In 2012, approximately 3% or about 750,000 Canadians reported having some limitation in their sight. Beyond that, at age 40, only half the light gets through to the retina as it did at age 20. For 60-year-olds, it’s just 20%. Perhaps your customers are younger, and you feel you don’t have to worry about aging eyes? Consider that 75% of U.S. citizens wear some form of corrective lens, so what percentage of your customers need glasses for their smartphone, tablets, and monitors?

Chances are that your website’s purpose is to sell your product or service. So, each element of your website should be designed to achieve that goal, including the copy. Larger fonts are easier to read and, as a result, your site will offer a better return on your investment.

The default font size used by web browsers is 16px, which is what we’ve sized this paragraph of text too. How does this paragraph compare to those around it? Is it easier or harder for you to read in comparison?

It is easy to forget that people don’t devote their full attention to our products, nor do they use them in neutral, quiet environments. They are often distracted, stressed, or multitasking. Typographic designs that are legible even in suboptimal conditions can help users greatlyPage Laubheimer - Neilson Normal Group

A 2017 study from MIT showed that larger font sizes outperform smaller font sizes in “at-a-glance” reading that is typical of most of us when using our devices.

So what font size should I use?

Typecast has an article which has some great starting points and covers many of the gotchas when building mobile-friendly websites.

To capture the widest audience, our site has a starting body copy size of 36 pixels, which balances nicely on our (admittedly large) monitors. For mobile, we reduce the body copy font size to 24px to strike a balance between legibility and the amount of scrolling to view a complete page.

The best advice I’ve seen is, it depends, but we recommend starting larger than you think and stepping down slowly. Different fonts will have varying heights, so two fonts at 16px can have two completely different heights

Further reading

16 Pixels Font Size: For Body Copy. Anything Less Is A Costly Mistake
“Your Website Font is too Small”: How Font Sizes Effect UX & Conversions
Typography for Glanceable Reading: Bigger Is Better

Decades before the birth of the Internet or digital ads, many companies understood the importance of providing value before the sale. John Deere understood this in 1895 when they published the first issue of The Furrow, an agricultural journal focused on giving away free content that helped farmers run their businesses better. John Deere rightly acknowledged that by serving the farmer and helping him build his business, he would need more of the products John Deere provides. By 1912 The Furrow was distributed to an astonishing 4 million consumers. Publication continues today.

Jesse Bryan has a wonderful article talking about something we love to preach here at Wide Eyed, connecting with your customers with content.

We were proud to be selected to develop a campaign to inform high-schooler’s about the effects of binge drinking for both themselves and friends.

We developed a strategically targeted campaign that focused on videos delivered via YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine.

How is it different than a traditional drunk driving campaign?

The messaging had to be targeted to a group that is not typically addressed. The primary message, drink responsibly, cannot be targeted to an underage group. So, how do we reach them, and what is the essence of the campaign? We felt that the essence was simply excess. So how do we deliver that message about excess and have it be realized by the target group of young teens?

The challenge was to create videos that not only would be understood by teens, but to get them to stop and take note of the message. We’ve all experienced moments in our lives where someone else’s behaviour caused us to cringe, so the campaign showed the consequences of excess from the perspective of friends who had to deal with the fallout from the antagonists behaviour. The embarrassment and frustration that their friend was causing them, and the underlying desire that they need to rethink their future actions. This focus in the campaign allowed the message to be reinforced, sustained and delivered to our audience.

Racked.com has a great article covering the inspiration and creation of @Barbiestyle. It’s a really great story on how Mattel developed a unique marketing channel for a struggling product line, which now engages over 700,000 followers across the globe.

Take a look at some more photos from BarbieStyle below.

We helped Gala Bakery launch their brand in 2009 and recently revamped the packaging for their ready to eat dessert line. The new elegant black packaging with photography by StudioBlu is launching this spring at Costco . From March 31st to April 12th you can find their product roadshow at Costco Ancaster.

As the economy evolves so does the trade. Advertising and marketing budgets are often the first to fall when it comes to meeting profit margins and overhead expenses. Royalty free images are quite often the only alternative in maintaining a budget line and still producing material that captivates an audience while supporting a brand, and if successfully done converts awareness into measurable results. Whether it’s a commercial campaign or an editorial piece, royalty free images can be the tool that leverages success, after all there is still merit and always will be, to creative efforts. The key is to take the images out of the prepackaged box and like a master chef mix and refine them into a singular unique flavour. In the right hands, the art of collage can take your budget friendly art to new heights and help propel your campaign towards measurable success.

The Link/Link+ combines a variety of HVAC technologies into a single unit that saves their customers floor space, coolant, and energy.

Limitrol+ is an award-winning new technology from KeepRite Refrigeration that reduces coolant and energy cost through an innovative method of optimizing coolant pressure and use to outdoor temperature.

KeepRite Refrigeration’s new EC Shafted Motors offer their customers an easy modular upgrade to their existing equipment. No more renting a crane to replace the entire fan motor and blade, now a technician can simply carry and replace only the motor.

Contact us at 905-627-2374, or mdraak@wideeyedcommunications.com and let us help you promote your innovative technologies to your customers.

Why use 3D rendering?

Most manufacturers and product driven companies already use some form of 3D or CAD to develop their products, this data is an untapped resource for marketing communications. 3D animation and rendering allows you to use your existing engineering models to market your products for trade show displays, corporate videos, product sellsheets, websites, and more.

Key benefits of 3d imagery

• Ignore real-world limitations! Cut-aways, transparencies, unique or difficult angles, and exploded views are great tools to focus on product features.
• Demonstrate unique product features or complex processes which can’t otherwise be visualized.
• Cost savings. For manufacturers of custom or large products, the savings can be significant. You no longer need to build a prototype, pull an existing product out of production, or find physical space to photograph your product.

From technical 3D product renderings to full blown detailed and realistic 3D animations, Wide Eyed Communications can cover all your product marketing graphic needs. Give us a call us at 905-627-2374 or email us today.

Tweaking the concept of a Minimum Viable Product we applied it to one of our clients by adding a new product to their site with zero stock, then we added an option to be notified when this new product was back in stock. Within a few weeks, they had confirmation of the demand, added the product to their inventory (for real this time) and watched it become one of their best selling products.

With this simple tip you can get some real-world data about possible demand for a new product. You can add back in stock notifications to most e-commerce engines such as Ecwid or WooCommerce with ease.

I’m an out of shape desk jockey, but for the past few months I’ve been cycling to work from the Limeridge Mall area to Dundas with relative success. Here are some of the things that I’ve learned that make my 30km (round-trip) commute possible.

My carbon reducing, health improving, sweat inducing ride

1. Google Maps is your friend, and enemy (Frenemy?).

The first day’s ride. Long, uncomfortable, and a little scary.

Before I took my first ride, I planned out my route using Google maps using it’s bike route option. Hoo boy, did I almost die that first day.

Google prefers to direct you to signed bike lanes and along trails. In my case, I ended up taking a much longer route that included a portion of the Bruce Trail off Beckett Drive. Google wanted me to ride my road bike on a rock and root strewn off-road dirt trail with a 2 metre drop-off at the end. Needless to say, I ended up walking along that portion of my ride. Google Maps doesn’t make a distinction between off-road and paved trails, and doesn’t consider that some mountain accesses are more bike-friendly than others.

After that first ride, I decided to take a more active role in planning out my route. I ended up using Limeridge Road on the east/west leg as it’s fairly flat and doesn’t carry much traffic, unlike Stonechurch which is neither of those. With the satellite view I was able to find some shortcuts through a few neighbourhoods which ended up shaving almost 2 kilometres off that first ride. Switching to the pedestrian mode reminded me about the Chedoke Stairs (Bike friendly!) which replaced the hair-raising ride down Beckett. Both the bike and pedestrian maps introduced me to the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail, which makes the ride through the west-end really pleasant.

2. Bike seats suck. Bike shorts make them much better.

For the first few weeks I rode with the stock saddle, this was painful. Every bump, pothole, and crack in the road added to the soreness from unused muscles, making sitting a challenge for days after. I bought a new seat with a little more cushioning that was fitted to my sit bones. It helped, but the lovely gents at Freewheel Cycle finally convinced me that a pair of bike shorts was the way to go. I spent around $80 on my pair, and they’ve made the commute infinitely more comfortable. You wear the bike shorts as your underwear and can throw a pair of shorts or pants over top, which hides the dorkyness well.

3. Build a better handle.

While we’ve got several bike friendly stairs throughout the city, I’m not their biggest fan. It feels like I spend half my energy preventing the bike from rolling away from me, so I’d end up carrying my bike on my shoulder. This was faster, but somewhat painful. A Kickstarter project offered a great solution, a carrying handle just above the pedals! I grabbed an old belt and built my own version for free. Now when I get to the stairs I just wrap the belt around the frame, and carry the bike using the stronger muscles in my arms, rather than resting it on my shoulder. I also carry my bike somewhat across my body so the wheels don’t bounce off the stairs.

4. You will get wet.

With an hour’s ride up & down the mountain, staying dry is fairly important to me. If I were to get caught in a storm, then I’d be miserable for quite a while.

I’ve actually ended up using a combination of weather apps and sites (The Weather Network, Google Now’s Weather, and Forecast.io) to get the best picture of what the conditions for the day look like. The night before, I’ll check the weather to get a general feel for the next day and see if I can prep for a ride. The morning of I’ll recheck the weather for the day. With the distance of the commute, I also check the weather for both Hamilton and Dundas. The key for whatever weather service you use is to ignore the pretty icons, pay attention to only the POP (Probability of Precipitation). As long as it’s under 50%, you’ll most likely stay dry. However, if the POP looks menacing around 8am and again around 5pm, I’ll usually skip that day’s ride.

Even with all that careful prep, I’ve still gotten caught in a downpour, and so will you. That’s where splash guards on my wheels become incredibly handy, keeping the wheel spray off my legs and back. Once you get inside, give your bike a quick wipe down to help it dry off and avoid rusting.

5. Let your bike carry your stuff.

Carrying a lunch and a change of clothes on your back over a long distance gets a little uncomfortable. A backpack ensures that my back gets soaked in sweat, and my lunch containers usually find great spots to jab me. A bike rack and a set of panniers eliminate the need for a backpack and make my ride much more comfortable. The bike rack will cost around $20 – $30, and I paid around $110 for a pair of panniers. Panniers can get quite expensive, but the key feature is that they need to make a hard locked connection to the rack. I previously had a set of panniers that just hooked over the rack and used a bungie to connect to the bottom. As the bungie wore out, large potholes and bumps would send my pannier flying onto the road, nearly getting run over by cars.

The disadvantage is that my bike is 5-10 pounds heavier near the back wheels, so I end up hooking a pannier onto the front handlebars to balance the bike as I carry it up or down. It’s awkward and heavy, but worth the comfort during the rest of the ride.

6. Statistics!

If you’ve got a smartphone, then you can track your ride and easily see a variety of stats on your commute, watching your progress with each ride. There are dozens of apps for both Android and iOS that will keep track of your rides. I use My Tracks which covers average & top speed, total distance, and even lets me play back my ride on Google Earth. There’s also Moves and RunKeeper for both Android and iOS.

So far, my average speed is around 12-13 kph, with a top speed of 40 kph on the way in. I’ve burned around 7,000 calories, and have covered around 450 km’s on my bike. That also works out to an approximate reduction of 270 lbs of emissions.

Finishing Up

If you’ve been thinking that Hamilton’s roads or the mountain make for an insurmountable obstacle to commuting by bike, I can tell you that with a little planning and the right equipment it’s a great way to get exercise, save money, and reduce your carbon emissions. I’ve now been riding at least once a week (usually 2-3) since April and other than a popped rear tire and a near-wipeout (my fault), I’ve found it a really pleasant way to travel to and from work.