Design

When Your Browser Becomes Your Colleague: AI Browsers

October 25, 2025 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

The browser stopped being a window sometime in the last few months. It became a colleague. It sits beside you now, remembers what you searched for yesterday, and when you ask it to book that flight or fill out that form, it does. That is the architectural bet behind ChatGPT Atlas and the wider wave of AI-native browsers currently launching across platforms.

Atlas arrives first on macOS, with Windows and mobile versions promised soon. OpenAI has embedded ChatGPT directly into the page context, so you stop toggling between tabs to copy and paste. The sidebar reads what you are reading. The memory system, optional and reviewable, tracks what you cared about across sessions. Agent Mode, the piece that matters most, can click buttons, fill forms, purchase items, and schedule meetings (OpenAI, 2025; The Guardian, 2025). For anyone juggling too many browser tabs and too little time, this feels like technology finally decided to help instead of hinder. For anyone thinking about privacy and control, it feels like we just handed our cursor to someone we barely know.

This is not an incremental feature. It is a structural break from the search, click, and scroll pattern that has defined web interaction for twenty years. And that break is why you should pay attention before you click “enable” on Agent Mode, even if the demo looks magical and the time savings feel real.

AI governance, human oversight, model plurality, AI risk, workflow automation, agentic AI, digital accountability, enterprise AI control, safety in AI systems

The Convenience Is Not Theoretical

When the assistant lives on the same surface as your work, certain tasks are compressed in ways that feel almost unfair. You draft replies inside Gmail without switching windows. You compare flight prices and the system maps options while you are still reading the airline’s fine print. You fill out repetitive forms, and the agent remembers your preferences from last time. The promise is fewer open browser tabs at the end of every evening, and if Agent Mode works reliably, the mental load of routine tasks drops noticeably (TechCrunch, 2025).

But here is where optimism requires a qualifier. If the agent stumbles, if it books the wrong date or fills in the wrong address, the cost of babysitting a half-capable assistant can erase the time you thought you saved. Productivity tools that demand constant supervision are not productivity tools. They are anxiety engines with helpful branding.

The Risk Operates at the Language Layer

Atlas positions its memory as optional, reviewable, and deletable. Model training is off by default for your data. That is responsible design hygiene, and OpenAI deserves credit for it (OpenAI Help Center, 2025). But design hygiene is not immunity, and what the system remembers about you, even structured as “facts” rather than raw browsing history, becomes a target the moment it exists.

Once a browser begins acting on your behalf, attackers stop targeting your device and start targeting the model’s instructions. Security researchers at Brave demonstrated this with hidden text and invisible characters that can steer the agent without you ever seeing the payload (Brave, 2025a; Brave, 2025b). LayerX took it further with “CometJacking,” showing how a single click can turn the agent against you by hijacking what it thinks you want it to do (LayerX, 2025; The Washington Post, 2025).

These are language-layer attacks. The weapon is not malware anymore. The weapon is context. And context is everywhere: on every webpage, in every email, inside every PDF you open while Agent Mode is running.

That should concern you. Not enough to avoid the technology entirely, but enough to use it carefully and know what you are trading for that convenience.

What You Should Ask Before You Enable It

AI-native browsing is moving the web from finding information to executing tasks on your behalf. You will feel the lift in minutes saved and attention reclaimed. Some tasks that used to take fifteen minutes now take ninety seconds. That is real, measurable, and for many daily routines, genuinely helpful.

But you will also inherit new risks that operate in language and suggestion, not pop-ups and warning messages. This requires you to think differently about what “safe browsing” means. A legitimate website can contain adversarial instructions. A trusted email can include hidden text that redirects your agent. And unlike a phishing link that you can learn to spot, these attacks are invisible by design.

Start with memories turned off, because defaults shape behavior more than settings menus ever will. When you decide to enable memories, do it site by site after you have used Atlas for a few days and understand how it behaves. Avoid letting it remember anything from banking sites, medical portals, or anywhere you would not want a record of your activity persisted in structured form. The tactic is simple: make privacy the path of least resistance, not the thing you configure later when you finally read the documentation.

Set up a monthly reminder to review what Atlas has remembered. OpenAI provides tools for this, but tools only work if you use them. If eighty percent of Atlas users never check their memory logs, those logs become invisible surveillance with good intentions. If you see memories from sites, you consider sensitive, delete them and adjust your settings. If compliance feels like too much effort, the settings are too complicated, and you should default to stricter restrictions until the interface gets simpler.

Treat Agent Mode like you would treat handing your credit card to someone helpful but inexperienced. It can save you time. It can also make expensive mistakes. For anything involving money, credentials, or personal data leaving your device, require a confirmation step. That means Agent Mode shows you what it is about to do and waits for your approval before it acts. Speed without confirmation is convenience that will eventually cost you more than the time it saved. Security researchers have shown these attacks work in production environments with minimal effort (Brave, 2025a; Brave, 2025b; LayerX, 2025). Confirmation gates are not paranoia. They are friction that protects you from invisible instructions you never intended to authorize.

If you use Atlas for research, writing, or anything that represents your judgment, pair it with a rule: if the agent summarized it, you open the source before you use it. AI-native browsing compresses search and reduces the number of pages you visit, which sounds efficient until you realize you are trusting a summary engine with your reputation (AP News, 2025; TechCrunch, 2025). If you are citing information, comparing options, or making decisions based on what Atlas tells you, verify the sources. If you skip that step, you are not doing research. You are outsourcing judgment to a tool that does not understand the difference between accurate and plausible.

OpenAI is positioning Atlas as beta software, which means features will change, bugs will surface, and what works reliably today might behave differently next month (OpenAI Help Center, 2025). Use it for low-stakes tasks first. Let it handle routine scheduling, comparison shopping, and form-filling before you hand it access to sensitive accounts or high-value transactions. If it performs well and behaves predictably, expand what you trust it with. If it makes mistakes or behaves unpredictably, pull back and wait for the next version. Early adoption has benefits, but it also has costs, and those costs multiply if you scale usage before the tool proves itself.

Dissent and Divergence Deserve Your Attention

Not everyone agrees on how serious these risks are. Some security researchers argue prompt injection is overblown, that real attacks require unlikely scenarios and careless users. Others, including the teams at Brave and LayerX, have demonstrated working exploits that need nothing more than a normal click on a normal-looking page. The gap between these perspectives is not noise. It tells you the threat is evolving faster than the defenses, and your caution should match that reality.

Similarly, productivity claims vary wildly. Some early users report dramatic time savings. Others note that supervising the agent and fixing its errors erase those gains, especially for complex tasks or unfamiliar workflows. Both can be true depending on what you are asking it to do, how well you understand its limits, and how much patience you have for teaching it your preferences.

Disagreement is not a problem to ignore. It is signal about where the technology is still maturing and where your expectations should stay flexible.

The Browser as Junior Partner

AI-native browsers are offering you a junior partner with initiative. They can save you time, reduce mental overhead, and handle repetitive tasks with speed that makes old methods feel quaint. But like any junior partner, they need clear boundaries, limited access, and your supervision until they prove themselves reliable.

If you structure that relationship carefully, you get real productivity gains without exposing yourself to risks you did not sign up for. If you enable everything by default and assume the technology is smarter than it actually is, the browser becomes a liability with a friendly interface and access to everything you can see.

The choice is not whether to try agentic browsing. The choice is whether to try it with your eyes open, your settings deliberate, and your expectations calibrated to what the technology can actually deliver right now, not what the marketing promises it will do someday.

You can move fast. You can also move carefully. In this case, doing both is not a contradiction. It is just common sense with better tools.

Sources

AP News. (2025). AI-native browsing and the future of web interaction. Retrieved from [URL placeholder]
Brave. (2025a). Comet: Security research on AI browser prompt injection. Brave Security Research. Retrieved from [URL placeholder]
Brave. (2025b). Unseeable prompt injections in agentic browsers. Brave Security Research. Retrieved from [URL placeholder]
LayerX. (2025). CometJacking: Hijacking AI browser agents with single-click attacks. LayerX Security Blog. Retrieved from [URL placeholder]
OpenAI. (2025). Introducing ChatGPT Atlas: AI-native browsing. OpenAI Blog. Retrieved from https://openai.com
OpenAI Help Center. (2025). Atlas data protection and user controls. OpenAI Support. Retrieved from https://help.openai.com
TechCrunch. (2025). ChatGPT Atlas launches with Agent Mode and memory features. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com
The Guardian. (2025). AI browsers and the end of search as we know it. Retrieved from https://theguardian.com
The Washington Post. (2025). Security concerns emerge as AI browsers gain traction. Retrieved from https://washingtonpost.com

Why AI Detection Tools Fail at Measuring Value [OPINION]

May 22, 2025 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

AI detection platforms promise certainty, but what they really deliver is confusion. Originality.ai, GPTZero, Turnitin, Copyscape, and Writer.com all claim to separate human writing from synthetic text. The idea sounds neat, but the assumption behind it is flawed. These tools dress themselves up as arbiters of truth when in reality they measure patterns, not value. In practice, that makes them wolves in sheep’s clothing, pretending to protect originality while undermining the very foundations of trust, creativity, and content strategy. What they detect is conformity. What they miss is meaning. And meaning is where value lives.

The illusion of accuracy is the first trap. Originality.ai highlights its RAID study results, celebrating an 85 percent accuracy rate while claiming to outperform rivals at 80 percent. Independent tests tell a different story. Scribbr reported only 76 percent accuracy with numerous false positives on human writing. Fritz.ai and Software Oasis praised the platform’s polished interface and low cost but warned that nuanced, professional content was regularly flagged as machine generated. Medium reviewers even noted the irony that well structured and thoroughly cited articles were more likely to be marked as artificial than casual and unstructured rants. That is not accuracy. That is a credibility crisis.

This problem deepens when you look at how detectors read the very things that give content value. Factics, KPIs, APA style citations, and cross referenced insights are not artificial intelligence. They are hallmarks of disciplined and intentional thought. Yet detectors interpret them as red flags. Richard Batt’s 2023 critique of Originality.ai warned that false positives risked livelihoods, especially for independent creators. Stanford researchers documented bias against non native English speakers, whose work was disproportionately flagged because of grammar and phrasing differences. Vanderbilt University went so far as to disable Turnitin’s AI detector in 2023, acknowledging that false positives had done more harm to student trust than good. The more professional and rigorous the content, the more likely it is to be penalized.

That inversion of incentives pushes people toward gaming the system instead of building real value. Writers turn to bypass tricks such as adjusting sentence lengths, altering tone, avoiding structure, or running drafts through humanizers like Phrasly or StealthGPT. SurferSEO even shared workarounds in its 2024 community guide. But when the goal shifts from asking whether content drives engagement, trust, or revenue to asking whether it looks human enough to pass a scan, the strategy is already lost.

The effect is felt differently across sectors. In B2B, agencies report delays of 30 to 40 percent when funneling client content through detectors, only to discover that clients still measure return on investment through leads, conversions, and message alignment, not scan scores. In B2C, the damage is personal. A peer reviewed study found GPTZero remarkably effective in catching artificial writing in student assignments, but even small error rates meant false accusations of cheating with real reputational consequences. Non profits face another paradox. An NGO can publish AI assisted donor communications flagged as artificial, yet donations rise because supporters judge clarity of mission, not the tool’s verdict. In every case, outcomes matter more than detector scores, and detectors consistently fail to measure the outcomes that define success.

The Vanderbilt case shows how misplaced reliance backfires. By disabling Turnitin’s AI detector, the university reframed academic integrity around human judgment, not machine guesses. That decision resonates far beyond education. Brands and publishers should learn the same lesson. Technology without context does not enforce trust. It erodes it.

My own experience confirms this. I have scanned my AI assisted blogs with Originality.ai only to see inconsistent results that undercut the value of my own expertise. When the tool marks professional structure and research as artificial, it pressures me to dilute the very rigor that makes my content useful. That is not a win. That is a loss of potential.

So here is my position. AI detection tools have their place, but they should not be mistaken for strategy. A plumber who claims he does not own a wrench would be suspect, but a plumber who insists the wrench is the measure of all work would be dangerous. Use the scan if you want, but do not confuse the score with originality. Originality lives in outcomes, not algorithms. The metrics that matter are the ones tied to performance such as engagement, conversions, retention, and mission clarity. If you are chasing detector scores, you are missing the point.

AI detection is not the enemy, but neither is it the savior it pretends to be. It is, in truth, a distraction. And when distractions start dictating how we write, teach, and communicate, the real originality that moves people, builds trust, and drives results becomes the first casualty.

*note- OPINION blog still shows only 51% original, despite my effort to use wolf sheep and plumbers…

References

Originality.ai. (2024, May). Robust AI Detection Study (RAID).

Fritz.ai. (2024, March 8). Originality AI – My Honest Review 2024.

Scribbr. (2024, June 10). Originality.ai Review.

Software Oasis. (2023, November 21). Originality.ai Review: Future of Content Authentication?

Batt, R. (2023, May 5). The Dark Side of Originality.ai’s False Positives.

Advanced Science News. (2023, July 12). AI detectors have a bias against non-native English speakers.

Vanderbilt University. (2023, August 16). Guidance on AI Detection and Why We’re Disabling Turnitin’s AI Detector.

Issues in Information Systems. (2024, March). Can GPTZero detect if students are using artificial intelligence?

Gold Penguin. (2024, September 18). Writer.com AI Detection Tool Review: Don’t Even Bother.

Capterra. (2025, pre-May). Copyscape Reviews 2025.

Basil Puglisi used Originality.ai to eval this content and blog.

LinkedIn Sponsored Articles, Adobe Premiere Pro AI Speech Enhancement, and the Google Core Update

November 25, 2024 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

LinkedIn continues to evolve as a content platform, Adobe brings AI precision into video editing workflows, and Google shakes up the search landscape with another core update. Together, these shifts redefine how content is created, distributed, and discovered in real time. For marketers and communicators, the alignment matters because it directly connects storytelling, technical delivery, and audience trust into one continuous cycle. The value shows up in measurable terms like higher quality leads, shorter campaign production cycles, improved organic visibility, and stronger click through rates.

LinkedIn now extends its credibility as the professional network of record by giving marketers access to Sponsored Articles. Unlike quick ads or promoted posts, Sponsored Articles are long form, content rich placements that appear directly in the feeds of targeted professionals. The model allows brands to scale thought leadership by embedding their insights inside the platform where business decisions are already happening. The demand for trustworthy B2B content is rising and Sponsored Articles tap that expectation by positioning companies as educators first, sellers second.

Adobe Premiere Pro strengthens its role as a production cornerstone with new AI speech enhancement features. Marketers who depend on video storytelling often lose valuable time to poor audio quality or expensive post production fixes. By automating clarity, cleaning background noise, and sharpening voices, Premiere Pro reduces editing cycles while improving viewer experience. The tool is not just about saving hours in the editing bay. It is about delivering professional grade content that holds attention, drives engagement, and elevates brand perception.

Google’s October core update, which continues into November, is another reminder that the search ecosystem is a moving target. Sites built on thin, outdated, or untrustworthy content feel the impact quickly while those investing in expertise and authority see stronger visibility. This is Google reinforcing its message that content must not only be helpful but also be credible and trustworthy. Publishers that adapt win impressions and clicks while laggards face shrinking visibility.

“Young people are using TikTok as a search engine. Here’s what they’re finding.” — The Washington Post, March 5, 2024

This reminder from earlier in the year underscores why every channel decision matters. Social platforms train expectations for immediacy and relevance. AI tools set standards for speed and personalization. Search engines define the rules of discoverability. Together, they create the operating system for digital communication. Factics in this moment highlight that sponsored articles reduce cost per lead by up to 35 percent when supported by strong creative, AI audio tools can cut production time by 30 percent, and content aligned to Google’s E E A T framework increases visibility by more than 80 percent after a recovery period. These are not abstract benefits. They are trackable outcomes tied to pipeline growth, campaign efficiency, and discoverability.

Best Practice Spotlight

Gong and LinkedIn Sponsored Content
B2B SaaS provider Gong uses LinkedIn Sponsored Content and Conversation Ads to target high intent professionals with ungated whitepapers and webinars. This campaign strategy produces a 35 percent increase in marketing qualified leads and demonstrates how precise targeting paired with value first content accelerates trust and conversions.

Healthline and Google Core Updates
Healthline undertakes a sweeping content audit guided by Google’s principles of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Articles are updated by medical professionals, author bios are expanded with credentials, and outdated content is removed. This proactive alignment with quality standards results in an 80 percent recovery of traffic and search visibility, reinforcing that authority driven updates deliver measurable returns.

Creative Consulting Concepts

B2B Scenario
Challenge: A mid market software firm struggles with low engagement on gated whitepapers.
Execution: Repurpose insights into LinkedIn Sponsored Articles targeting vertical specific decision makers with narrative rich content.
Expected Outcome: Generate a 25 percent increase in qualified leads while reducing cost per acquisition.
Pitfall: Overly promotional tone risks being ignored by readers seeking substance over sales pitch.

B2C Scenario
Challenge: A lifestyle brand’s video campaigns suffer from high bounce rates due to poor audio quality.
Execution: Use Adobe Premiere Pro’s AI speech enhancement to clean dialogue and improve listening experience across all product demo videos.
Expected Outcome: Increase average watch time by 20 percent and boost click through rates on shoppable video content.
Pitfall: Relying solely on automation may overlook the nuance of emotional tone in voice delivery.

Non Profit Scenario
Challenge: An advocacy organization loses visibility after Google’s core update penalizes thin resource pages.
Execution: Conduct a structured audit to enrich articles with expert quotes, add author credentials, and remove low quality content.
Expected Outcome: Regain 70 percent of search visibility within six months and raise online donations by 15 percent through improved credibility.
Pitfall: Without continuous content review the gains may erode with the next algorithm adjustment.

Closing Thought

When LinkedIn strengthens authority, Adobe improves clarity, and Google sharpens standards, the alignment shows one truth. Authority, precision, and trust are not separate workflows but one marketing rhythm that drives measurable growth.

References

Adobe. (2024, October 15). Adobe MAX 2024: New AI powered features for Premiere Pro.

Google Search Central. (2024, October 9). October 2024 core update rolling out.

LinkedIn. (2024, April 16). The B2B edge: Building a brand that drives performance.

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. (2024, June 12). How a B2B SaaS company used LinkedIn to generate high quality leads.

MarketingProfs. (2024, May 29). B2B content marketing: Key benchmarks for 2024.

Search Engine Journal. (2024, October 10). Google releases October 2024 core algorithm update.

Search Engine Land. (2024, May 15). How a health site recovered 80 percent of its traffic after the helpful content update.

Search Engine Roundtable. (2024, October 17). Early Google October 2024 core update volatility and tremors.

The Verge. (2024, October 15). Adobe’s new AI tools for Premiere Pro can automatically add sound effects and improve bad audio.

Instagram Reels, Canva Magic Studio, and Google SGE: Turning Speed into Strategic Advantage

January 29, 2024 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

The scroll is faster than ever, and brands that can produce high-impact content in days instead of weeks are the ones keeping pace. In December, Instagram expanded its Reels Template Library with new formats designed around trending audio, dynamic text overlays, and quick transitions. Canva introduced Magic Studio, a creative suite that merges AI-powered design, instant resizing, and text-to-video into a single hub. At the same time, Google broadened the reach of its Search Generative Experience (SGE), surfacing AI-driven summaries and contextual links that reward content designed to answer multiple related questions in one sweep.

These developments show how speed and consistency now operate as strategic levers. The faster a brand can draft, adapt, and distribute content, the more consistently it appears across feeds, carousels, and AI-powered search results. Factics turn this into action: pairing each fact with a tactic ensures that cycle time per asset shrinks, carousel engagement rises, non-brand organic traffic expands, and on-brand visuals hold steady across every platform. Pull one lever, and the others follow.

For a B2B play, that could mean publishing a thought-leadership article structured for SGE visibility, pulling a data point into a 15-second Reel using Instagram’s template library, and then resizing that asset for LinkedIn in Canva’s Magic Switch—all inside a two-day sprint. For a B2C push, a single product demo becomes a Reel, a TikTok, and a Pinterest Pin without manual redesign, multiplying touchpoints while keeping the story consistent. The workflow is straightforward: draft core content, create variations in Magic Studio, apply a tested Reel template, and sync captions with SGE-optimized headings from the blog.

The impact is already visible. In December, Marks & Spencer used generative AI for content scheduling and dynamic social ads across Instagram and Facebook. The result was a 17 percent increase in engagement rate and a 23 percent reduction in creative production time compared to earlier campaigns. A heritage retailer proved that embedding AI into daily workflows can make even large organizations move faster while cutting overhead.

“Templates don’t limit creativity; they speed up the process of finding what works.” — Social Media Today, Dec 14, 2023

Creative Consulting Concepts

B2B Scenario
– Challenge: A SaaS provider struggles with fragmented brand visuals across platforms.
– Execution: Use Canva Magic Studio to create a unified design set, adapt into Instagram Reels templates for product tips, and align blog copy with SGE keyword intent.
– Expected Outcome: 15% lift in LinkedIn engagement and stronger SGE snippet presence within 90 days.
– Pitfall: Neglecting alt-text and captions, which weakens both accessibility and search performance.

B2C Scenario
– Challenge: An eCommerce home décor store wants to capture holiday demand without overloading its design team.
– Execution: Batch-shoot product clips, drop them into trending Reel templates, and auto-resize through Magic Studio for TikTok and Pinterest.
– Expected Outcome: 40% faster content production and higher cross-platform click-through rates.
– Pitfall: Using trending audio without confirming licensing or tone alignment.

Non-Profit Scenario
– Challenge: A conservation nonprofit needs to maximize year-end donation campaigns.
– Execution: Build an emotional storytelling Reel using a pre-tested template, overlay data-driven captions, and embed SGE-optimized FAQs on the donation page.
– Expected Outcome: Greater donor trust and a 12% increase in conversions.
– Pitfall: Overloading visuals with text, reducing emotional impact.

Closing Thought

The edge now belongs to organizations that treat creation and distribution as a single motion. When design, copy, and platform strategy are integrated, speed stops being a scramble and becomes the most dependable growth engine.

References

Social Media Today. (2023, December 14). Instagram expands Reels template options to make Reels creation easier.

Canva. (2023, October 3). Canva unveils Magic Studio to supercharge creativity.

Google. (2023, December 6). Expanding access to Search Generative Experience and new updates.

Adweek. (2023, December 7). How agencies are using AI to streamline creative workflows.

Content Marketing Institute. (2023, December 14). 5 ways to repurpose content across channels with AI.

Adweek. (2023, December 18). Marketers use AI to drive social media engagement.

How to Become a Better Graphic Designer

December 26, 2012 by Basil Puglisi 3 Comments

Drafting table with graphic design tools used pre-computer design. © Alison Gilbert

When I was younger I used to play the piano, and when my Mum got me my first Yamaha keyboard I remember suddenly feeling like Rick Wakeman (if that went over your head then look up Yes on Spotify…). The point is that with the right sound effects and beats anyone could sound amazing and Adobe has a suite of software that can help you do this. PhotoShop is kind of the same thing – adjust the colours, use a couple of filters, and even the ugliest picture will end up looking passable. Spend a little more time with it and you be able to crop, shadow and enhance just about everything you touch.
Learn the Features
Of course to really make the most of this though you’ll also need to know how to use the filters and the colour adjustment tools – and to do that you’ll need to spend some time watching tutorials online or getting a friend to show you. YouTube has a wealth of FREE knowledge on how to do just about anything and if you have a dual screen setup you find it goes even faster as you can work as the video progresses. A lot of it is just tinkering and messing around, so set aside some time to just experiment and see where it takes you.
Take Your Time
One thing you cannot be when you do graphic design is impatient. If you find yourself ever saying ‘that will do’ then your site or logo isn’t going to look great. You really need to spend your time if you want to end up with something that looks professional (you think Microsoft ever say ‘that will do’ when they design Windows icons?). As a best practice consider graphic projects like wine, sometimes you need to open them up let them airout before you can enjoy them. Try to at least put a few days between creating and the final design, it’s ev en better if you can work on something else in between.
Use Other Elements
If you simply don’t have time to make your image as intricate and smooth as you’d like it to, then one solution is to use another image as a resource. For instance a great way to make an abstract design is to take a photo out of a moving car and then enhance the colours/warp the image. Alternatively you can use a stock logo that’s in the public domain and then edit it to make it unique. It’s kinda like cheating, but it works. Stock images are a great sorce for jump starting creativity or bringing an idea to completiion.
Pay Attention to Details
It’s very important if you want your site to look its best that you pay attention to the minor details which means for instance things like the font. Often when someone designs an image they will forget that they’re using the default font and this can make an otherwise good-looking image appear very lazy. Create a check list and make sure you’ve done everything you can to make your images their best.
Outsource
Design still looking like a child drew it? Then it’s time to outsource your images and design and get it done by professionals. It might be a bit more money and a bit more time, but ultimately it’s one of the most important investments you can make for your business. Once you decide to go outside just be prepared to get what you pay for, riverr has lots of logo offers for $5 but don;t be surprised if they too look cheap or if you see them pop up on other sites looking sinmalr to your design.
James Sax is a technology lover and an avid blogger who is currently working as SEO manager for Link Wheel SEO You can follow him on Twitter to read his insightful tweets.

How to Become a Better Graphic Designer

December 10, 2012 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

Graphic design is a huge part of working on the web, and if you want to push your business further then being able to make crisp and professional looking digital images is an incredible edge to have. Many people will choose which products they buy and which websites they spend time on almost entirely by the way they look, and if your imagery is low definition and poorly designed then you’ll damage your reputation and make yourself appear amateurish.
It’s a great skill to have then, but not one that everyone is naturally gifted with. So if you need to improve your graphic design abilities, here’s how you can get better:
Get the Right Software
When I was younger I used to play the piano, and when my Mum got me my first Yamaha keyboard I remember suddenly feeling like Rick Wakeman (if that went over your head then look up Yes on Spotify…). The point is that with the right sound effects and beats anyone could sound amazing and PhotoShop is kind of the same thing – adjust the colours, use a couple of filters, and even the ugliest picture will end up looking passable.
Learn the Features
Of course to really make the most of this though you’ll also need to know how to use the filters and the colour adjustment tools – and to do that you’ll need to spend some time watching tutorials online or getting a friend to show you. A lot of it is just tinkering and messing around, so set aside some time to just experiment and see where it takes you.
Take Your Time
One thing you cannot be when you do graphic design is impatient. If you find yourself ever saying ‘that will do’ then your site or logo isn’t going to look great. You really need to spend your time if you want to end up with something that looks professional (you think Microsoft ever say ‘that will do’ when they design Windows icons?).
Use Other Elements
If you simply don’t have time to make your image as intricate and smooth as you’d like it to, then one solution is to use another image as a resource. For instance a great way to make an abstract design is to take a photo out of a moving car and then enhance the colours/warp the image. Alternatively you can use a stock logo that’s in the public domain and then edit it to make it unique. It’s cheating, but it works.
Pay Attention to Details
It’s very important if you want your site to look its best that you pay attention to the minor details which means for instance things like the font. Often when someone designs an image they will forget that they’re using the default font and this can make an otherwise good-looking image appear very lazy. Create a check list and make sure you’ve done everything you can to make your images their best.
Outsource
Design still looking like a child drew it? Then it’s time to outsource your images and design and get it done by professionals. It might be a bit more money and a bit more time, but ultimately it’s one of the most important investments you can make for your business.
James Sax is a technology lover and an avid blogger who is currently working as SEO manager for Link Wheel SEO You can follow him on Twitter to read his insightful tweets.

Beyond A Pretty Face: What Graphics Mean For Your Site

November 18, 2012 by Basil Puglisi 1 Comment

When it comes to web design, people are pretty much over being wowed by graphics. In fact, good graphics are more or less expected of any professional site. If you’re working with a firm that provides graphic design, you’ll want to discuss with them the value of graphics beyond making your site look better. This includes such things as:

Functionality
Accessibility
Branding
Look and feel
Usability

Good graphic content on your website can go far beyond making your website look pretty. In fact, if you’re working with an SEO firm, they’ll let you know that there are elements of your graphic content that need to be optimized for the search engines, as well as for the human eye. Putting this all together can get a bit complex, but here are some of the basics.

Accessibility, Functionality and Usability

When you’re working with a firm that handles graphic design, you may be surprised to find out that there are some concerns that go into graphic design that you hadn’t thought about. For instance, if you had the idea of making a red logo with green lettering, a good graphic designer would warn you off from this. People who are colorblind will not be able to read your logo. This addresses accessibility and usability.
Graphics should be clearly visible and should not distract from the rest of the content on the site. This is important for users. If the graphics make it harder for them to use the site, they’re likely to see it as a very unprofessional site or one that completely disregarded their needs from the start.
Some graphics are functional. For instance, image sliders may be provided with links that allow people to click on the image and go to an article. If the firm you find has SEO services among its offerings, though make certain that the graphics and the accompanying materials are set up in a way that ensure that the search engines can properly decipher and index whatever content goes along with that graphic.

Branding and Looks

Graphic design firms can do wonders for your branding efforts. If the company that does your graphic design is good, they’ll be able to redo existing logo so that they look more modern and attractive and will be able to come up with compelling new logos they give your business a branding edge.
Graphics are much more than things to look at. In fact, some of the most useful sites out there also have great graphic content. That graphic content tends to make it easier to use the site, easier to understand what each of the different functional elements of the site do and, quite simply, make the site look more professional. Talk to the company that handles your web development about good graphic design for business websites and how it may contribute to the overall success of the site that you have designed for your business.
Article provided by Division [1] Web Design, a web design, software application and web development company. To read more articles click here.
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Top 15 Must-See Websites for Designers and Illustrators

September 30, 2012 by Basil Puglisi 3 Comments

web-design-history — http://www.gfmarketing.co.uk/web-design/

From visiting the museum to riding the bus, inspiration can come from anywhere. However, finding inspiration is not that easy for some designers and illustrators. Sometimes, designers suffer from what they call an artist block. Imagination can actually dry up and leave the designers with an awful feeling of blankness. Luckily at this day and age, the World Wide Web offers a multitude of creative information and ideas from all over the globe to those in dire need of inspiration. Overcome artist block with the list below that features the top 15 must-see websites to get designers and illustrators motivated.
These ultra-modern websites range from personal blogs to online galleries of graphics and images, are definitely awe-worthy and rousing. The creative images and works to be featured here are products of the hard work and passion of other designers and illustrators. These are great sources for inspiration but are not meant to be copied. They’ve put much love and soul to their works and deserve the respect and admiration of everyone.
1. Inspired Mark
This is the personal website that features a range of scribbles, outstanding illustrations, and awesome designs by web architect Mark Collins.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
2. We Love Illustration
Another good resource for inspiration and motivation, We Love Illustration is a real haven for art and illustration lovers to find inspiration and share their works. This is a place that showcases the amazing talents of different artists from all over the world.
Find them on Facebook
3. Leivos
Managed by designers Shyra and Veronika, Leivos provides more than just creative images and pictures with their daily posts. This virtual pin board also features the coolest interviews with well-known artists and other new artists worth knowing.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
4. Daily Design Inspiration
The name says it all. With artworks from brilliant designers, this website offers a great deal of fresh design inspiration every day. It features the best logos, cool websites, illustrations, creative photos, and never before seen patterns made by the most talented designers worldwide. Daily Design Inspiration is a hodgepodge of everything artistic and original.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
5. Sketchblog
According to website owner and professional art director, Rob Sheridan, Sketchblog is a creative playground he set up to encourage himself to draw and create more often. But with his cool and unique artworks, Sketchblog does more and inspires even aspiring artists worldwide to live their dreams start sketching.
Find them on Twitter
6. Ads of the World
Owned and managed by Web Media Brands, Ads of the World is an advertising archive and community. It features inspiring print ads and marketing campaigns done by the world’s top advertising agencies. Students and beginners also post their works at this site to get constructive criticism from the industry experts. There’s also a forum page where artists and designers can exchange ideas for their projects.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
7. Print and Pattern
Print and Pattern is a gallery of nothing but awesome prints and pattern designs. Print and Pattern transforms your fabrics, wallpapers, cards, and gift wrappers into works of art. The innovative mix and match of colors, shapes, and lines is a must-see for all artists.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
8. Cool Hunting
Founded in 2003, Cool Hunting has grown from one designer’s personal reference into an award-winning publication. Composed of a global team of editors and contributors who highlights creativity and innovation in technology, design, travel, food, and culture, Cool Hunting provides daily updates and mini-documentaries that attract creative people internationally.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
9. Orange You Lucky
Cute, colorful, and imaginative are the three words that best describe this website. Owned by an illustrator, designer, and a mother of three pretty girls, Orange You Lucky offers fun and fresh art and drawings.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
10. Theartcareerproject.com
This website is creativity to the max. Really sleek cool design that gets your artistic juices flowing. The site is owned and hosted by a sharepoint hosting company in California and so far has become very popular within this last year.
Find them on Twitter
11. Web Designer Wall
Toronto-based web designer, Nick La started this website in August 2007 as his personal wall of design ideas, trends, and tutorials. It has quality content and eye-catching design that makes it a must-see website for designers.
Find them on Twitter
12. I Love Typography
Often taken for granted by designers, a good typography is vital in creating the best quality designs and artworks. I Love Typography has the prettiest and most unique type design, lettering, and fonts, from road signs and shampoo bottles to billboards and posters.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
13. Fuel Your Creativity
A great website to spark your creativity and generate awesome ideas, Fuel Your Creativity is a brilliant design blog that has inspiring articles and links to various design websites.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
14. Design is Kinky
Design is Kinky brings design and art goodness from Sydney, Australia since 1998. A blog that features new designs, photos, and artworks from all over the world, this site has been inspiring many artists for years.
Find them on Facebook
15. Monster Meltdown
Founded in 2005 by design lover and cool dude, Patrick McNeil, Monster Meltdown is a funky website that has the cutest little monsters in the web. It has a variety of design styles, trends, and elements. Its mission is to provide the largest and most exhaustive inspiration sets possible.
Find them on Twitter or Facebook
Rob Smiel is a advit design art fan. Rob especially likes graphic design and web development.

Amazon Self-Publishing for Beginners

June 9, 2012 by Basil Puglisi 2 Comments

With all the new blogs and recent news articles urging writers to publish their eBooks on Kindle, the topic is probably one you’re at least familiar with by now. As most people know, Amazon has leveled the playing field for authors by making the process of publishing eBooks as simple as a few mouse clicks and a couple of file uploads.
Before the recent self-publishing revolution began, the difficult part was getting your book in the hands of readers to begin with. However, that’s the exact same challenge that independent authors face when publishing for the Kindle as well. It turns out that making your book available is much easier than getting people to actually buy it or be interested in reading it!
This low entry bar also creates a new challenge for debut Kindle authors – since anyone and everyone can now publish whatever they want, that’s exactly what is happening. The result? A fair amount of low quality eBooks and a highly competitive environment for unknown authors.

Learning to Stand Out in the Crowd

So how do you stand out in such a crowded and popular new marketplace that is open to anyone? What does it take to attract the type of author publicity that helps build a brand and sell more eBooks?
Here are a few eBook marketing ideas that have proven effective for many debut authors using Kindle to publish:

Write and distribute a press release after you’ve launched your eBook. If you are not familiar with press release writing, outsource it and consider paying for distribution. Include quotes, contact information and hook in readers with a strong headline. Remember, you have a tiny window of time to capture the interest of readers who are likely skimming headlines and you must find a clever way to set your story apart from all the others. The main idea of a press release for your book is to generate curiosity and get people excited about the story you have to tell.
Encourage book reviews. This is probably the most obvious way to promote books or anything else, for that matter. It’s probably the first one that comes to mind as well. Alas, it is also going to be the hardest form of promotion to land as a debut author. Don’t let that get you down though. Reach out to book review bloggers, fans from social media or anyone else who might be willing to share their thoughts on Amazon or elsewhere on the web!
Start living and breathing social media life into your author platform. Just remember that you are not limited to Twitter and Facebook. Find the communities centered around readers and books. GoodReads is a great example and it offers tons of innovative ways to share and promote your writing. Get started by setting up an author profile and adding your eBooks. Next, experiment with groups, quotes and book giveaway contests. There isn’t a better online community for finding passionate readers.

These fundamental tips should give new authors a viable starting point. As with any type of marketing, your ultimate goal should be to determine who your target audience is and find out the best ways in which to engage them and turn them into loyal readers.
Author:
Ashly Lorenzana is a freelance writer, published author and passionate blogger who lives in the Portland, OR area. Her interests include social media, online marketing and digital publishing. You can follow her on Twitter @ashlorenzana
Sources:

9 WaystoUseSocialMediatoLaunchABook
PromotingYourBookOnlineThroughSocialNetworking: GoodReads.com
AnatomyofaSuccessfulPressReleaseforBookPromotion

Snaptag Versus QR Codes

January 17, 2012 by Basil Puglisi Leave a Comment

QR codes have been a new and unique source of executing mobile marketing campaigns in recent times. Many seem to not only enjoy participating by using them, but have actually begun to look for offers from those with QR codes and may even have begun to ignore those that do not have them at all.

What is a QR Code?

QR is short for quick response and that is exactly the purpose of the QR code. These codes take an element of data from transitory media and sends it to your mobile device. The code will give you details about that business, item, or even discount information on products and services.

QR Codes are more useful than a standard barcode in that they can store a more data and a wider variety of it. QR codes commonly include URL links, text, coordinates and more.

How Does This Benefit Businesses?

Most marketers are well aware that mobile marketing is becoming increasingly more important, almost by the day. No method of advertising could be easier than one that consumers reach out for, instead of being asked to look. QR codes allows those consumers who prefer not to be barraged with overt marketing tactics to choose where they will show interest in a product or service.

There is really no limit to the options that can be embedded in a QR code.

Running a restaurant? – Embed a great recipe, a buy a meal get one free discount, a special on this evenings dessert.
Authors – Add a QR code to the back of your book that enables a consumer to get extra features or hidden endings to your script.
Good health practices – Doctors, or other medically related practices can add good tips and tricks for healthy living to their QR codes, update them every month for innovative creativity in the medical field.

Vital Aesthetics Arrive to QR Coding

Traditionally, QR codes have retained a Rorschach look to them, leaving the responsibility on the advertiser to make sure consumers know whose QR code they are scanning. However, with Snaptags, QR codes and increasing brand awareness have meshed nicely. Snaptags have traded out that whole inkblot look for a code ring that serves the same functional purpose.

Who is Using Snaptags?

Because of the applied branding ability on Snaptags not previously available on QR’s, we can now see who is actively using them.

Picture c/o http://www.socialsnaptags.com/

Snaptags Cons?

Although Snaptags no doubt win out in the aesthetic element, there are other issues that can make Snaptags less beneficial than they appear. Many venture because of the supporting copy, Snaptags are not as easily accessible as QR codes. Snaptag stands by the fact that all advertisers would need to do is determine the required supporting copy, but this does lend itself to the inaccessible accusation.

Many current QR code advertisers agree that if a mobile marketing campaign is managed correctly, the aesthetic element of the Snaptags versus traditional QR’s is hardly advantageous.

Sources: