I’m a big fan of hand-painted signage. It’s a dying art, but it’s still out there. You see it sometimes on trucks, but where you see it the most are the rip-off electronics places scattered all over midtown Manhattan. They always have flat-screen TVs playing Britney Spears videos. All the stores of this ilk that I pass are playing one Britney video or another. I wonder if they had a meeting and decided that Britney was the artist to go with. Did you know between the perfumes and the clothes and the investments and attaching her name to stuff, Britney pulls in $700,000 a month? But I digress.
So I pass about three or four on my way to work, and all their hand-painted signage is very nice, but then there’s this one store. Their lettering is PERFECT. I could never paint so flawlessly. I always stop and gawk when I pass by. I made a collage of pictures I took of the signage in the window. Even if you have excellent handwriting, you can feel the humility wash over you.
Archive for the ‘Random Art Bloggery’ Category
A humbling moment. I have lots of them.
Monday, April 28th, 2008Apparently I wasn’t done yet.
Thursday, February 28th, 2008So, in the movie Helvetica (see previous post), one type enthusiast talks about how before Helvetica came on the scene, all the ads were done in handwritten, jaunty-looking type. Everything. See?
Right now I’m working one some horror stuff for a client, and I found the poster for The Birds, the Alfred Hitchcock movie. And suddenly I understood the problem with this style of typesetting.
You know what this poster says to me? “Birds are attacking that lady… and the circus is in town!” Totally wrong type choice. And why are there quotes around the title? It’s like, “They’re not really birds… They’re weasels we tied wings to and threw at her head! Blahahahaha!” If only they knew they could make any horror film look horror-y by having a stark sans-serif font on a black background. Example:
Except for the “The Night HE Came Home!” part (oogie boogie boogie boo), this is a very scary ad. Thank God for Helvetica, or we’d still be looking at irritatingly jaunty-fonted ads.
The art deco plate.
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007Remember back a bit when I mentioned that I had an art deco plate my mother got me in Italy with swallows and stylized leaves? And that it looked like crickets and hairy fetuses? And you said, “Nay, that Jessica is full of piffpuffery, there’s no way?” I prove it now through MAJICK OF PHOTOGRAEPHIE.
The flash made it look not nearly as good, but see what I’m sayin’? Look at it up close and then further away. It’s trippy. But awesome and in terrific condition for a piece from the 1920s. I love it.
Dooce’s dragon photo.
Thursday, July 19th, 2007There is a website/blog/thingie called Dooce, written by a woman called Heather Armstrong. She’s a snarky bright lady and she writes very well, but she takes PICTURES. Not pictures, PICTURES. Sometimes they are so beautiful it pokes you right in the heart (or stomach, they’re really near each other and the photo’s aim is not so good). Here’s one from today:
It’s some kind of blow-up dragon, maybe kids jump in it, I don’t know. I just thought the pointy green spikes and the translucency and the curly tail, oh, such a good picture. I’m sorry, PICTURE.
P.S. Dooce’s website is http://www.dooce.com/
Our journey over the years
Monday, July 9th, 2007Our journey has been intricately tied to our ability to adapt and thrive in the ever-changing SEO landscape. In this post, we’ll share insights, challenges, and triumphs we’ve experienced, offering a unique perspective on the world of search engine optimization.
The Early Days: Understanding SEO Basics
When design-newyork.com first launched, our understanding of SEO was rudimentary at best. We knew keywords mattered and that Google was the primary search engine to focus on, but the depth of our knowledge ended there. Our initial strategy was simple: sprinkle relevant keywords throughout our site and hope for the best. It was a time of trial and error, slowly learning that SEO was much more than keyword stuffing. Today, we approach SEO with a more refined strategy, just like Marketix Digital, focusing on data-driven techniques and continuous optimization to achieve the best results. Thankfully we also found some great SEO services along the way. We also generate AI-driven visuals to help with our campaign.
Adapting to Algorithm Changes
As Google began to roll out algorithm updates, we quickly realized that staying static in our SEO approach was not an option. Each update brought new challenges and learning curves. From Panda to Penguin, and Hummingbird to BERT, we had to continually adapt our content and SEO strategies to meet Google’s standards for quality and relevance. This meant improving our site’s user experience, ensuring mobile responsiveness, and focusing on content quality over quantity.
Embracing Content as King
One of the most significant shifts in our SEO strategy was recognizing the importance of high-quality, engaging content. We moved away from viewing our blog and web pages as mere vessels for keywords, instead focusing on creating valuable resources for our audience. This transition wasn’t easy, requiring investment in skilled writers and content creators, but it paid off. Our site began to gain authority and trust, both from our audience and search engines.
Technical SEO: The Backbone of Our Site
As our content strategy matured, we also delved deeper into technical SEO. This meant optimizing our site’s structure, improving load times, and ensuring that our website was accessible to both users and search engine crawlers. Implementing schema markup, securing our site with HTTPS, and optimizing for voice search became priorities. These technical adjustments were challenging but critical for staying competitive.
The Power of Analytics and Continuous Learning
One of the most valuable tools in our SEO journey has been analytics. By closely monitoring our site’s performance, we’ve been able to make data-driven decisions that significantly impact our visibility and ranking. This ongoing analysis has also taught us the importance of flexibility and continuous learning in SEO.
Looking Ahead: The Future of SEO at design-newyork.com
As we look to the future, we’re excited about the possibilities that AI and machine learning present for SEO. We’re also mindful of the need to stay ethical and user-focused, no matter how sophisticated algorithms become. Our commitment to adapting, learning, and growing with SEO trends will continue to guide us.
Conclusion
Our journey through the world of SEO has been both challenging and rewarding. It has required a willingness to learn, adapt, and sometimes, start from scratch. But the results speak for themselves: design-newyork.com has grown from a fledgling site to a well-respected name in the design industry. We hope our journey inspires other website owners and SEO enthusiasts to embrace change and view SEO as a dynamic and integral part of their online presence.