A web design/marketing trend that is insufferable.

Can we pleaseeeee stop having pop-ups as soon as you enter the website.

"Join our mailing list."

"Do you want *insert offer*"

"10% off all orders today!"

"Sign-up to see rest of article."

etc, etc etc,

The very first thing I look for when surfing the web and visiting sites, is that little X that closes that pop-up box.

I cannot be the only one. I often do not even read what it's saying, I go straight to closing it.

Stop advertising to me!! Please just stop.

I do not watch your commercials anymore, I do not read your print ads, I do not read that email (unless it is from a place I spend money at a lot), I do not read that banner ad...and no I don't click it. For the love of all that is holy, just stop tossing ads at my face.

If you use ads, pop-ups, sign up windows...the chance of you getting my email drops automatically to almost zero because I am so annoyed. Especially on mobile. The limited real-estate and the possibility to miss-tap the close X....super annoying.

I will drop your site like a bad habit and get that content/value somewhere else if you constantly ask me for info or try to sell me something etc.

The amount of times I just close my browser tab if I enter a site that has a splash page pop-up has got to be 80%.

Does this tactic work for getting emails? Even if you are getting emails...are they just peoples "spam" email that they never check? If they are legit emails...are they even opening them? The vast majority of users are turning into me, they are tired of being undauntedly marketed to.

So instead of constantly asking for shit, how about you provide me with a reason to give you my actual email or a reason to not just exit your site immediately.

Prove your worth to the consumer.

An issue I have with employers.

My younger designers who are still trying to make something of themselves in the professional arena are constantly running into the same problem, hell I had it myself out of school.

Lets say you want to get a job as a designer, start paying off school loans etc while maybe you work on your side freelancing etc.

You start going through design job postings and seeing what is out there. You are often met with the biggest frustration for many designers.

Employers will ask for a "graphic design" but that is NOT what they want.

After you are done reading the job description you find so much more. Employers want the following....or a combination of most of these....

• A designer
• Web/App developer
• Print Production Manager
• Art Director
• Content Manager
• Photographer
• Illustrator
• Project Manager
• Writing Skills
• Social Media Manager
• 3D design capabilities
• Videography and Editing
• Some marketing skills
• Flash or other animation
• UX/UI
• CAD Knowledge

This is NOT unusual. This is mostly the norm!

All while having 3-5 yrs experience and advanced software knowledge in just about every piece of software needed to fulfill any of these requirements.

And the compensation being that of someone with 1-2 yrs experience.

So imagine you are looking for a job as a electrician...but the job description is asking if you know how to do plumbing, wood work, project management, payroll, roofing, painting, drafting, cement pouring etc etc.

Get it?

Cut the shit.

If you want a designer, then hire a designer...not a developer...not an animator...not a videographer etc.

Some of these qualities listed, many people have entire careers dedicated solely to one of these things.

Now, some of you designers can do it all....that's amazing...you are not the norm and it is sad that it seems that is how things are shifting since very few professional settings want to pay salary money to hire multiple people. Instead they would rather hire one person who is just ok at a million different things.

Just imagine the quality of work done when you hired people that can do just a couple of those things...reallyyyyyyyy well.

Now, if you come by someone who can do it all and to your liking that is great. But compensate that person how they should be. That is so much to know especially right out of school. That is why younger designers have such a hard time getting jobs.

If you want to hire a designer....hire a designer.

Advice for printing company shirts.

I have spent some years now working with designing apparel for screen printing, embroidery and sublimation. There is one constant trend that almost seems to refuse to die. So here it is...

Stop getting your companies phone number, web url or other info printed on your shirts.

First off,  no one is reading your shirt for important information. Lets say that you see a construction company working and they are doing great work. You need a company for a build and look to get in contact with them. How many of us go up to a worker and ask them to read their shirt so you can take down the number. Or creep on them while you try to make out the number or website.

Maybe you are sitting in a restaurant and you love their food and have an event coming up you want them to cater. Do you stare at the employees to try and make out the info on the shirt?

What is the one thing we all do. The first thing we grab...our cell phone. We see the name of that construction company or restaurant and we Google the companies name to find out more information about them. Whether we need a number, address, email website... anything. We head to Google for answers.

No one is getting answer from the shirt you are wearing.

So since it isn't providing value in information, those pieces of information on the shirt are now wasted ink and space. You could be using that space for a bad ass design or even to just make your company logo bigger nice and clean so people can read it easily when they go to Google you.  Stop wasting space, ink, design space and money on printing people don't use.