Step 1: Create a design.
Step 2: Upload the design to the Yazamo Facebook wall here: https://www.facebook.com/YazamoWeb
Step 3: Tell all of your friends to ‘LIKE’ your design in our T-Shirt Designs- VOTE HERE – Gallery here:http://on.fb.me/1611P1y

POST YOUR DESIGN EARLY! You only have until April 20 to accumulate votes. Early posters have more time!
Only ‘LIKES’ for the design within the OFFICIAL gallery here: http://on.fb.me/1611P1y will be counted as ‘VOTES’.

Fine Print:

If your Design is selected for use by Yazamo, you acknowledge that you assign to Yazamo LLC and its subsidiaries and affiliates (hereinafter collectively “Yazamo”) the entire right, title, and interest in and to the copyright in your Design including the right to sue for past

infringement and the right to further sublicense the Design, for its sole and exclusive use on and in connection with the Items. You also acknowledge that you waive all “moral” rights that you may have in and to your Design.
Yazamo reserves the right to request 1 revision of the Design before any prize is distributed. Additionally Yazamo reserves the right to change, amend, and/or extend the ‘Contest’ without notice at any time. Runners up will be chosen based on the sole discretion of Yazamo and not based on ‘voting’ system. Yazamo also reserves the right to disqualify any submissions for reasons including but not limited to: Copyright violation, plagiarism, trademark violation or if Yazamo deems the design to be vulgar, obscene, racist, sexist, or anything else in poor taste.

We can’t tell you how many clients have come to us with stories about their terrible experiences hiring cheap developers. It usually takes them much longer to launch their site, there are much more bugs along the way, and they end up throwing that time and money away when they can’t use most of the previous design or code. We know that when we pay for something, we want it to work correctly the first time and not have our time wasted. We aren’t telling you there aren’t going to be overpriced web developers out there but if you want a website that shows results; you are going to have to pay for the time that goes into that.

2. Not checking out your competition.

An old saying is hold your friends close and your enemies closer. You should be well aware of what your competitors are doing with their websites before you start developing your website. These competitors will compete with you directly in your web presence. As clients look for similar websites, they will probably compare you to your competitors. What are you going to do to differentiate yourself and convert that search into a client? Ask your web developer how they can help.

3. Doing it yourself, then hiring a pro for the hard parts.

Although it is human behavior to reach for this tendency, it usually creates more harm than good. You shouldn’t hire someone who’s not a web expert to start building your website. Many times, a web developer will have to scrap everything you already have if it isn’t well thought out for the scale and interests of your project. Do yourself a favor and stick to the area of expertise that will have the highest return on investment.

4. Assuming that big is better (web development firm size)

Size isn’t always better when selecting a web developer. With a smaller development firm, you should have better personal service. Many large firms will hand off smaller projects to their less experienced developers because it means a smaller return on investment for them.  The smaller firm will absolutely fight for you as they value your business and continuing relationship more.

5. Not signing a contract.

Having a “just get it done” attitude with web design is a fatal flaw.  Many web deals are done by soft hiring a web developer and then paying him once the site is complete.  You want to create a contract where there is mutual understanding of rights and responsibilities.

It has been proven that no matter how non-technical your business is, there is a vital need for your business to have a web presence. Having your website rank high on Google search results has a significant impact on visitors that will visit your website. 

Web presence also reflects your professional image. These days not having a website looks bad on you. In an age where almost everyone has a website, having a website that doesn’t look exceptional also looks bad on you. The look and functionality of your website has a significant impact on how professional you look as a company. If you have a website that looks like it was designed ten years ago, most clients will click their back button immediately. This works in reverse too. Small companies can look like they have an incredibly successful and professional business with an immaculately designed website.

2. Web development is easy; I can do it myself or just hire my son.

As you have read so far, there is a lot that goes into building your website beyond throwing something up on the internet. If you want to put your website to work for you, then hire a web developer who is knowledgeable in the fields which solve your problems. Trying to create a website in house will just waste your time and money, as it will probably take your developer longer to overhaul an existing website that was poorly made.

A web developer is not simply someone who knows how to use Frontpage or Dreamweaver.  A web developer must have reason and judgment that derives from years of experience as a solution finder, not simply making a landing page that looks pretty.  Web development is multi-faceted and cannot be completed in an hour.  It takes a

talented and experienced developer to create the aesthetics to your website as well as a fulfilling back-end, and create a competitive web presence with state-of-the-art techniques.

3. I want a professional website without any input from me, go!

Your relationship with your web developer should be more involved than just hiring them and writing the check!  You should focus on describing your underlying interests, provide content up front, and show a general design layout concept. The better you can do this, the more effective your web developer will be at creating a website to your satisfaction. If you have trouble providing content and a clear direction, you are going to have more changes and setbacks, and probably will be less satisfied in the end.

The longer your website is on the web, the better you will probably do. Adding content through outlets such as a blog or social media will improve your web presence. Building a relationship with your clients will build your web presence. Getting articles and other websites to link back to your website will improve your web presence. These are just a few reasons why it takes time to build your brand online. As the saying goes, anything worthwhile is worth waiting for. If you have a great web developer and a great framework set up, stick with your plan and test what works with your website and what doesn’t. Make adjustments and view your website as a process.

It is important for you to understand your underlying interests in building or redesigning a website and then to effectively communicate your wants and needs to a web developer. A web firm should be doing more for you by looking to help solve these underlying interests rather than just putting a website up for you on the Internet. You should come prepared to your consultation with these underlying interests and ask your web developer for their plan of action.

2. How much support do you offer?

Many developers charge different prices based on a flat rate, hours worked, or both. Most web developers know about how much time it should take to design your website but will put a cap on the number of hours they will work on it. This is to prevent clients from abusing their time. Any additional time is usually generated because the client is indecisive, unprepared, and therefore decides to make timely, substantial changes throughout the web development process.

After your website is built you need to understand how it is performing and how you can improve upon it. Your website should include analytics and a way to track performance of different pages. This should be a natural process to be expected. You should also decide up front who will continue to do updates and how these will be managed. Your website can be built on different platforms giving you the ability to edit your website or you can go for a more customized format.

3. How quickly can you provide a first draft of the site and how long does a job like this usually take?

The development time for your website really depends on the type of site and features that you want, how specific you can be in laying out what you would like your website to look like, and how quickly you can communicate with and provide content to your developer.

The best way to reduce the time and cost of your website is to have a clear and concise vision for your website. Again this starts by explaining your interests behind building or redesigning your website and developing a plan with your web developer. When you are unclear of your vision, projects often go over budget and take a lot longer to complete. Show your developer websites that you like and then ask your web developer for examples of sites they have created which are similar to your requests. This will help them give you a realistic time frame and budget assuming that you can provide content on time with clear intentions. As you progress and make changes to your website, your developer should communicate approximate times that it will take to make the changes you request. Make sure to set up a communication schedule with your developer and provide them with the best times and methods to get a hold of you.

4. How do you construct websites for search engine optimization?

There are many different ways in which a developer can implement SEO into your website. You should be aware of many of these and ask your web developer which techniques they plan on implementing. Developing a blog, developing a social media campaign, setting up a Google Places page, creating simple and readable content, creating meta data, creating heading summaries, image summaries, interior page analysis, domain expiration dates, number of links pointing from other sites to yours, mobile optimization, RSS feed, conversion forms, and marketing automation are all tools which can and should be used to build you search engine optimization. This is a crucial component of your web development as you don’t want your site to sit on the internet under-performing.

Go ahead and test your developer on their SEO ability. You should request to see previous clients and Google the keywords which they tailored their websites to.
5. Are your websites tested for multi-browser compatibility?

Every browser renders your website differently. With four different major web browsers and each version of Internet Explorer displaying your site differently, your developer needs to test your website on multiple web browsers to ensure uniformity across multiple platforms. This is a time consuming process and thorough testing is often skipped by some developers charging discount prices.

6. What type of specialties or languages does your team have?

There are a myriad of web abilities that your web development team may have. You may not know what all of these languages or specialties are but it is important to ask to get a good understanding of their capabilities. Depending on your needs, you need to consider whether your team is skilled at graphic design, programming, knowledge of website navigation, knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), marketing, and knowledge of how to transform your content to create a connection with your target audience and increase conversion (copyrighting). Web developers are usually more artistic and specialize in HTML, CSS, JQuery, Flash, and Javascript. For a more complicated site, you must have a web developer who specializes in back-end technical skills like PHP, MySQL, Python, and Ruby on Rails, to name a few. The back end is what performs the powerful computing processes of your website. Some developers also specialize in services like WordPress templates which are easier for clients to maintain on their own.

Four Characteristics of a Great Logo (Inc.com)

1. Its Timeless- for example, NBC’s logo is as stylish today as it was when the company was founded in the 1920s
2. Unique- It is more important to stand out than to say everything with your logo.  Starbuck’s logo has nothing to do with coffee, for example.
3. Appropriate- If your clients are businesses, your logo needs to be professional.  If your clients are hippies, your logo should be down-to-earth. Also, it is important to understand what your colors will say to your end-users.
4. Adaptable- Your logo should be simple enough to look good printed on a business card, yet recognizable enough that people would recognize it on a 20 foot high billboard.

Eight things not to do when making a logo:

1. Have your logo designed by an amateur.
• If you want your branding to be professional, hire a professional. Even if you have a great idea, you need somebody with printing expertise to make sure the design is adaptable to many different mediums. You also need somebody with strong skills in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to create the graphic.
2. ​Use a trendy logo that will go out of style
• The best logos are those that will be as well received ten years from now as they are today. Logo design trends change each year, which means a trendy logo will soon be out of style and you (as well as all your competitors that opted for a trendy look) will have to redesign.
3. Use more than three colors
• Having many colors on a logo makes it costly to put it on printed materials, t-shirts, mugs, billboards, and much more.  It is important to consider all the potential ways you will be promoting your brand, and if you are willing to bear much higher printing costs for the sake of your multi-colored design.
4. Create a design that doesn’t work in black and white
• Ultimately, there will be situations where your logo appears in black and white. 
   Are you published in a newspaper?  Making last minute copies for a
  businesspartner?  Faxing anything?  To be ready for situations like these, you want a design that looks good in black and white, which usually means having a simple design without too many colors.
5. Create a complex logo
• Complex logos will be difficult to reproduce when printed or reproduced on a small scale.  A good test of this is that you need to make sure your logo looks 
  good on a business card.  Also,complex logos tend to not look as good in
  black and white.  Whileusing a gradient with your logo may look great on your website, it will print poorly on items like shirts and business cards.
6. Use Clip Art
• People see clip art every day, often as a part of a sleep-inducing PowerPoint presentation.  This is not what you want your brand to be associated with.  Your logo should be a unique identifier that people associate only with your business. In addition, because clip art is found everywhere, it is more difficult to get a trademark with a design based on clip art.
7. Create a logo that looks too similar to your competition
• This can get you in trouble for trademark infringement.  It can also help their branding more than yours.
8. Choose the wrong font
• Some designers say the font is the most important part of your logo, and it deserves meaningful attention and conversation between you and the graphic designer. This also requires some research.  Generally, fonts when used as a logo are subject to any copyright restrictions placed on the font.  Some fonts, such as Helvetica, are old enough that this copyright has expired and they are free for anybody to use.  Even if you are planning to use one of these fonts, it is crucial that your designer know the intellectual property restrictions behind it, if any, and that they discuss these with you.

2. Know Yourself

Answer these questions to get started with brainstorming your logo.  Answer every question, and as you do, sketch out potential logo designs.

1. What is the mission of your business, in one sentence?
2. Does your business have a slogan?  If so, what is it?
3. In one sentence, what is the single greatest benefit that people will get from your site?
4. Who is your competition, and how are you different?  You should highlight anything that differentiates you if you can.
5. What is the personality of your business?  (check all that apply)
• Fun
• Professional
• Serious
• Hip
• Smart-alec
• Intellectual
• Caring
• Funny
• Something else:  ________________
6. Who will use your site?  (Your logo should communicate the ‘personality’ in a way that users will easily get)
• Age
• Interests
• Education

3. Know your competition

Research the logos of similar companies in your industry:

4. Follow Through

Two things to do after your logo is made:

1. Put your logo everywhere- from business cards to shirts to letterhead.  This is a crucial part of branding.
2. Apply for a trademark to protect your logo- see http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/index.jsp

-Guest written by Paul Collier

Full Browser View

If you haven’t noticed, mobile browsing is taking over. More than half of the population has a smartphone and more people will be using their

smartphones to get online than PCs by 2013 (Gartner). 61% of users call a business after searching on mobile (Google) and 50% of mobile searches lead to purchase (Google).

Now is the time to take advantage of that audience. If you are giving your site a redesign, we usually recommend using responsive design which scales based on screen size, therefor optimizing your website for desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers. This is usually a more cost effective approach of development as compared to building a mobile website separately.

Take a look at a few of our favorite responsive designed websites and tell us what you think! (drag the browser screen to reduce the width)

http://www.anderssonwise.com/
http://foodsense.is/
http://www.stonehengeveterinaryhospital.com/

By Stacie Spring, Tribune | Posted: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 6:42 am

Just months after starting their new business, co-founders and Arizona State University students Jeremy Ellens and Dornubary Vizor have collected more than $10,000 in sales.

Yazamo, a business which designs websites, mobile websites and social media marketing campaigns, has seen a large number of clients, in part because the business has a one-for-one model, in the same vein as Toms Shoes, Ellens and Visor said.

For every sale the company makes, some of that money will go toward financing a loan for poor entrepreneurs around the world, Vizor said.

“It’s more about financing others rather than making money,” he said.

Vizor was born in Africa and spent three years at a United Nations refugee camp before moving to the United States, he said.

“Growing up in Nigeria, I saw poverty first hand and the social problems that come along with it,” Vizor said.

With every sale the business makes, they finance a loan through Kiva.com, a website that finances personal and business loans to people living in poverty who otherwise might not be able to secure one.

It’s a business model that they believe can become game changing, Vizor said. They are expecting to make $100,000 in sales this year, but it isn’t the money that’s the driving force for the business idea.

“Imagine if Google had built a company around giving back,” Vizor suggested.

Giving back is only a part of it, as the two are also extremely passionate about entrepreneurship, Ellens said.

“I started an app company after my aunt, who is a vet, was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis),” said Ellens, who created a mobile app for vets that assists veterinarians in diagnostics. “It switched the way I see problems. I think a lot of problems can be solved by entrepreneurs.”

One of those problems is poverty, and the two believe through entrepreneurship, they can help others.

“We want to help people take control of their own future,” Vizor said.

Finding financing for his own business ventures was hard, and Vizor hopes that this makes it easier for those who don’t have the same opportunities.

“We can offer, as students, creativity and a return on investment,” Ellens said. “We have a 100 percent money back guarantee.”

It’s a money back guarantee that includes one-on-one talks with the developers.

Yazamo also offers consulting on what prospective clients should be looking for in web design, a service that is offered free even if the company chooses not to use their services, Vizor said.

So far, client feedback has been good, Ellens said.

Yazamo has worked with a number of local businesses, including Valley Goldmine and ClearMyGuilt.com, a Tempe-based confessional-style website that posts anonymous admissions of guilt, as well as companies from Ellen’s native Michigan.

“I was impressed with how Yazamo supports entrepreneurship in Third World countries in addition to their top-notch quality of work,” said Tim Hargis, CEO and founder of Valley Goldmine.

Ellens is a senior at ASU majoring in business management with a focus in entrepreneurship. He was nominated for the 2011 College Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Vizor is a junior at ASU studying justice studies, with a minor in small business.

Yazamo is based out of Skysong in Scottsdale.

To learn more about the company and for examples of their work, log on to www.yazamo.com.

Original article can be found here  

Today we funded our very first Kiva loan! We funded $125 towards Fredrick, who lives in Kenya. Fredrick sells second hand clothes and will be using his loan to purchase additional clothes to expand his business. We are excited by the opportunity to continue to fund additional loans for each website we build. This loan was made possible by our web development for ClearMyGuilt.com. Follow this link for more information on Fredrick: http://www.kiva.org/lend/388179?

http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2011/10/03/loan-use-not-as-simple-as-you-might-think/