Musings and discoveries laid down here as a guide — rule of thumb — about the visual and interactive landscape. Inclusive of graphic design, photography, typography, advertising, marketing, direct to consumer, social media, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, and social media marketing.

History of the Golden Circle

The art world has felt the influence of the Golden Ratio for centuries. Also known as the Golden Section or the Divine Proportion, this mathematical principle is an expression of the ratio of two sums whereby their ratio is equal to the larger of the two quantities. Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper (1494-99). Image: Wikipedia. [...]

By |2020-07-02T11:55:34-04:00July 2nd, 2020|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on History of the Golden Circle

Keep Your Message on Point with On-Page Optimization

When preparing your release to the media use your tactic of having your message optimized on your page.  Be sure to include the keywords and phrases that best point to your product or company.  In addition, supply your document with hot links connecting to each element of discussion to the relevant page of your website. [...]

By |2015-08-18T16:40:12-04:00August 18th, 2015|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Keep Your Message on Point with On-Page Optimization

Facebook Checklist

Titled as facebook Marketing Strategies by  - this handy checklist is a good desktop reference for marketers exploring facebook as part of their social marketing mix.

By |2015-06-02T10:38:51-04:00June 2nd, 2015|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Facebook Checklist

Principles of Design: Unity

The principle of unity is perhaps the most important of the design principles, yet it is often the most difficult to understand. Unity is the fundamental principle of design and it is supported by all the other principles. If a design is not unified, it cannot be considered successful. Unity creates an integrated image in [...]

By |2014-12-07T08:51:57-05:00December 7th, 2014|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Principles of Design: Unity

Principles of Design: Spacial Relationship

Space, in two-dimensional design, is essentially flat; it has height and width, but no depth. There are certain visual cues, however, that can create the illusion of space in the mind of the viewer. By using those cues, artists and designers can create images that are interpreted as three-dimensional. Size is one of the easiest [...]

By |2014-12-07T08:52:32-05:00December 7th, 2014|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Principles of Design: Spacial Relationship

Principles of Design: Balance

Balance is the equal distribution of visual weight in a design. Visual balance occurs around a vertical axis; our eyes require the visual weight to be equal on the two sides of the axis. We are bilateral creatures and our sense of balance is innate. When elements are not balanced around a vertical axis, the [...]

By |2014-12-07T08:52:50-05:00December 7th, 2014|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Principles of Design: Balance

Psychology of Color

The psychology of color as it relates to persuasion is one of the most interesting—and most controversial—aspects of marketing. The reason: Most of today’s conversations on colors and persuasion consist of hunches, anecdotal evidence and advertisers blowing smoke about “colors and the mind.” To alleviate this trend and give proper treatment to a truly fascinating [...]

By |2014-12-07T08:57:41-05:00December 6th, 2014|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Psychology of Color

Responsive vs Adaptive: A Primer for all Marketers and Developers

Most, if not all, of the Fortune 500 companies have it figured out already. Most of theFortune 1000 companies also have it figured out. There are still hold-outs in the corporate world, however, when it comes to responsive website design. A few corporations simply haven’t gotten the message yet that the online world has changed profoundly [...]

By |2014-07-30T12:51:04-04:00July 30th, 2014|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on Responsive vs Adaptive: A Primer for all Marketers and Developers

A Visual Guide to Keyword Targeting and On-Page SEO

How do I build the perfectly optimized page? This is a challenging question for many in the SEO and web marketing fields. There are hundreds of "best practices" lists for where to place keywords and how to do "on-page optimization," but as search engines have evolved and as other sources of traffic — social networks, [...]

By |2014-07-30T12:42:12-04:00May 30th, 2014|Rule of Thumb|Comments Off on A Visual Guide to Keyword Targeting and On-Page SEO