The Rough Draft - Wilmington NC Web Design, Advertising & Graphic Design

Cursive: An underdog story

2011-09-07T13:56:00.000-04:00

By: Brooke Ford

Cursive is a dying art, and I’m sure that I’m only one in a handful of people who are really, truly upset by this fact. According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, it is no longer required that students learn the practice of cursive handwriting. All but six states in the country now adhere to this standard. As test based curriculums become the norm in grade schools, there is simply no extra time to teach the frivolous skills omitted from testing material.

I am very much aware that proper keyboarding techniques are just as valuable. I am also aware of the various forms of technology that allow people to communicate in rapid thought, and create beautiful digital things, but what are we losing by forgoing pen and paper? It’s more than just replacing organic beauty for efficiency. Will children 50 years from now even know how to read cursive? With the advent of e-mailing and texting, the general populous spends very little time actually writing. We don’t have to remember how to spell words, or for that matter what they mean. We don’t have to sit and ponder the substance of the content we’re writing. We just type out a bunch of meaningless, abbreviated shorthand and hit send. Penmanship however, promotes fine motor skills like hand-eye coordination, hand control, and memorization. There are even studies supporting cursive as a way to aid dyslexic children in reducing letter reversal. Surgeons rely on perfect hand control. Great athletes require quick hand-eye coordination. A stellar memory is an asset for anyone. Not to mention that a handwritten letter is an awesome personalized gesture.

I’m not saying that technology is bad. Just that keeping your hands trained is important. Ironically, I’ve found that the freelance calligraphy and lettering I do on the side, has helped me become more creative and proficient on computer programs at the graphic design firm where I work. The steadier my hand is drawing little details on paper, the easier it is to create shapes and illustrations with a mouse.

In fact, computers and handwriting are a common team. The logos and labels we see on business cards, signs, and labels for every sort of packaging you can find, was in some way, done by hand. Fonts and lettering are carefully devised, designed, written out, scanned onto a computer, traced, set in a special grid, and made available for sale. Lettering is digitized in a similar way to font making, but is customized to the product and client, and cannot be duplicated since no font is exactly like it. There you have it; another reason to keep handwriting form becoming an antiquated pastime. Or maybe, let good handwriting become scarce; less competition for me.

All joking aside, I hope for the sake of future generations that the Principals following the CCSSI, do opt to keep cursive in the curriculum; not only for cognitive function and muscle memory, but simply for the aesthetic pleasure of it.

Below is a rough step-by-step example of lettering and calligraphy for the computer.

Step One: I sketch my idea

Step Two: I Trace the sketch with pen to neaten for scanning. Calligraphy is added.

Step Three: The letters are cleaned up on the computer and digitally colored. Voila!

WDC Launches Coastal Carolina Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Website

2011-08-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company is proud to announce the launch of the Coastal Carolina Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery website. Named one of the Top Dentists™ in Wilmington Parent magazine, Dr. Bruce Arné and his practice provide surgical procedures of the head, neck and jaw regions including dental implants, teeth extractions, and facial reconstruction.

The new website features a newly designed, and well-organized layout, built on our FETCH Admin platform. The client is now has greater control over their content with the ability to maintain all of their site’s pages, as well as add and update Team Member Bios, Patient Forms, Services & Procedures and Informational Videos.

In addition to the creation of the website, Wilmington Design Company will also aid CCOMS in expanding their credible web presence with our specialized SEO services. Check out the new site HERE >>

WDC Creates Website for Nest Fine Giftsand Interiors

2011-08-30T11:20:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has just launched a brand new website for the recently opened Nest Fine Gifts and Interiors. The store offers a selection of unique furniture, home accessories and gifts, along with decorative gift wrapping and interior design services.

In creating the website, WDC made sure to translate the warm, comfortable vibe of the store into the look and feel of the layout. Behind the scenes, custom features built on our FETCH Admin platform make it easy to update every aspect of a product’s details. Using the Product module, our client can add, edit and delete product pictures, product names, descriptions, prices and categories. Another aspect that ties directly into the product module is the featured product slider. The client can select featured products of their choice, and the items will be displayed via a scrolling menu on the Home page.

A custom blog and FETCH email newsletter intergration round out the features of the site, and provide a great way for Nest to promote upcoming events and special promotions.

For more information about Nest, CLICK HERE >>

WDC Redesign: The Marsh Harbour

2011-08-24T13:23:00.002-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has recently launched a new website for The Marsh Harbour. Formerly a boutique inn on Bald Head Island, the 10,000 square-foot, water front property now specializes in fractional ownership and vacation room rentals.

Marsh Harbour’s old website was dated and lacking all but the most basic features. Since the dynamics of the business had changed, the client needed a website that reflected their status as a fractal ownership property. Along with a designing a contemporary new look, WDC built the new website on our FETCH Admin content management system. Our FETCH platform allows the client to upload pictures into a gallery, edit specials, modify room rental details, and add news. Another new feature is the Video module. It allows the client to easily upload and embed videos about the property onto the page.

To find out more information about The Marsh Harbour CLICK HERE>>

Before: The old site was outdated and felt cluttered.

After: A sleek look and easy to navigate information.

WDC Launches New Site For Mayfaire Towncenter

2011-08-24T11:32:00.000-04:00

The Mayfaire Towncenter website has a brand new look! Wilmington Design Company recently worked with our client to streamline the original layout, making surfing and searching faster and easier than before.

Traffic on the Mayfaire website has more than tripled since it was first launched. Building on the success of the original, WDC has redesigned the Mayfaire site from the ground up. All though the overall color-scheme is familiar on the surface, the site has been completely overhauled behind the scenes.

The website was upgraded to the newest version of our FETCH Admin and features dozens of improvements. Important information like Sales and Specials, Events, and Mayfaire’s Facebook feed have all been integrated on the home page for maximum visibility. Another modification can be found on the movie page. By pulling current movies, show times and ticket prices directly from the Fandango feed, visitors can find the movies they want to see without leaving the site.

The new shopping and dining navigation is now much simpler. Instead of scrolling through a sidebar menu, all businesses have been arranged to view at a glance, and can be searched alphabetically or by category. Specific shops can also be found by typing in the store name. In addition, the familiar store locator map has been enhanced and now appears in a larger wider format.

Wilmington Design Company is also excited to announce that a mobile website application for Mayfaire is slotted to release in mid-October. Over 25% of monthly visitors view Mayfaire’s website on a mobile device. The new smart phone application will incorporate movie information, new and specials from the main website, into an optimized, mobile-friendly platform.

WDC in the Community: Bow Wow Luau

2011-08-17T11:04:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company recently had the pleasure of being a sponsor for the 2^nd Annual Bow Wow Luau and Cat’s Meow FUN-raiser, creating a website and collateral for the charity benefit.

This year’s event was held at Banks Pub & Grille in Wrightsville Beach, on August 13. Featured entertainment included authentic fire dancing and hula dancing as well as live music by Imitations. Guests were treated to passed Hawaiian inspired hors d’oeuvres like Spam bruschetta, and had the opportunity to bid on over 50 auction items, including a chef prepared home dinner party for 6 people.

The Luau is put on by the Adopt-An-Angel Foundation, an entirely volunteer-run organization which places hundreds of dogs and cats into new homes every year. This year was truly a success, as more than 150 people came out to show their support and help raise a whopping $10,274 -- doubling the proceeds from the 2010 Luau! Another $5,000 donation has also been pledged for use towards Adopt-An-Angel’s Spay a Stray program.

For more information about the event or Adopt-An-Angel, CLICK HERE >>

WDC Creates Logo for Coastal Carolina Dental Advisors

2011-07-21T12:28:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company recently designed the branding and identity for Coastal Carolina Dental Advisors, a newly instated group of independent local businesses that specialize in working with dental practices.

The group aims to become a resource for independent dental practices, offering quality services from the top vendors in the area. To name a few, dental practices will have access to highly rated and recommended realtors, architects, builders, marketers, accountants, and attorneys.

Also in the works is a group website, which WDC is currently developing.

WDC Launches New Site for Feller Power Cords

2011-07-14T11:25:00.001-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has launched a new website for Feller Power Cords US division. Feller is an international company that manufactures and supplies industrial power cords around the globe. The US has two branches, located in North Carolina and New Jersey, which service North, Central and South America.

Feller Power Cords Homepage

Geared towards engineers in the industry, the client wanted to focus on formatting their new site with a reliable search for their extensive inventory. We equipped the new layout with our Fetch Admin platform, allowing the client to update and modify several aspects within the site through custom modules. The Product Module for instance gives our client the ability to add and edit individual items in their inventory, while users may interact by submitting product information into the database via PDF.

Along with custom news and graphics, the site features a helpful multi-language support feature, which changes the entire site to a preferred language with the click of a button.

For more information about this site CLICK HERE >>

WDC Launches Redesigned Team Strickland Site

2011-07-13T15:59:00.002-04:00

WDC is happy to announce the launch of Team Strickland. The real estate team, which has been serving the Wilmington area for several years, came to us needing to update their online presence.Along with reorganizing content and creating a refreshed look for the site, the client wanted to make property search their main focus.

Enabled by Our Fetch IDX (Internet Data Exchange), available home listings are pulled from local databases and fitted to the site’s layout.

From the front page, visitors can perform a quick home search or access information for buyers and sellers. Behind the scenes, custom admin modules allow easy updates to the site’s Blog, News and Team Member information.

Wilmington Design Company Launches Grayson Park Website

2011-07-13T15:50:00.001-04:00

Exciting news! Wilmington Design Company has launched a website for Grayson Park, a residential community built by Stevens Fines Homes. Grayson Park is situated in Leland, North Carolina, just 10 minutes outside of Downtown Wilmington. The community houses five neighborhoods with single-family homes ranging from $149,900 to $184,600.

A great feature of the site is the My Home Favorites. Built onto our Fetch Admin platform, visitors to the site can favorite and save homes and home plans just by providing an email address. Available properties can be searched generally by neighborhood, or specifically, right to the downloadable home plans. From the custom blog, photo and video gallery modules to the highly informative home inventory module, Fetch Admin makes it simple for the client to add and edit information.

WDC Redesigns Coldwell Banker Advantage

2011-07-05T14:03:00.001-04:00

Wilmington Design Company is proud to announce that the Coldwell Banker Advantage

website has a new look. Originally for Coldwell Banker Festival Park in Fayetteville, the recently expanded site functions as an information hub encompassing all four office locations.

In addition to redesigning the overall look, the client wanted to make property search the site’s prominent feature. Using our Fetch IDX (Internet Data Exchange) , listing details are pulled directly from the Fayetteville MLS (Multiple Listing System), where the data can be fitted to the custom layout. Each listing includes a map, a property slideshow and a virtual tour. Another IDX component is the My Home Favorites feature, where by providing an email address, visitors to the site can favorite and save listing information.

Built on the Fetch Admin platform, custom modules offer simple editing to individual agent profiles, relocation information, and video uploads. Some other features include Community Resources by county and a front page Property Search that allows visitors to quickly find homes based on their specific home buying criteria.

The Coldwell Banker Advantage Team serves Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee and Moore County. For more information CLICK HERE >>

WDC Launches Wilmington Surgical Associates

2011-06-24T12:08:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has unveiled a new look for the Wilmington Surgical Associates website. WSA specialize in surgery for cancer, soft tissue, blood vessels and the chest. Bringing the site up-to-date, we removed the old, flashy splash page and focused on functionality, giving the site an overall cohesive feel. Patients can conveniently download and print medical forms and information, while news content and individual physician bios can be modified easily by the client using our Fetch Admin 5.

Check out WilmingtonSurgical.com for more information.

WDC Launches Winter Custom Yachts

2011-06-24T10:13:00.000-04:00

WDC is excited to announce the launch of the improved Winter Custom Yachts website. Winter Custom Yachts is a boat building company founded in 2005 by Tim Winters and Will Copeland. The company specializes in creating custom boats, ranging from 24 to 75 feet. We gave the website an overall graphical facelift, including display videos, company news and a sleeker inventory display. The site also features our Fetch Admin 5 platform, which allows Winter Custom Yachts to easily manage their inventory and expand content as their business grows.

For more information CLICK HERE >>

WDC Site Launch: American Homesmith

2011-06-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has recently launched the new website for American Homesmith. The Raleigh based company has been building quality homes within the North Carolina military areas for over 4 years.

The client came to us seeking improvements that would build from their old site, and give their customers all the information they would need when making a home buying decision.

The new site comes equipped with Fetch Admin 5, which provides easy control for dashboard modules like the Individual Neighborhood Module. It allows the user to edit neighborhood content for floor plans and inventory in multiple markets. Other added elements include unique Google mapping, and a custom newsletter featuring advice from loyal doggie pal, Dr. McLeod.

For more information on American Homesmith, CLICK HERE >>

WDC Welcomes Brooke Ford to the Team

2011-05-17T09:24:00.001-04:00

Wilmington Design Company welcomes Brooke Ford as its new Creative Assistant and team member.

Brooke joined Wilmington Design Company in 2010 as an intern. “We realized during her internship, that Brooke was an asset to the team,” says Wilmington Design’s President, Bill Hunter. “By taking on the small, but important daily tasks, she provides the team with more time to devote to our clients. As Creative Assistant she not only builds upon the duties of her previous position, but helps sustain an efficient work flow within the office.”

Brooke graduated from Appalachian State University in May 2009 where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in Sociology. Pulling from her background in journalism and experience in graphic design, Brooke maintains online content for the company and its clients; updates social media; writes press releases and original news articles; and assists team members with various design projects.

David Lawless Joins the WDC Team

2011-05-12T15:17:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Design Company welcomes David Lawless as its new Web Developer and Programmer.

Bringing with him over decade of experience, David works closely with the senior web developer and creative team to design, develop, and maintain a variety of web projects.

“We are excited to have David on board. His background combines programming, art direction and graphic design, which gives us a unique opportunity to not only meet, but exceed our customers’ diverse needs”, says Senior Web Developer Gregg Moore.

A native of Florida, David graduated from Brevard Community College where he obtained an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design. Prior to Wilmington Design Company, David held a Senior Web Developer position at VX Corporation where his duties included overseeing the company’s internal and external web presence, as well as developing custom applications for process automation and database storage.

Websites in the Works

2011-05-11T15:36:00.001-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has been hard at work, putting the finishing touches on three new websites. Set to launch in the coming weeks are redesigned websites for Wilmington Surgical Associates, Marsh Harbor Inn, and American Homesmith.

We’ve been working closely with Wilmington Surgical Associates to create a sleek new look from their previous site. Serving the New Hanover County area, Wilmington Surgical Associates provides state-of-the-art evaluations, therapy and surgeries. New features for the website include an enhanced physician directory, and a helpful section for patient education.

Marsh Harbor Inn on Bald Head Island offers a relaxing escape from the stresses of the working world. When the client came to WDC needing a fresh look, we helped to give their site a relaxed, modern feel with a better-organized site navigation. Additional features include a Guest Events page, an up-to-date News page and Photo Gallery.

American Homesmith is a new home-builder, serving Fayetteville and Jacksonville, NC areas. The client approached WDC in need of a more user-friendly and robust admin system to deliver better information to their users. The new website will feature a locator map for their communities, as well as home plan, inventory and employee modules.

Facials and Fillers Website Launches

2011-05-11T15:32:00.002-04:00

The brand new website for Facials and Fillers has launched! Recently opened in Morehead City, NC, Facial & Fillers is a walk-in med spa that offers quick, non-surgical procedures in a relaxing, spa setting. Along with a new logo and print collateral, their website carries the consistent look and feel of their brand. Features of the Fetch Admin include content creation, a Before-and-After Photo Gallery, Staff module, Packages and Services module, and a News module.

Windsor Park Website Redesign

2011-05-11T15:30:00.002-04:00

Wilmington Design Company is excited to present the launch of Windsor Park, a new home community in Leland, NC just minutes from Wilmington. The new Windsor Park site is the latest in a growing number of new home community websites that we have designed to take advantage of the latest technology in data management and lead conversion.

The new site replaced an existing site and introduces a range of updates and improvements. With the addition of a complete cosmetic overhaul the site utilizes our new Fetch Admin v5.0. The new Windsor Park site owners can manage a variety of content and information on the site including; Information about the individual communities, from descriptions, images and pricing to detailed home plans and inventory.

Among the features included on the site are an up-to-date Blog, Photo Gallery, Video Gallery and Neighborhood Quick Search which allows residents, realtors and potential homebuyers to stay connected. The site owners are also able to manage new and potential homebuyers with the aid of the Lead Capture feature. It requires an account sign in, creating ‘soft leads’ for the client to work with. Once an account is made, a customized email auto responder is sent out to welcome the new visitor.

Windsor Park provides its residents round-the-clock customer care. Resident concerns and homeowner requests can be addressed online or by appointment using the site’s convenient Customer Care Form.

WDC Launches Mansfield Brothers Website

2011-05-11T15:25:00.002-04:00

Wilmington Design Company has recently launched a new website for Mansfield Brothers. This company has been providing heating, cooling, electrical and refrigeration services to the Southport, NC area for over 17 years. Along with a clean, streamlined interface, the site includes a customized administrator dashboard. Among the dashboard features are a Specials and Promotions module to easily add content and promotions, as well as a Products module for managing individual products and links.

Emery Federal Site Launch

2011-05-11T15:11:00.001-04:00

Wilmington Design Company is pleased to announce the launch of Emery Federal Credit Union’s brand new website. The company provides loan options, refinancing, investment options, debt consolidation and advice to both new and experienced homebuyers. The site features WDC’s Fetch Admin v5.0, which in addition to being easy to use, features a number of custom admin modules including; a current interest rate module, custom RSS feed, custom load calculators, customer pre-qualification ID that ties into the clients existing direct marketing, online loan applications and more.

Wilmington Design Company releases Fetch Admin 5.0

2011-04-12T13:31:00.001-04:00

Wilmington Design Company is proud to announce that they are rolling out Fetch Admin 5.0, the latest version of their custom built content management system. The new version is built on an Ajax based platform and features dozens of new features and improvements. For the past five years, the Fetch Content Management System has been continually evolving, steadily becoming easier to use and more powerful.

Six years ago, WDC began experimenting with content management systems, exploring all of the popular platforms. They quickly realized that most of the commercially available or open source platforms were too complicated for business owners to effectively use or lacked the functionality for what they wanted to offer their clients. So they set out to create their own platform. “Our main goal was to make it super easy for our clients to use”, says Bill Hunter, president of Wilmington Design Company. “We wanted to give customer the ability to update the content on their website without having to know any programming, so we decided to take a modular approach. Customers can access and edit the content through individual modules customized to fit their needs”. Gregg Moore Senior Web Developer at WDC is responsible for the Fetch Admin project. “Our main goal was definitely ease of use, but we also wanted to make sure we built something that was really powerful and I think we have the best of both worlds in this newest version”.

So what’s new? The Fetch Admin has always been easy to use but this new version is powered by an Ajax based platform making the new Fetch Content Management System leaner and faster. The new version retains the simple icon based dashboard but the overall interface received a refreshed, sleek styling update that adds functionality to some of the larger CMS websites. Websites that feature location based products or services will benefit from the new Google Mapping tool that allows users to pin point a specific a location by clicking on a Google map directly in the admin. Other notable improvements include enhanced photo and image management, user permissions management, screen tips, confirmation notifications, document management and much more.

Wilmington Design Company avidly listens to feedback, in order to fine tune their products and to make sure they deliver the best customer experience. The company strives to continually provide the most efficient services for client needs. “I’m already thinking about new features that we can add to the next version,” says Gregg.

For more information on the new Fetch Content Management System visit www.wilmingtondesignco.com

25 Options for listing your local business:

2011-04-05T16:30:00.005-04:00

The common phone book is seeing a decline in use as individuals increasingly seek faster ways to search for local businesses. Online directories provide access to your business’s location, services, contact information, and increase your visibility in searches. With a growing number of people choosing the convenience of an online search, it becomes essential to make sure your business is found. Below are several popular online directories, along with directories you may not have considered.

1. Google
2. Bing
3. Yahoo!
4. Yelp
5. Merchant Circle
6. LinkedIn
7. YellowPages.com
9. Whitepages
10. Supermedia
11. Yellowbook
12. CitySearch
13. Mapquest
14. Biznik
15. Local.com
16. Foursquare
17. ThinkLocal
18. CitySlick
19. USYellowPages
20. MyCity
21. Outside.in
22. Dex
23. BizJournals.com
24. TeleAtlas
25. Justclicklocal

Remember that with each directory submission you make, you have another chance of potential customers finding you.

WDC Gives Back- The Gatsby Gala

2011-03-22T16:18:00.008-04:00

Wilmington Design Company is proud to have been a part of the Gatsby Gala that was held on March 5, hosted by The Cape Fear Literacy Council.

The promotional poster for the event was created by our own Carolyn Pikoulas. “The art deco style was a little different from the more corporate projects I typically work on, which provided a fun change,” says Carolyn. “We presented them with two different choices based on their 20’s Flapper theme, and I'm very happy with the end result"

The Cape Fear Literacy Council helps hundreds of adults in the Cape Fear area to build and improve their literacy skills with small classes, computer labs or individual tutoring. Proceeds from the event will be used in maintaining those services. For more information on the program and how you can get involved, click HERE.

WDC Expands Services to New Bern

2011-03-11T13:48:00.003-05:00

Wilmington Design Company is pleased to announce that we will be expanding our services into the greater New Bern, North Carolina area.

We have already had the privilege of working with clients in the New Bern area including Water Street Realty, Island Harbor Marina located in Emerald Isle, Facials and Fillers of Morehead City, and Well Put Interiors, just to name a few.

With more than 13 years of experience in advertising, marketing and sales, our Marketing Manager, Keith Riggs will be heading the continued development. “We are really excited about expanding into the New Bern area. We have been successfully working with a variety of companies there over the past few years, and we have found that there is a real demand for the unique range of creative services that we offer.”

Keith explains, “If you have a business in or around New Bern, NC you don't have to limit yourself to just the web design and graphic design companies in that area. Wilmington Design Company is right down the street. We do not charge for consultations or conversations, and we appreciate the opportunity to learn about each individual business in order to provide honest feedback.”

WDC New Client: Facials and Fillers

2011-03-09T15:06:00.007-05:00

Facials and Fillers Walk-In Med Spa, located in Morehead City chose Wilmington Design Company to design and launch their brand identity. We have been working closely with Facials and Fillers to create a consistent look for the company, which provides quick, non-surgical procedures in a relaxing, spa setting.

In addition to creating their logo we have designed print collateral with a modern look and feel consistent with the Facials and Fillers brand; including business cards, letterhead and gift certificates. Currently, we are developing their website and Facebook Welcome page, as well as a customized email outreach.

Google Will Find Guideline Violators

2011-03-08T13:42:00.007-05:00

posted by Brooke Ford

In February, David Segal of the New York Times discovered dishonest practices by J.C. Penney when he realized they had been appearing in the top of search results for ‘home décor’, ‘skinny jeans’ and ‘comforter sets’ for months. What the article revealed was that thousands of keywords were linked from the retailer’s site to unrelated websites. For instance, links to the site’s dress page were found on websites for cameras, online games, hotels and even diseases. The problem was that even though J.C. Penney does carry household, bedding and clothing items, they are not always the most relevant result. Segal writes, “J. C. Penney even beat out the sites of manufacturers in searches for the products of those manufacturers. Type in “Samsonite carry-on luggage,” for instance, and Penney for months was first on the list, ahead of Samsonite.com.”

To keep rankings fair and search results relevant, Google has been cracking down on cases of SEO abuse, and penalizing violators by diminishing their rankings or even removing them from the search index completely. Though the company’s rankings plummeted as punishment, J.C. Penney denies any fault, blaming the incident on the SEO firm they hired and alleging that the firm’s actions were unauthorized.

Also in February, Google claimed that Overstock.com had been falsely inflating their rankings by offering discounts for faculty and students to embed the store’s links onto .edu sites. Since educational sites are trusted more by search-engines, .edu websites hold greater weight in rankings. This kind of manipulation disrupts the algorithmic design of the search engine, causing unrelated results to appear and decreasing the value of the search engine itself. According to the Wall Street Journal , “Google's guidelines ask websites not to participate in schemes that are intended to manipulate PageRank, and it forbids sites from paying other sites to embed certain links on their pages. Many schemes intended to trick Google's search algorithm have included .edu links, search-engine experts say.”

Known as Black Hat SEO, other forms of search-engine abuse include cloaking, link farming, hiding text and linking to doorway pages. When found, the search engine will rid the offending site from its results database. Cloaking displays different content to its audience than it does to the software that runs a search engine, making it difficult for the search engine to serve its purpose. Link farming consists of a group of unrelated websites all linking to each other, attempting to boost search rankings. Unfortunately, this practice turns those websites into a huge web of spam which Google filters out, defeating the original purpose. Hiding text consists of placing random keywords onto a website in the same color as its background. Search engines ‘read’ the content on page, causing it to show up in irrelevant searches. Fortunately, Google can detect this by reading the code. In 2006, Google caught BMW using these empty ‘doorway pages’, which existed only to direct back to their website. As a result, BMW was actually taken out of the search results for its own brand.

Search Engine Optimization, if done right is supposed to aid in attracting more attention organically. This process of getting to the top of the results may take a little longer than its Black Hat counterparts, but there will be no risk of being removed from the search entirely because of violations against Google’s guidelines.

Mercedes Benz: Left Brain - Right Brain

2011-03-05T11:55:00.009-05:00

A creative graphic design print campaign created for Mercedes Benz Created by Y&R Interactive, Tel Aviv - Israel

See the full campaign here

Speech 4 Kidz Web Application

2011-03-02T15:03:00.011-05:00

We’ve recently completed a custom web application for Speech 4 Kidz. The Wilmington and Jacksonville based company, which started in 2004, specializes in speech, language and swallowing disorders as well as developmental skills. With a growing demand for their services, Speech 4 Kidz needed a way to streamline their business. The application manages everything online, creating an organized and paper-free system. Along with managing therapists, the application tracks patient data and time, provides faster doctor referrals, makes submitting insurance claims easier and helps keep Speech 4 Kidz in compliance with rules and regulations when they change. With a more efficient way to organize and control information, the company now has more time to focus on what is important.

Click HERE for more information on the Speech 4 Kidz program.

The Wine Merchant Gets a Digital Overhaul

2011-03-02T14:59:00.006-05:00

What better way to celebrate 30 years in the Raleigh NC area, than with a digital makeover? Wilmington Design Company recently had the pleasure of helping The Wine Merchant with a major overhaul.

We’ve created their new website with customizable news, events, specials, e-commerce and a blog. The site even has wine trivia! We’ve also designed a custom email outreach page, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter page to help them keep in touch with their loyal customers. Cheers!

Caviness & Cates New Mobile App

2011-03-02T14:49:00.008-05:00

We’re excited to announce that we’ve created a mobile application for Caviness & Cates! Access all the same news and community information from the website, right in your hand. The application does not require a download. Just type in www.cavinessandcates.com into any smart phone, and the program will adapt for optimal viewing.

Wrightsville Beach Elementary Fitness Track Unveiling

2011-03-02T13:41:00.012-05:00

WDC would like to thank everyone who came out to Wrightsville Beach Elementary School on February 17th for the unveiling of their new Dolphin Fitness Track; including Wrightsville Beach Magazine, Lumina News and WECT News for their coverage, as well as the many community sponsors who helped make the track possible.

In addition to creating the Dolphin Fitness Track sponsor sign, we have been working closely with the school to design a logo for their new fitness program, Flipping 4 Fitness, and a T-shirt logo for their Flying Fish Half Marathon.

New Website for Sullivan & Wagoner, LLP

2011-03-02T13:38:00.004-05:00

WDC has recently launched a new website for Sullivan & Wagoner, LLP. This well-respected trial firm specializes in Criminal Defense and Personal Injury cases across North Carolina and beyond. One of the firm’s main requirements in developing a new website was being able to update web content and text themselves. This included attorney bios, areas of practice, testimonials and more. The solution to implement our content management system not only allows them to save time and money, but also allows them to manage their website more efficiently.

Click HERE to see browse the entire site.