hustondesign's blog

As a writer among graphic designers, the most familiar critique I get is, "Can you trim the copy?" This is the succinct saga of my professional life.

Good writers favor brevity. Good communicators practice it, too. We're often guilty of using too many words.

John Huston, our founder and creative director, not known for mincing words, once tossed me a book titled Brevity. "Read it," he said. I did, and it’s time I revisited those lessons. I’ll share the insights soon.

What’s the first thing you do after meeting a new contact or hearing about a new brand? Bingo. You check out their website, usually landing on the homepage. The same is true for the folks you want to reach to grow your business. Your homepage is often the first impression a potential customer has of your brand. It's your chance to engage your prospects, capture interest and follow up and convert visitors into customers. If your homepage isn't performing as well as it could be, you could be losing out on valuable business.

Consistency is key in building relationships. Think about the people you trust and admire. Among other qualities, I’ll bet they're reliably consistent, showing up predictably with clear expectations. That consistency fosters trust.

Your website is not just a place for people to find you online. It's an opportunity for you to tell your story, connect with your audience, and drive conversions. Driving conversions and results means being very good at giving people what they expect when they expect it. First-time visitors need and expect something different than folks returning for their 10th visit after they already know you well. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many website designs fail to take this and other “obvious” truths into account.