Studio Hill Designs Websites with Heart

Posted on November 10, 2015

nmhi_webNew Mexico Heart Institute, the largest private cardiology practice in the state of New Mexico, has unveiled a complete redesign and rebuild of their website www.nmhi.com. Developed by none other than Albuquerque’s Studio Hill Design, the new website puts the patient experience front and center. The new site presents a fresh, friendly face for NMHI, and welcomes viewers with a simple and intuitive navigation experience.

With various custom built tools running a complicated but sleek backend, the site delivers simple and easy access to patient information and resources while allowing for easy in-house updates.

Studio Hill Design is proud to be a part the effort of NMHI to keep New Mexico hearts happy and healthy.

Studio Hill Design in the News… Albuquerque Business First interviews Sandy Hill

Posted on March 25, 2015

IMG_8501_low

Mike English of Albuquerque Business First took a left turn into our Downtown Albuquerque studio office to find out what it takes to make a perfect website and what it takes to make a successful 30 year career in marketing and branding. The interview can be read in the current issue of Albuquerque Business First or online via the link below.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

Sandy Hill’s marketing career covers more than 30 years in Albuquerque. As the owner of Studio Hill Design, which she started in 1986, she guides the company’s branding and web design efforts as well as everything from logos to interior design. She spoke with Business First about how her company helps clients discover the core of who they are and what they want from their website.

Your design career predates websites, if I might note. How does web design relate to other kinds of design?
It’s true. We not only predate websites, we also predate computers — think Xacto knives and rubber cement. But basically, the same principles still apply and they apply across all mediums. What I tell our web-design clients, who might be comparing us to other tech firms, is that we’re a marketing firm and a design firm. Our goal is to go in and see what is unique about the client, learn about their target audience and make a connection. Websites are just the vehicle that carries the same kind of messaging that we’ve always created.

What makes a good website, here in 2015?
All of the above: making a connection, providing value, speaking to the viewer and not just yourself. There’s a book around here we all had to read called “Don’t Make Me Think.” It explains that if someone needs to muck around on your website to find things, that’s not good. It needs to be simple and straightforward, easy to understand, easy to navigate and it needs to make a dynamic connection with the viewer right away.

How do you work with clients to identify what they want from their website?
We run everyone through our branding questionnaire, which is probably 12 questions, from asking them to describe their company in one sentence to what their target market is, what their goals are, all of that. The magic comes when we can get to their unique value. That’s why we do so much listening. It’s just like human beings: When we look in the mirror we cannot see ourselves objectively. Companies are that way too. We’re too close to see ourselves. I think that’s the beauty of having a company like ours come in, because we know how to look and listen and sort and separate out the magic of a company compared to what all their competitors might be doing. That’s the core truth we build the marketing message on. The super fun part then is to figure out how to communicate that.

Read the full interview here…

Sign On!

Posted on December 10, 2014

Our lives and our streets are full of visual clutter. Even if your business has a great location, it is difficult to get noticed/found/discovered in the urban jungle. Few roadside signs are truly well designed beacons for the unique companies they represent. This is a great waste of a powerful branding opportunity. It is literally a chance to rise head and shoulders above the competition and get your company noticed and respected.

To illustrate our point, here are a few “Do’s” in sign design.

 

dkg

Consider the logo design and how it would best work as a sign.

In this case, one feature of our logo for DKG and Associates Roofing Contractors is that it is perfectly reversible. We took advantage of this and created a freestanding 3D version of the logo that can be viewed from both sides, and reads the same either way!

 

seasons_sign

Consider the architecture of the surrounding buildings.

The Seasons sign is in the Old Town Albuquerque area and needed to conform to historic regulations of size and material. A stucco finish was used to coordinate with the buildings in the plaza. A slightly more vibrant yet cohesive color helped it stand out from the surrounding stucco colors. The sign is carefully designed to work well both day and night with integrated lighting in the lettering.

 

zinc

Let the logo do the work.

Once again, referring to the logo to inform the sign design, Zinc’s sign is a circle shape. We stayed true to the logo shape while creating a pleasing balance with the building architecture. The result is a simple, upscale, yet highly visible sign.

 

edo

Know when to use neon!

EDoSpaces Real Estate office is located on Central Avenue near downtown. They wanted an outstanding neon sign that optimized their logo. Once again, extracting and emphasizing the most unique features of the logo, we created the overall sign in neon while focusing on the solid A with a backlit letter shape.

 

aqua

aqua_daytime

Be sure it works for both day and nighttime 

By day, the white and silver type stands out against the deep purple. It is pinned away from the surface for added shadow effect. By night, the Aquaceros “a” is internally lit and shines both through the lucite face and reflects on the background. The “aquaceros” type is backlit only, to create a visual hierarchy.

edo_interior_small

Coordinate interior and exterior signage.

The “a” is carried to the interior with an elegant treatment of white on white. Green and purple neon behind the sign provide contrast in the form of a colored glow for a subtle yet fabulous effect.

 

paakoCoordinate, rather than compete, with strong architecture.

The Paa-Ko Ridge Golf clubhouse features a stately circular entry, which complicated the sign design due to its curved face. We pared the Paa-Ko logo down to its simplest form, and applied the letters separately to accommodate the curve. Care was taken to balance the proportions of the lettering to the building.

 

savoy

Make it pretty.

Since we had a pretty logo and an attractive building, we had fun simply juxtapositioning the two for a pleasing result.

 

hpc

Maintain and enhance historic structures.

As a designated historic site, Hotel Parq Central had strong restrictions on its sign options. Using a classic old font, we carefully balanced the size and location of the freestanding lettering on the upper building facade. A streetside monument reinforces the brand image.

 

Studio Hill Design Ranked Top Web Design Firm – Again

Posted on October 7, 2014

connection-speech-bubbles-blogIn 2013 Studio Hill Design was again reported by Albuquerque Business First to be one of the top grossing web design firms in New Mexico. How does this happen to such a small company? Offering a combination marketing-based website design, graphic design, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and video production for websites is common place among good web design firms. But we add a little something special. We make connections. Using what our clients have referred to as insightful questioning and intuitive understanding, Studio Hill Design has developed an expertise in discovering and understanding each client’s potential. With this understanding we design websites that create positive, meaningful experiences … that’s how.

Albuquerque has a new Ride!

Posted on June 12, 2014

21 brand new city buses just rolled in to Albuquerque. Studio Hill Design provided the concept and design work on the buses, including the new coordinated interiors. The new ABQ RIDE buses, managed by The City of Albuquerque Transit Department, are a big change from the previous bus designs.

“We felt this was a highly visible opportunity to help brand and promote Albuquerque.”

Read more at Albuquerque Business First >>

According to Sandy Hill of Studio Hill Design, “The city buses are large and they are everywhere. We felt this was a highly visible opportunity to help brand and promote Albuquerque. Working with ABQ RIDE, we selected 8 cultural icons unique to our city, and illustrated a different one on each bus, along with the tagline ‘Where You Want to Go.’ The illustrations will engage visitors and inspire them to see more of our city. Locals will be reminded of why this is such a special place to call home.”

4_busses_photos_0006_Background4_busses_photos_0001_4_busses_photos_0002_Layer 1 4_busses_photos_0002_4_busses_photos_0003_Background 4_busses_photos_0003_Layer 34_busses_photos_0000_4_busses_photos_0001_Layer 2 4_busses_photos_0004_Layer 2 4_busses_photos_0005_Layer 1

Read more at Albuquerque Business First >>

In addition to the cultural icons that are displayed on the sides of the buses, Studio Hill Design developed an entirely new color palette for ABQ Ride. The palette was chosen to enhance and coordinate with the existing turquoise used on the bus shelters and on the Alvarado Transit Center window trim. A modern, fresh lime green was selected and used as a natural complement to this classic New Mexican color. The lower section of the buses are detailed with graphics representing the streets and bus stops of a transit map and applied in highly visible reflective vinyl to keep our city safer.

A new, coordinating ABQ RIDE logo was also developed as a modernized, simplified graphic that is easier to read and works well on various applications including the bus shelters, print materials, and of course, the buses themselves.  Catch the Ride!

 

Is my website working for or against me? Get the website design you deserve.

Posted on June 4, 2014

siteAn estimated 8 out of 10 consumers who are dissatisfied with the performance of a website are unlikely to return. While the reasons for their dissatisfaction can be as numerous as there are connections to Kevin Bacon, the number one reason is due to poor design. Poor design could mean that the site is simply outdated or it fails to reflect the core character of the business it was meant to represent. It fails to communicate. In other cases, the site might be difficult to use due to underlying technologies that slow the site down or generate an unreasonable number of errors. It could be poor architecture, meaning the site is difficult to navigate and find what you want quickly.

 Here is a closer look at some of the numbers according to the Online Marketing Institute;

• 85% abandon a site due to poor design
• 83% leave because it takes too many clicks to get what they want
• 62% gave up looking for an item while shopping online
• 50% of sales are lost because visitors can’t find content
• 40% never return to a site because the content was hard to use

In addition to the obvious revenue that could be lost due to a poorly designed website are the potential costs of fixing such a site.

Often placing a “band aid” can be a far from ideal solution and can sometimes cost nearly as much as the initial investment. This leads to the inevitable conclusion that it is well worth your while to plan properly before designing a website and hiring a website design firm.

Here are some questions you should be asking your web designer before beginning your next website. 

How much time do you spend planning and researching?
Designing a successful website requires planning and research long before a single line of code is written or a layout is considered. On average, Studio Hill Design spends 5 to 10 hours diving into the backstories and histories of our clients, learning about how they got to where they are and where they want to go. That might seem like a lot of time. But we take this knowledge and leverage the information into clear and measurable strategies that support our clients’ goals. We need to know who you are to take you to where you want to be. That is how we make good design. That is how we make successful websites.

Do you create wire-frames and site maps before designing a website?
Website wireframes and site maps are visual representations of where the content on your site will be placed. They don’t contain any design or content. They simply explain visually where content can be found. It manifests a mutual understanding between us and our clients as to the scope and expectations of the site. It clarifies and simplifies the viewer navigation experience. It presents an opportunity to consider additional value-added content. Wireframes and site maps are vitally important to creating a website that is useful to its audience and that accomplishes the goals that the research has identified, while staying on budget and on time.

How much do you charge for web design?
This might seem like an obvious question to ask, but the surprise comes in how you react to the answer you get. Website design that is results-oriented takes a generous amount of time and expertise. You might find an inexpensive web coder, but why would you trust your main marketing tool to someone without a design background? Studio Hill Design is a design and marketing company who understands how to make deep connections between you and your customers. Thoughtful website design is the key that helps our clients make that connection.

Is search engine optimization incorporated into the website?
The intent of a powerful, targeted and well designed website is for it to be seen. We incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) organically from the very beginning of the project to maximize every opportunity for search engines to find your site. Little details in the content and coding of your site make a big difference in your SEO rankings. Studio Hill Design can take this even further by offering you enhanced SEO options to drive even more traffic to your website.

So Now What?
Talk to Studio Hill Design. And talk to some web geeks. See who you feel comfortable trusting your company’s brand and reputation to, when you understand how important your online presence is. Then let’s get started promoting your company online and on target.

It’s a Good Sign

Posted on May 9, 2014

seasons_signAs a highly successful Albuquerque real estate magnate once said, “All you need is a good sign.” At last, Seasons Rotisserie and Grill can attract the attention of all those Old Town passersby with their new, larger, well designed and lit sign on Mountain Road. Studio Hill designed the new larger sign to coordinate with the architecture and to attract attention, day or night. Sign on!

You do not measure up to this goldfish. Now get some video on your website, improve your SEO and engage your visitors.

Posted on March 3, 2014

PastedGraphic-9The average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. Your attention span? A paltry 8 seconds, down from 12, as recently as 4 years ago. Heck, you probably can’t even remember what you had for breakfast, let alone something from 4 years ago.
This statistic might seem alarming to you. But this is the world we live in, where a constant barrage of distractions are hitting us from every direction. Right now, within in your immediate vicinity there is probably a cell phone and an office phone where you can be reached, two email boxes that need answering and a text message coming in from your daughter who needs a ride. Distraction is everywhere. Add to this the fact that you have the entire world-wide-web at your fingertips right now. FlappyBird much? Facebook much? The average office worker checks their email an average 30 times an hour. Wow.

Still with me? I have another number for you – 2.7 minutes. What’s this you say? The entire history of the world? That my friend, is the average length of time that internet users are willing to commit to watching a single video on the web – 2.7 minutes. Compare this to the Neilsen Norman Group’s report that the average page visit is less than a minute, or that the average television commercial is 15 to 30 seconds. Think of what you could do with a 2.7 minute engagement from your website visitors.

Video is your best oportunity to communicate a lot of information quickly. Viewers can see what your products or your services look like and make a meaningful connection with you and your company. A short punchy video can convey in just a few moments what might take 200 words to say. That is powerful.

Further, with yin yang symbiosis, video can improve your SEO. You see, not only does Google index and direct traffic to your video, but once it sees that people are spending a lot of time on your web pages, it increases your SEO page ranking. It’s a win-win.

So if you have made it this far, the next thing you are probably asking is “How do I make a video?” That’s simple. Call us.

As far as goldfish are concerned… wait… what was that about the goldfish?

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wIxNwLX2Cg” ratio=”4:3″ modestbranding=”1″ fs=”1″ rel=”0″]

 

 

What makes a successful social media brand?

Posted on January 30, 2014

free_social_media_icons_image_ubersocialmediaLet me share a little secret with you. You know that social media campaign that your competitor just launched? The one that keeps popping into your customers’ inboxes and social media feeds? The one that has you scrambling to play catch up? Well here is the secret – the intern didn’t do it and neither did the company CEO. No, really. That insightful blog post, the ingenious timing and motivating call to action, the one that got even you to almost press the share button on your Facebook page – they didn’t do that in house. It was written by an advertising and marketing company. The same folks who produce the best advertising, the best billboards, the best print campaigns, and the best brands also produce the best social media content. In the same manner that you went out of your way to hire the best bookkeeper you could find, they went out of their way to hire the best social media expert they could find. And they are kicking your butt.

So what do you do? First you should understand exactly what a social media campaign is. It is building relationships over time backed by a game plan to maintain those relationships. Effective social media is not just posting every other day, tweeting a few times a week and then counting Followers and Likes. Instead, it is publishing engaging useful content on a consistent basis combined with excellent customer service and expertise in your particular industry. What does it get you? More sales. Over time, the cumulative effect of meeting and perhaps exceeding the expectations of your readers, your customers and even your vendors will have them talking. Word gets around.

So is it that simple? Do you just hire someone, give them access to your Facebook account and set them free? Not quite. Think of it like this. In the same way it would be unwise to have nothing more than a New York Times strategy it would be unwise to have a nothing more than a Facebook strategy. Your social presence needs to be a cohesive, integral part of your overall business plan along with your website, brick and mortar, company advertising, marketing and public relations. All of these reflect your company’s philosophy and unique value. To be successful, your social media voice must combine a deep knowledge of your business and offer valuable content delivered with the appropriate tone and an art for persuasion through beautiful creative and branding.

So the secret is out of the bag. Great social media brands don’t just happen. They are created through careful and deliberate planning by experts. Sort of like what your bookkeeper does. If you understand that kind of thing.