Apple iPad -Business Impact as Far as You Can Dream

I just finished reading an article by Scott Bourne on What the Apple Tablet Will Mean for Photographers and it is exactly the type of post I wanted to write today, but I want to take it a little further.  I believe the iPad will provide cutting edge new ways for businesses to do many of the things we might not even realize could use improved.  I also want to touch on where I hope the iPad can go from here.

iPad for photographers and designers.  iPad, with its stand accessory is perfect for anyone looking to showcase a portfolio.  As trade shows, it can be put on a table to showcase your best work relevant to the show, yet if asked, in an instant you can pull up any part of your portfolio with ease on a brilliant display, without digging around or pulling out your laptop.  Afterwards, placing it back on the cradle to resume the original show.  At your studio or gallery, instead of just a couple books of prints on a coffee table, a tablet would allow the customer to select exactly what type of work they are interested in and look at relevant examples immediately.

iPad for the business world.  iPad can be used throughout the business structure, from corporate meetings where attendees receive any documents via bluetooth, to an inventory and ordering platform for  a retail employee.  Supervisors at factories and other locations can have all of their checklists, time off schedules, sick days, shipping dates and more right with them at all times.

iPad for students.  Students will hopefully be able to download their textbook from the store for a lower cost, then they can keep notes from class and all their schedules too.  This means lighter backpacks, and after a few years of saving on books, it would actually pay for the iPad.  As an extra perk, the games look like a great way to unwind after a tough test too.

iPad for coaches, utility meter readers, and more.  All these people who used to need large clipboards, binders, and even dry erase boards can now replace it all with just one iPad, not to mention all the new things they can use if for, like showing a video clip from a past game over half time.

Useful almost anywhere.  I am sure if I tried I could come up with dozens more uses for the iPad, but it basically comes down to it being a great all round product.  Tablet laptops never really took off because people were afraid of breaking the swivel, but they still wanted them, this is lighter, smaller, and sturdier.  If you tried, you could think up a great way for almost any profession to use it to simplify or enhance the position or the customer experience.

Where next for the iPad?  There are plenty of things I would love to see in the iPad in the future, but there are some major things I think should be first on the list.

1. A SD card reader.  A built in reader would make it easy to load pictures and move files, using it like a jump drive while keeping everything internal.  I know there are attachments for this kind of thing, but they add to the size and would be awkward to carry.
2. Multitasking:  I am sure it is at the top of everyone's list, and it should be, I am sure it is coming.
3. Video/still Camera.  I would actually like to see a camera with a lens that slides out of the top, then it could be used for video chats as well as spun around for more traditional use. yeah it is a bulky camera, but if you are carrying it anyway, it would be great to leave the camera behind.
4. More memory.  It is a given, that with time, the ability and storage of these devices will go up, but I feel the only other thing an iPad misses to completely beat a net book is a competitively sized hard drive.

Overall, I believe the iPad is already a great product, with more great things to come, and almost limitless potential.  Where else can one be used?  I hope we will soon see.

Logo Tips

Logos are an important part of helping customers remember a company.  A good logo can go a long way, and a bad logo is just a waste of time.

Create a good logo and stick with it.  Some small companies change and revamp their logo constantly, because they get bored or think of something they like better.  This ruins any brand recognition they had built.  It is important to make sure you have a good logo the first time, and then stick with it the best you can.  It is ok to make another logo for a particular product, but your company logo should remain the same or nearly the same.  It is one thing to have multiple colors, and another to change it altogether.  Take the time the first time, and make sure you have a logo worth sticking around.

Keep it simple.  A logo does not need to incorporate your entire business.  It does not even have to demonstrate anything about the business like Burger King does.  Logos like Nike and Apple use are hugely effective and have nothing to do with the product; they emphasize the name.  Focus on making a logo that helps the customer remember the name of the company.

Don't use too many colors.  Sometimes companies get carried away making colorful logos.  they often look nice on a screen, but they are difficult to adapt to other uses.  Printing that many colors on promotional material and packaging can get expensive.  For example: a T-shirt company will add on an extra fee for each color.  A couple colors is usually plenty, if even that, a single color logo allows you to use it in multiple colors to better fit the medium.

Remember, the best logos will accentuate your name, not distract from it.

You can see logos I have made here.

Photography Websites

I have been looking at photography websites a lot lately, trying to find a photographer for my wedding this summer.  I must say, it has been a bit of a shock.  I feel like a lot of these websites were lacking basic essentials and just not all that they could be.  In fact, I found hardly any websites at all until my fiance found onewed.com because flash is overused:  a good place to start.

Flash is rarely used properly.  One of the most obvious and common problems is that almost all of the good looking websites were made in flash.  Many people do not realize this, but flash content is invisible to search engines.  Unless it is perfectly conceived, a website in flash is almost impossible to find on a standard search engine.  They may look nice, but they are nearly impossible to find.  They also tend to load slower and have weird glitches like misplaced hotspots.  They are pretty, but they should be used minimally.  A good use of flash is a slideshow on the front page, or maybe the galleries, but not any pages with content.

Music can get in the user's way.  Almost all of the flash websites and a few of the others also like to play music.  On the non-flash sites, it can be difficult to turn off music, and it usually restarts with every page, very annoying.  Even with flash, it can be difficult to find which tab has the guilty website.  When someone is really looking for a photographer, they will have a lot of tabs up, and lots of music that won't go away.  I actually had to just turn off my sound because it became too difficult.  I would have liked to listen to my music, but the websites took that option away.

Slow loading galleries. A couple of the galleries loaded extremely slowly.  I realize as a photographer it is difficult to settle for posting lower quality images.  However, as a viewer, when everything takes so long to load, I get bored and move on.  I don't look as much and probably missed a few really good images that would have improved my opinion on the photographer.

Fees missing from website.  LOTS of the websites did not list their fee, they might say what a basic package is, or what packages start at, but many photographers were crossed off my list simply because contacting them all is too much of a pain.  I understand wanting to adapt to the situation, but many of these people have a set amount already in mind and could easily have put it on their website.  It is a drain on their time and mine to force me to email them so they can send me a PDF file they had all along.

The best part of it all is that the website I made for my fiance, Photography by Amanda Gibson, is a much better site than I had given myself credit for.  She needs to post fees, but otherwise, it loads quickly, isn't flash, doesn't have music, and is generally very pleasing.  If you want a rough display of what I think makes a good photography website, that is it.