Minimalist+ needed to communicate the concepts of energy-efficiency, comfort and simple beauty that underpin their out-of-the-box home designs. We created a brochure design that employed a clean feeling of modernism, while the colors and dynamic composition pull the reader in and give them an immersive experience.

Temporary web site designs that scream ‘Under Construction’ don’t connect to prospects. If it’s not yet time to create a full web site, at least create a temporary page such as this one. Minimalist+ homes are designed to meet the requirements set forth by the US Department of Energy under their Builders Challenge program. In keeping with the name of this farsighted venture, we created a stripped-back look that still creates a sense of welcome.

We also created a brochure, which you can see here.

This is a great idea, as long as the clearinghouses are ethical about only blacklisting genuine spammers. Unfortunately, Quoin has recently had a run-in with another kind of company.

One of our clients had their email rejected by the recipient’s web host. It was an important message to a supplier. This happened several times, so the supplier talked with their host. The host said our server had been blacklisted. I checked and found that it was on a single black list, UCEPROTECT. I emailed my web host, and they sent me this reply:

Hello,
While the server is listed at UCEPROTECT, there is very little we as a company can do.  They run their blacklists only as an effort to make money.  We’ve tried to work with them before and it all comes down to them wanting money to do something that is automated in the first place.  We have repeatedly asked them for logs/evidence/proof and they adamantly do not provide any.  Unfortunately, even paying them to remove the listing gives them no reason to not re-list the server at their whim, based on little or no evidence, based on past experiences where they have done just that. Armed with this information, upper management refuses to deal with such unscrupulous companies.

Essentially, this black list holds email hostage. We did some research on UCEPROTECT, and discovered that they want 50 Euros ($70) to de-list a single IP address.

What we couldn’t understand is why reputable web hosts would be working with a black list like this. We’re very glad ours doesn’t! Web host administrators have the option to exclude lists such as UCEPROTECT but sometimes don’t take the steps necessary to exclude them.

We’ve posted this in an effort to increase the exposure of this practice. If it’s not illegal yet, why isn’t it?

Sungari Pearl, a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine in Portland’s Pearl District, decided to change their name to Seres, a derivation of the ancient Latin word for China, which symbolizes the very old relationship between China and the West. Working from a visual center we had begun with other materials, Quoin built this new web site.

This is a custom WordPress theme. WordPress is a small, flexible, extremely SEO-friendly platform with a wide range of plug-ins. This installation includes anti-comment-SPAM software, SEO tools, XML sitemaps to notify Google of new content, and a plugin that incorporates Google Analytics reporting code into each page in a highly-configurable way. We also incorporated PayPal buttons that allow them to sell their gift certificates and other gifts.

The owner or staff can update the menu at any time, and, most importantly, their blog allows them to keep in touch with their community and create content that boosts their search rankings.

Launch SeresRestaurant.com

ywca clark county asked Quoin to create a save-the-date card, invitation, poster and program for their new Fall fundraiser event. Working from the central concept of the chandelier that they had found, Quoin adapted their new identity system to brand the event. We placed the chandelier in the context of the red carpet, to further the combination of ‘gothic’ and ‘glam’, creepy and fabulous. (Fittingly, one of their sponsors put on a recreation of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ routine.)

Quoin guided each piece through production to ensure that color did not vary as weeks or months passed between the printing of each piece.

Google’s Central Conflict

Here’s the problem Google has: you’ve got a website about sauerkraut, and someone just typed ‘how to make sauerkraut’ into the Google search field and pressed the return button. There are 770,000 articles in their index that match this string. How do they decide which article to serve first in the list? Where does your site rank?

In very simple terms, there are a couple of criteria Google uses to determine PageRank:

1. How many other sites think your site is a trustworthy authority on the keywords entered?
2. How many people have already searched for ‘how to make sauerkraut’ and then clicked on your link?

There are hundreds or perhaps thousands of criteria Google uses or we think Google uses. Here’s a more comprehensive list of Google ranking factors.

Google is Mysterious

Google has to play its cards close to its chest. If it didn’t, far more sites would game the system than currently do. All you’d see when you searched for ’sauerkraut’ is the ‘Shamwow Sauerkraut Spinner’ (this product doesn’t exist, I just wish it did).

Google won’t tell us directly how to get high rankings. Many times we have to guess from the way sites are ranked, and simple trial and error. It’s a constantly changing game. Web developers can and do gang up on Google to figure out why they do what they do, trading secrets and tips on blogs everywhere. On the other hand, Google can always change its algorithms.

A Few Clues

Google’s Matt Cutts says, “We prefer to focus on things like ‘trust’, ‘authority’, ‘reputation’, PageRank, high quality… The Google philosophy has always been the same: If somebody comes to Google and types ‘x’, we want to return high-quality information about ‘x’.” They repeat this a lot, and many people say, “But that doesn’t tell me how to get to the top of the rankings!”. It doesn’t, but it shows us how we can help Google’s business while they help ours: create trustworthy content that people find useful.

Corollary

Because Google has an enormous team of well-paid engineers focused on outwitting web masters everywhere, beware of anyone who says they know how to get your page to the top of Google’s rankings. As a business owner or marketing director, you can do much of the work yourself by finding partners to link to your site and by writing content that everyone wants to have.

Sungari Pearl, a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine, felt their new business principles of simple, organic, locally-sourced food had changed their business completely. Along with needing to separate themselves from another restaurant with the same name, they decided it was time for a big change. They chose Seres, a derivation of the ancient Latin word for China, which symbolizes the very old relationship between China and the West.

Working from earlier designs we had created, Quoin tweaked the logo, built a new web site and updated their signage.

The website is built on the WordPress framework. It’s a small, flexible, extremely SEO-friendly platform with a wide range of plug-ins. This installation includes anti-comment-SPAM software, SEO tools, XML sitemaps to notify Google of new content, and a plugin that incorporates Google Analytics reporting code into each page in a highly-configurable way.

The owner or staff can update the menu at any time, and, most importantly, their blog allows them to keep in touch with their community and create content that boosts their search rankings.

See this Chinese restaurant’s website.

The Clark County, Washington chapter of the ywca wanted to modernize and update the organization’s national identity to help them drive donations locally. Quoin created an identity system closely related to the national brand. We provided new brand standards for typography, colors, and photo usage. Then we began systemizing all off their materials.

The stationery system, consisting of business cards, letterhead, envelope and thank-you card (with A6 envelope), grew out of the new identity design.

Business cards consisted of English and Spanish translations, as well as special cards for sexual assault advocates and volunteers.

Brand identity design is a specialty of Quoin.

We were hired to create a fresh new look for the front and back covers of this existing catalog, as well as a new introductory spread. We focused on showcasing their new gemstones, creating a lush focal point from the company logo, and advertising their limited-time sale. The piece was designed to be self-mailing.

Finally, we helped guide the project through production.