As we Speak

You don't have to be a web designer or developer to know that, when used well, imagery has a powerful effect on the way a website makes people feel. When you only have a matter of seconds to make a strong first impression and connect with your audiences online, it's vital that every decision is backed by strategy, and the imagery you choose to tell your story is no exception. We know that people's eyes are drawn to visuals on a page before they read words, and that image and video leave a mor... Read More

A well-designed, strategic website is one of the most important pieces of a solid digital marketing strategy. This means that if you’re in marketing, especially if you’re on a small team, chances are at some point you’ll participate in a web design project to some extent, whether you’re creating a new site from the ground up, embarking on a full redesign, or implementing smaller, incremental changes.  Most likely, you’ll partner with an outside web design t... Read More

New Ballet Ensemble & School (NBE) needed a new website that would not only showcase the talent and arts excellence they foster, but also provide a digital space for parents, students, and alumni.  With 20+ years under our belt creating exceptional online experiences for nonprofits and arts organizations in Memphis (our Headquarters!) and beyond, Speak was the perfect partner to build New Ballet a stunning, conversion-driven site. We set out to create a website that would ... Read More

We’re huge fans of scroll-stopping design around here. (In fact, it’s kind of our thing.) But we also believe great websites that get results require the right mix of conversion-focused design and compelling UX writing.  In this blog, we’re talking all about UX writing and microcopy – what it is, why it’s fundamental when building your website, and how to create engaging copy for the web that moves your audiences to action.  What is UX Writing?  ... Read More

If you’re in the boat of thinking of your marketing strategy and your website as two separate things, think again.  In fact, your web presence should be the very first place to begin when developing a strong marketing plan. Your website has the potential to be your best sales asset, and works at the front lines of communicating your story to key audiences and solidifying your brand voice and personality.  For organizations who aim to captivate their audience from the fi... Read More

Among an ever-increasing number of marketing tools, channels, and platforms, video has risen in the ranks and become a vital piece of many organizations’ marketing strategies.   In fact, if you’ve held off from investing in video as part of your marketing efforts, you’re likely missing out on a number of conversions and major ROI. It’s long been said that, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but with new research, we can actually quantify... Read More

Having an effective and compelling website is a vital first step in any nonprofit’s marketing strategy. However, this can feel like a tall order for many nonprofits who must leverage their complex needs within a framework that relies on a tight budget often driven by grants and external funding.  Speak has been working with nonprofit organizations across the nation for more than twenty years, so we’re more than a little familiar with the many moving parts that go into t... Read More

Who turned off the lights? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but our screens have been looking darker lately. Dark mode (also called black mode, dark theme, night mode, or lights-out mode) is an increasingly popular stylistic theme for websites and apps, and it's the reason why you may have noticed black backgrounds popping up everywhere. As dark mode design continues to grow in popularity (especially following the implementation of optional dark mode for Apple iOS, Facebook, ... Read More

When starting a new website project, one of the most common design requests I hear is, “We want our website to have a lot of movement.” Movement is attention-grabbing and adds a certain level of sophistication to a site, so it makes sense that it is desired by organizations that are going through a website redesign. However, there is a level of complexity to this request. There are several different types of movement, and not all are appropriate for every site.  As a desig... Read More

Canva might be one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century. I mean it. If you’ve never used it, it’s a free online graphic design program that allows you to create excellent content with minimal design know-how. Custom designs from a professionally priced design program will always give you the ability to create things you couldn’t otherwise. Our designers have spent so much time training to become experts! However, having a designer that is Adobe-savvy isn’t f... Read More

Through a Slack discussion with a few of Speak's female designers, we explored their experience in the industry, designers they look up to, and advice they've been given along the way.    here's Today's starting line up:  Jessica: Hi ladies, thanks for joining our discussion on women in design. I’m excited about this conversation and opportunity to understand your perspective a bit more. Let’s dive in. I’d love to start by taki... Read More

If you’ve ever started a home improvement project and looked at magazines or Pinterest for inspiration, then the concept of a moodboard is more familiar to you than you may realize. A moodboard is a collection of inspiration and custom design elements that designers present to clients in order to give them an idea of the design direction for their web design project. It’s definitely more complex than just an inspiration board, but it’s a great jumping off point for designer... Read More

It's hard to believe that we're halfway through 2020. Through a Slack discussion with a few of Speak's designers, we explored how the current web design trends are playing out, how to know if a trend is right for your organization, and what to expect from web design in the years to come.  Here's today's starting lineup:  Jessica: Hi all, thanks for joining to discuss design trends. Crazy that we are basically halfway through 2020 already. ... Read More

“Good design is good business." Tom Watson, IBM Think about something you love; something that keeps you coming back for more. Maybe something you own that you would buy time and time again. Whether it’s your favorite clothing line in your closet, the favorite car in your garage or even the type of phone in your pocket - chances are the reasons you chose to bring these objects into your life isn’t because they are simply a superior product to others.  The ... Read More

When is the last time you redesigned your website? This is a question that we often ask, but sometimes we can make pretty viable guesses based on trends your website holds. For instance, sites that are responsive but not exactly mobile-friendly are likely at least 1-2 years old. Seeing a website that isn’t mobile responsive at all immediately tells us that the site is more than three years old. Additionally, sites that use a completely separate mobile version were likely created more t... Read More

Can you remember the last time you bought something? What about the last time you found what you were looking for online? Let’s dive even further. How about the last time you stumbled on a website and felt confident about what you were doing? Mike Moran recently wrote about creating web experiences that people fall in love with and one of the fundamental ways to assist in that is to make your site extremely easy to use. What’s the difference between usability and user experience... Read More