The portable version of TeamViewer brings the useful remote computer access features of TeamViewer to a USB flash drive. This allows you to use TeamViewer without having to install it on the computer you are working on. This is great for situations where you may not have administrative permissions to install programs. It also saves time from having to go through the installation process.
TeamViewer is a useful tool for troubleshooting computer problems remotely and this portable edition is a great addition to any computer technicians arsenal. You can find TeamViewer Portable on the TeamViewer download page. Simply scroll down to the version labeled for mobile use. After you have downloaded the zip file extract its contents to the USB drive you would like to use it on and you’re all set.
Ever wondered what the exact color of a company’s logo is or what background color a website is using? Colorzilla is an extension for Chrome and Firefox that allows you to get the hexadecimal value of any color on a website. This is useful if you are incorporating these colors in a design. There are many situations when this may come in handy:
When incorporating website branding into a presentation
Creating similar graphics
Getting examples of color schemes
Quick reference on your own sites without delving into CSS or image editing programs
ColorZilla includes a color picker and CSS gradient generator in addition to the eye dropper tool which can identify the colors used on the website.
Podcasts offer you the option of listening to discussions on topics of interest at your convenience. You simply subscribe to the podcast you are interested in and your podcast playlist is updated whenever a new podcast is published. This is easily done with iTunes, Winamp and other media players but you can also subscribe to podcasts online without the need of additional software using Player FM. You can listen to podcasts right away from the site but in order to subscribe to them you will need to log in by either signing up for an account or using a Google or Twitter account.
Once you have logged in to Player FM you can search for podcasts to subscribe to and save your subscriptions into your own collection. You can then sort this collection by date published, length or randomly. You can also change the layout of your subscriptions by choosing either a list, card or table view.
If you are interested in specific topics (aren’t we all?) podcasts are a good way to stay updated on them. From, shopping, website design, sports or music you can find podcasts that may interest you. Many people listen to podcasts while they are doing other things in the same way that they listen to the radio. Player FM provides a great central location for both managing and playing your podcasts with a simple and to the point user interface.
SeizerStyle Designs would like to wish all our clients, fans and supporters a Happy New Year. We have a lot of plans for 2015 in alignment with our Always Improving motto. We are committed to improving the quality and range of our services and have listened to the feedback which we have received. As such, here are some things you can look forward to in 2015.
My SeizerStyle client portal
A central location for clients to obtain pertinent information about their websites, domain names, and transactions with us as well as receive customer support.
Improved monthly newsletters
You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter to get a summary of articles which we have published during the month along with special offers and exclusive content.
Design of the month
Every month we will be highlighting one of our design projects which will also be added to our design portfolio.
Improvements to client websites
Many of our client websites will be updated to be more efficient, aesthetically pleasing and improve user experience.
As a design company we want to see our clients do well throughout 2015 and send the right brand message out. As usual we encourage feedback from clients and visitors to any one of our websites. Have a great 2015!
It is another year end and a time of reflection as well as celebration of the year’s successes. There have been many challenges as well as many reasons to be thankful. We continue to work with our clients and improve on our services while our clients continue to grow their brands. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients a happy and prosperous new year and all the best for 2015.
New Newsletter Format
The format of our newsletter is changing to highlight the articles we have covered throughout the month. This collection of articles from our blog and other properties will be a valuable resource to see what we are up to and keep you in the loop. We may still include some exclusive offers and original content in our monthly newsletter so stay tuned and enjoy the new format.
A brand should be strong but flexible to changes in the market as well as internal changes. Sometimes it becomes necessary to tweak your brand image in order to remain relevant or better position your business or organization. Find out some simple ways that you can tweak your brand image without completely changing your branding strategy. Read more
Everyone wants their website to be attractive and many clients would like to add bells and whistles to do so. Designing your website is not all about making it look good though. There is a process to web design which is started before any element of the website is even conceived. Find out more about the process of designing your website without going into the technicalities of website development. Read more
A problem that plagues some organizations and businesses is that they allow media houses to break news before their official channels have published any information about this news. It is important that your website is the first to publish any important news about your organization or business to maintain its credibility and relevance. In the event that a news item is important or controversial people may want to verify its authenticity and your website is the ideal source for this information even though it is also distributed by other outlets. Read more
Tech Tips
Using Parental Controls in Windows – Restrict the time that children can use the computer along with the programs they can use while logged in.
Monitor System Resources – Want to know details about what is using your computer’s memory or CPU?
When you put a lot of work and thought into defining your brand and its vision you may become reluctant to make changes to it. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Well maybe. There comes a time when a brand outgrows its original image, the taste of its target audience changes or a change is necessary to appeal to a new audience. In these situations it is possible to tweak your brand image without straying from your core values. Here are a few minor tweaks you can make to spruce up your brand image.
Refresh your logo
SeizerStyle Designs Icon A
Over time a logo can become outdated and lose its effectiveness. A business can also outgrow its logo and may need one that is more representative of its current state. Refreshing your logo is nothing to be ashamed of and it does not dishonour your original logo design either. With changes in technology and style it is important that your brand remains relevant and continues to appeal to the target audience. Big companies such as Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft and Apple have all tweaked their logo over the years.
SeizerStyle Designs Icon B
SeizerStyle Designs has also experimented with different versions of our iconic “double S” which is used in lieu of our full logo in situations where space is limited. As you can see by comparing Icon A to Icon B the brand image remains the same but the stylistic approach of expressing it is altered. Icon A is taken directly from our full logo while Icon B is a more independent design that stands out on its own while maintaining brand recognition.
Send the right message
There are various ways to send your brand message and trying a different approach is a good way to influence the way your brand is perceived. With trends encouraging wellness and healthier living you may want to highlight the nutritional benefit of your product rather than simply focussing on taste. You may also want to highlight the social impact of your product or service to show that your business is not just about the bottom line. The changes you make to your marketing message should target the audience you are trying to attract for maximum impact.
SeizerStyle Designs offers “affordable” services rather than “cheap” services. This is because cheap may be associated not only with low cost but also low quality. Since we hold the quality of our services in high regard we avoid any brand message that may be counter-intuitive. As your brand grows and priorities change you may also have to modify your marketing to reflect those changes.
Differentiate from the competition
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but differentiation is what sets you apart from your competitors. If you notice that you and your competitors have become too similar it may be time to tweak your brand image to give you the edge. This could be done by focusing on an aspect of the business that you think your competitors are neglecting. It could also be done by using a different marketing strategy to highlight your brand and why it is the best choice in the market. This does not mean that you have to make a dramatic change any time a competitor does something similar, but if you find that your similarity with your competitors is adversely affecting business it is definitely time for a refresh.
Deciding when and how to tweak your brand image can be a tricky process. Changing too often may adversely affect brand recognition while not changing enough may make the brand seem old and outdated. A brand needs time to develop and the results of minor changes may not be immediately noticed. Your logo is the face of your brand and your message is its voice. They should be refreshed to remain relevant and consistent with the ideals of the brand over time. The brand should also remain unique and take steps to differentiate itself from competitors.
Not all content is appropriate for children. Some Windows versions provide built in parental controls while others don’t. You can enable parental control settings in Windows 7, 8 & Vista via the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you will have to use a third party tool.
Parental Controls in Windows 7 & Vista
In Windows 7, 8 & Vista you can restrict access to the computer using Parental Controls. This works by setting restrictions on a particular user account. Set up this account to restrict the times that it can log in. Apply restrictions to games based on their rating. Additionally, restrict access to only a specific programs.
Detailed instructions on setting up Parental Controls are available from this How-To Geek article. Apply these settings via the Control Panel in the User Accounts and Family Safety category. The wording may be different in Windows 8 but the procedure is similar.
Please note that while this method may be useful it is by no means a fool-proof method of protecting your children. It is user account specific. Furthermore, tech savvy children may find ways to bypass this entirely.
Parental Controls in Windows 10
While the Parental Control settings available in earlier versions of Windows were removed in Windows 10, there are still options. A comprehensive list of parental control apps compiled by Comparitech provides a list of viable options. Some are free while others are not. Compare the features offered to your needs.
It’s useful to find out what is using up your computer’s system resources out of curiosity or when you are troubleshooting a problem. This can reveal the programs that are memory hogs or indicate when a hardware upgrade may be necessary. On Windows there is an easy way to monitor your memory, CPU, network and disk activity using the Resource Monitor.
To open the Resource Monitor:
Open the Task Manager (Ctrl+ Shift+ Esc or right click taskbar then click Start Task Manager)
Click on Performance tab
Click Resource Monitor… button at the bottom of the window.
Creating a website is more than just designing the look and feel of an online entity. There are many aspects of website development that are less glamorous than designing beautiful mock-ups to impress a client and including fancy effects to woo visitors. While even these fun aspects of designing the website can be challenging at times there are also many other things that have to be considered. Research, responsive design, SEO, content management and website analytics are all important aspects of web development that cannot be ignored.
Research
Every website is different and the design depends on a number of factors. Who does the website target? On what devices will the website be viewed? What functionality is required? These are just a few questions that need to be answered by research. The client is an invaluable source of information but not the only source that must be identified at this stage. Industry best practices and trends must also be considered. Improper research can doom a website to failure before it is even launched.
Responsive Design
Gone are the days when you could assume with confidence that the majority of users would be viewing your website from a desktop or laptop computer. Mobile devices including smart phones and tablets have risen to a point in popularity that they cannot be ignored. Responsive design allows you to cater for a variety of different screen sizes in a manner that is seamless to the user.
SEO
Optimizing websites for search engines helps make your website more easily discovered. With more and more websites coming online every day it is increasingly more difficult to stand out. You want your relevant content to be accessible via a search and be as close to the top of the results as possible. SEO cannot be an afterthought, since it has to be integrated into the website development.
Content Management Systems
Most web design clients are not designers and are not comfortable in delving into code to update their websites. They do however want trhe control to be able to add, remove and modify content on the site they are paying for. The solution to this is a content management system (CMS). A CMS acts as a separation that splits a website into the front end that visitors ssee and the back end that the client uses to update the website. The CMS is more user-friendly than actually writing code. COntent management requirements need to be known before the website is designed in order to cater for that functionality.
Website Analytics
When you have launched your website you will obviously have questions about its performance. Is your website meeting expected targets? How many visitors are you getting a day? What channels do they take to get to your website? All of these questions can be answered by website analytics. Bear in mind that the more specific information you want about your website visitors the more you may be encroaching on their privacy. This is why website analytics are directly correlated to privacy policies.
Emails are a convenient form of communication but unsolicited emails can distract as well as offend email users. Besides cluttering your inbox, spam can link to malicious websites or scam offers aimed at enticing you to give up your financial information. While most email providers try to filter out junk mail, occasionally some creep through the cracks. You can however mark emails as junk manually on both webmail and standalone email clients such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.
Why mark unwanted emails as junk
Why bother marking emails as junk mail rather than just deleting them? Manually marking junk mail in your inbox helps your email provider or email client to learn the types of messages that you consider junk. This will help these messages to be filtered better and sent directly to your Junk Mail or Spam folders – bypassing your inbox in the future.
How to mark unwanted emails as junk
There are different ways to mark a message as junk based on the program or website you are using. You can usually right click on the email title and select the menu item to Mark as Junk or Report Spam. It is also possible to mark an email as junk after you have opened it. There is usually an option at the top of the email window to do so together with other options such as Reply or Delete.
The portable version of TeamViewer brings the useful remote computer access features of TeamViewer to a USB flash drive. This allows you to use TeamViewer without having to install it on the computer you are working on. This is great for situations where you may not have administrative permissions to install programs. It also saves time from having to go through the installation process.
Ever wondered what the exact color of a company’s logo is or what background color a website is using? 
SeizerStyle Designs would like to wish all our clients, fans and supporters a Happy New Year. We have a lot of plans for 2015 in alignment with our Always Improving motto. We are committed to improving the quality and range of our services and have listened to the feedback which we have received. As such, here are some things you can look forward to in 2015.
There are various ways to send your brand message and trying a different approach is a good way to influence the way your brand is perceived. With trends encouraging wellness and healthier living you may want to highlight the nutritional benefit of your product rather than simply focussing on taste. You may also want to highlight the social impact of your product or service to show that your business is not just about the bottom line. The changes you make to your marketing message should target the audience you are trying to attract for maximum impact.
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but differentiation is what sets you apart from your competitors. If you notice that you and your competitors have become too similar it may be time to tweak your brand image to give you the edge. This could be done by focusing on an aspect of the business that you think your competitors are neglecting. It could also be done by using a different marketing strategy to highlight your brand and why it is the best choice in the market. This does not mean that you have to make a dramatic change any time a competitor does something similar, but if you find that your similarity with your competitors is adversely affecting business it is definitely time for a refresh.
Not all content is appropriate for children. Some Windows versions provide built in parental controls while others don’t. You can enable parental control settings in Windows 7, 8 & Vista via the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you will have to use a third party tool.
It’s useful to find out what is using up your computer’s system resources out of curiosity or when you are troubleshooting a problem. This can reveal the programs that are memory hogs or indicate when a hardware upgrade may be necessary. On Windows there is an easy way to monitor your memory, CPU, network and disk activity using the Resource Monitor.
Research
Responsive Design
Content Management Systems
Emails are a convenient form of communication but unsolicited emails can distract as well as offend email users. Besides cluttering your inbox, spam can link to malicious websites or scam offers aimed at enticing you to give up your financial information. While most email providers try to filter out junk mail, occasionally some creep through the cracks. You can however mark emails as junk manually on both webmail and standalone email clients such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.