a customer comes to visit a site, they are trying to address a problem they are having. A company should make sure that they address any of the concerns they might have and tell the facts about what they are offering without embellishing the information. They should also be sure to make the content clear and concise. The site should be geared towards the user and not as a place to brag about the company.

Credentials Or Trust Enhancers
The credentials are very important, and a company can add badges on their site that show that they were featured in prominent magazines or recommended by someone else. It is important to develop trust from the customer, and these types of things will give the customer the confidence that they need to have in order to do business with them.

Responsive Design
Since a majority of business will come from smartphone or tablet, which is about 1/6 of a company’s business, it is important to make the design eye catching. The design needs to be able to be read with large enough buttons and links so the user can push them easily. It should also be read without scrolling to the side because this is annoying for a potential customer. Since the smartphone and tablet users are more likely to purchase because they are wealthier, it makes sense to make sure that the responsive design concept is used.
When people use the 5 elements described above to continuously tweak and improve the landing pages the conversion rates will improve as well.

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Current Printing Trends in Australia

Using a reputable printer to create your company's collateral can make or break your business's reputation in the eyes of your customers. Poorly printed materials that lack professionalism and character can have a negative influence on your brand. In addition, printing in Melbourne can be costly and working with a printer who is aware of current trends in the industry can improve your return on investment. Keep reading to learn more about printing in Melbourne, digital printing and current industry trends.

Environmental Sustainability and the Digital Printing Industry

Over the past several decades, people have become much more aware of how their decisions influence environmental health. Issues with global warming, landfills and nonrenewable energy have become increasingly important. One of the most important trends in the digital printing industry is the move toward sustainable green printing. The Printing Industries Association of Australia is a proponent of sustainable printing. This approach to the commercial printing industry offers a number of significant advantages. For example, printers who commit to a sustainable program have a plan in place to manage recycling, energy and waste.

Paper Pricing Increases for Printing in Melbourne

One of the most interesting trends set to take place in the near future is an increase in the price of paper. Print21 reports that consumers and digital printing companies could see a 10.5% increase in the price of paper across all major merchants during the first quarter of 2014. Many blame a devaluation of the Aussie dollar for the increase. Essentially, this means that companies seeking printing in Melbourne might incur higher charges for their printing products. Working with a discounted printer can help alleviate the strain on the budgets of small businesses and large corporations alike.

3D Printing in Melbourne

Finally, a very exciting trend on the horizon is 3-D printing in Melbourne. 3-D printing is a process that creates a solid object of three dimensions from a digital model. While the technology has been around since the late 20th century, the equipment required to produce a 3-D print became widely available commercially in the 21st century. 3-D printing offers companies a unique opportunity to produce highly branded items for distribution to consumers. For example, a flower business could create miniature 3-D models of popular arrangements and include them in a direct mail campaign. Or, if you're in the business of creating smart phone cases, you could use 3-D printing in Melbourne to deliver highly customisable products for your customers.

The commercial and digital printing industry in Melbourne is a booming field that delivers quality products to customers. Identifying a reputable printer who understands sustainable printing techniques and trends that deliver value at reasonable prices can assist you with establishing your business's brand. In addition, your printing company should be available to assist you with developing a printing program that exceeds your bottom line and meets your company's goals. Your company's annual report, materials for a direct mail campaign or training products for new employees, your printing relationship should be convenient, reasonably priced and professional.

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How To Use Video Content to Educate and Inform Your Customers

Steady traffic – from the search engines and your social media promotion activities – is essential for the health of any website. In today’s competitive search marketing environment, you need strategies that encourage searchers to stop and engage with your website, especially if you have an e-commerce web property.

If you are looking to win the content web wars, no content is more sticky and popular with searchers than video.

In fact, internet technology company ComScore reports that over the course of one day, 89 million people in the United States will watch over 1.2 billion videos online.

For a brand to stay relevant in this content-driven environment, Kzoinnovations.com social video software delivers personalized, easily consumed content that can simultaneously educate and entertain your target audiences.



Use the following video content marketing plan to engage your demographic and leverage their social influence.

1. Avoid internal stoppages and bottlenecks. There is nothing worse than trying to execute a new, time-sensitive and innovative marketing plan in a corporate environment filled with layers upon layers of checks and balances. That’s why it is important to create a seamless internal communication process before you start to create and syndicate your video content. To create nimble and socially relevant video content, make sure that key stakeholders are on board and committed to your long-term video marketing strategy.
2. Think about the best types of video content to create for your team. Before you create a shooting schedule or hire talent for the video, you must perform consumer research. By using online tools to study the consumption behaviors of your demo, you are a few steps closer to creating a video editorial calendar. Once you have discovered the key problems and needs of your consumer audience and how to solve them, you can create targeted and relevant video content.
3. Understand the best places for your content to live. Before you launch your video content initiative, study how and where your customers view and interact with their favorite content. With a robust online video program that features social sharing capabilities, your targeted demographic can share and consume you content on link-sharing websites and popular social networks.
4. Build relationships with key team members and influencers. Bloggers, online journalists and editors at industry journals are key online influencers that can champion and promote your online video content effectively. To make sure that your campaign is successful, make an effort to reach out to these people.  Don’t forget to tap into your network of internal public relations and social media colleagues, as they typically have established online relationships and connections with key influencers.
5. Optimize your content to take advantage of long-term gains in the search engine results. Don’t neglect basic search engine optimization practices to extend the reach of your video content marketing efforts.
   1. Use keywords in you video titles that match the phrases your targeted consumers use to find content online.
   2. Host the videos on your site and use embed codes to syndicate the content. Make sure that there is a link back to your website in the code.

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Webydo, Providing Professional Web Designers with a Code Free Site Creating Experience

There’s nothing strange about the fact that web designers and other right-brained individuals do their best to avoid handwritten code like the plague. Being creative souls, they can’t afford wasting their precious time on this frustrating, outdated process that actually hasn’t changed much since the 90’s. So, if you’re a web designer looking for a code-free, Do-It-Yourself web builder, you definitely have to check out Webydo, a professional website creator allowing you to build stunning websites faster, bypassing the need to convert your designs into code manually. Webydo was established by leading web designers, so the designers’ needs and preferences are well understood there.

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A Quick History of 5 Sunglasses Brands and What You Can Learn From Them

Did you ever think about how there’s life lessons everywhere you look? You can have a revelation while watching your favorite sitcom and even while grocery shopping. We had a look through the history of the most popular sunglasses brands of the moment and found that there’s something to learn from each one:

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New World, Old Tricks; How to Use Traditional Marketing Tricks for Events, Fundraisers and Small Businesses

The internet has, allegedly, revolutionised the world of advertising and marketing. In actual fact, many old advertising tricks have simply been adopted by a new generation of tech savvy advertising and marketing executives. While the internet does offer some interesting new ways in which to use old techniques, some of those old techniques can still be used in a more traditional setting. For those with small firms, small budgets or those fundraising for a local school, charity or community event, understanding these techniques is an important way to create a low cost campaign to generate a buzz about your products or event.

Word of Mouth (a.k.a. Twitter)

The first, probably oldest and still one of the best, ways to get the word out about your project is simply the word of mouth technique. In the online world this has been adapted into the brand new shiny concept of ‘social media marketing’; however, while the media may be new the concept is pretty old. Simply telling people about a product (or event) is by far the best way to spread the word. This doesn’t have to be a hard-sell style conversation (in fact it should be anything but). Simply find ways in which to mention the product or event to everybody and everyone you know. For charity events, or fundraisers for schools, churches or other charities, this is usually fairly simple and well received by people. If you’d like to get all technological you can, of course, set up Twitter and Facebook accounts as well, to create an online presence for your event or product.

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Product Launches Made Easy

Developing a great product that serves a section of the market would be the focus of most companies in the market today. However, getting to the point where you have been able to produce products that people are willing to spend their money on would not be the only factors that you need to think about in order to enjoy the levels of success that you are interested in.

Once you have a product that does an amazing job of meeting a need that people have, you would have to put your company in the position of making the public aware that this product exists. Once they have this knowledge, you would be able to develop a following that could result in profits that would enable you to continue growing well into the future. However, you will need to think about how best to put together an amazing product launch event that the public is going to take notice of. If you do not have the skilled workers on staff to be able to handle things such as booking the venue or locating the perfect space, this is something that you should not attempt to take on without the help of a professional.

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Facebook vs Google+ ... Which is better?

Facebook has been used for years and millions of users visit it daily. But now, it has a competitor that is compared head to head with this largest social media network. Google+ is the leading social network that is trying to beat Facebook in number of ways. But is that possible to beat Facebook? Are the rumors about Google + are true? Will it take the place of Facebook in the coming years? All these queries are disturbing audience and most of the people that are concerned about internet marketing solutions. Have a look at a statistical comparison between Facebook and Google+.

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Could interactive catalog software improve your marketing communications?

Get your marketing communications right using tools like interactive catalog software, cloud and social media and the numbers of first time and loyal customers that you have could increase substantially. Just as happens with personal relationships, the way you communicate with your current customers and prospects is as important as what you actually say to these individuals. Liked or not, the government might know most about the power of communication.

David Bray, the United States Federal Communications Commission's Chief Information Officer shares that, "Our modern world teems with communication. . . . Some might say communication is what humans do the moment two or more of us are together, be it intentionally or subconsciously. Communication can bring us together, inform us of opportunities or threats, and enable us to rationally discuss coordinated activities. The rise of information technology (IT) means we can do all of these activities faster, with more people, and over greater distances of time and geography. As IT accelerates its global distribution and ubiquitous availability, the importance of assuring the integrity of digital communications become paramount."

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Using Technology to Increase Productivity in the Workplace

Technology can be a great asset that's underutilized in the workplace. There are a numerous amount of ways that technology can be used to improve workplace productivity. This technology helps businesses create an open environment for easy collaboration in the workplace and helps break down communication barriers in the office.

Here are a few ways technology can help improve productivity in the workplace:

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Pinterest 9 Innovative Ways to Broadcast Your Business

Pinterest generates interest through visual attraction

Now, don't go about rolling your eyes like we just stated the obvious. What we mean is that the primary method of engagement has to be pictures that showcase your business and entice people to buy your products in a manner that is similar to wares placed in shop windows.

A picture says a thousand words - but are those the words YOU wanted the picture to say? If you are selling flower seeds and post a beautiful image of a flower bed, how do you know if people viewing it will not Google for 'Gardeners for hire' or even 'organic fertilizers'? There is, of course, the descriptive part of the picture in text where you can have your say, but it is a safe bet that the image part of your pin is what is going to generate the most interest, and reaction.

What is innovative?

As far as we are concerned, anything that makes you say 'why didn't I think of that before' or 'I knew that!' is innovative. Based on that premise, the First Innovative Way to broadcast your business is what we have already stated: Choosing Your Pins Well So That They Entice People to Buy. You should really have dedicated staff in place to brainstorm the ideal image strategy for your business - if you can get the right people and afford them too!

Let's move on to the remaining 9 innovative ways, then, starting with number two.

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Successful Trade Fair Marketing Must Haves

When putting together a fair trade show there are many aspects of business that must be taken care of in order for the show to go off without a hitch. Much of this has to do with you are advertising or what you are selling, the aspects of your booth, the position of your booth and the actual trade show you are participating in. 

If you decide to give away neck wallets at your show, you are going to draw a fairly significant crowd. Neck wallets are a hot commodity at any trade show and can actually be quite expensive to buy on the open market or online.

Neck wallets vary in design from one end of the board to the other. You can purchase these wallets in various materials such as nylon, cloth or plastic. Neck wallets come in all different shapes and sizes. Some of them have a separate compartment for pens on the side while showing your credentials in the main pocket. This can be very helpful for those who need a pen and keep losing it. Some of the wallets have a zippered space for money and credit cards, while others are just your basic wallet that shows your ID badge. These wallets come in any color you want, but something that matches your fair trade show logo is recommended. The great thing about these wallets is that they hang from your neck on a lanyard and so the contents of the wallet are available without a long search of a deep pocket or purse. 

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Why Your Business Needs A Blog

Have you ever wondered why almost all business owners have blogs? The truth is that if you have planned to start your own business or simply want to develop your current one, you should know that blogs are considered as invaluable and very important marketing tool. Running a business website without a blog means that you are ready to miss a lot of big opportunities and potential customers. This is one of the most efficient ways to set apart from you competitors and give your visitors a wealth of information about you, your business and the products you offer. Here are some other essential reasons why your business needs a blog.

The world of search engines

Google really loves original and fresh content, since it makes the web a more interesting place. A business blog will definitely boost your SEO and you will make it easier for people to find you.

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Understand the Color Theory and Start Creating Your Own Color Schemes

Would you agree if I tell you that human is the most emotional creature on Earth? Would you agree if I tell you that there is something that we all have in common? Something, which some of you may consider as weakness, others - as an opportunity. But in fact this little thing has always been a great part of us, as the main constituents of one big, global society. I am talking about our disability to resist manipulation. In this article I am going to introduce you one of the greatest weapons, which has the ability to affect our emotions. Colors! It may seem a bit ridiculous, but colors have in fact a great influence on us. Some of them we consider as pretty relaxing; others - as aggressive.

Color scheme is among the most important things in the web design.

If you want to make your website popular, if you want people to like it and visit it over and over again, you should definitely get familiar with the symbolics of colors.

The traditional Color Wheel (or 'color circle', as many people may know it) , based on the three primary colors: red, yellow and blue, is considered to be the heart of art. In 1666, Sir Isaac Newton created the first color chart. Since then, many artists and scholars explore and develop plenty of different variations of this idea. Each color has its own meaning and symbolic. If you want to achieve a great web design of your website, you will have to get familiar with the full rage of colors and the great number of different color combinations. For example, many banks use blue in their website as a main color for their logo, for their and their labels. That is because this color arouses confidence and trust; qualities, which any bank would like you to associate its name with.

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Social Media Tools to Measure Audiences

Social media is one such place where the majority of the prospective customers read about your brand and products. Social media occupy the top of the marketing funnel and spread your messages far and wide with your audiences. Also social media make it significantly easier for the audiences to share your messages worldwide; therefore, it is important to measure them to yield the desired results. So let us find out the technique to measure your audiences through the several digital channels.

You need a thorough understanding of which social media channels your audiences resides and how they interact with those channels. Most importantly, it is essential to understand how the audience reacts towards the content or the products.

For instance, the PostRank Analytical tool which could be used to assess people reaction in such platform. It was one of the greatest tools to measure the number of people interacting with the post you make over time. This strategy not only help to track the number of pages viewed but also help to determine who has shared which content and on which digital channels. Therefore, it effectively provides a comprehensive understanding of which content or products are of utmost importance to your audiences.

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Packaging Plays and Important Role

You can take the best product in the world, better functioning than all rivals, then place it in in the wrong packaging and it will languish on the shelves of supermarkets without a second glance from passers-by. Packaging has become the critical point of sale element for the vast majority of consumable consumer goods over the last 100 years. At the beginning of the twentieth century, nobody bought food in packaging. There were no supermarkets and most produce came from local farms without production lines. Things have changed and the best and most profitable businesses realise how important packaging is to their enterprise.

Functions of Packaging

Obviously, packaging is the primary way of protecting our goods from the time we manufacture them and transport them to the shop for sale through to the time a customer takes them home and uses them. Any kind of basic packaging designed to be secure, will provide this function at its most basic level. That is not where packaging ends though because if all businesses packaged their goods in the same way, there would be no way to distinguish which products come from good companies and which are not likely to fulfil customer needs or make them happy.

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Change in Google algorithms in late August

Organic traffic drives a massive proportion of business for a large number of the comapnies under my wing so I therefore do my very best to try and keep abreast of the latest changes in Google’s algorithm.

Sadly this has been getting more and more difficult, with Google continuously looking to refresh their search results to give searchers the most relevant results possible.

Recommended Reading: The value of NO in SEO

In late July it is widely acknowledged that Google released a large-scale algorithm update that was looking to tackle the build-up of spammy links and over optimised anchor text. This is Google’s 2nd major attempt to do this and followed in the footstep of the algorithm update known as “Penguin 1.0” (released in April 2012). This has meant that July 2013’s latest algorithm change has become appropriately known as “Penguin 2.0”.

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