5 Web Design Plugins to Have in Your Arsenal

Most people are likely to assess or judge a website by its design and ease of navigation. As a designer, one of the first things that you can do is to make sure that the web page functions smoothly and provides the visitor with a good user experience. Web design plugins are a great way for UI, UX or full-stack web designers to create an interactive and responsive page.

It is important to know which of them can help boost the visibility of your website, and result in increased conversions. These are a few web design plugins that you should have in your arsenal.

The Best Plugins in Web Design

Plugins are about making a website more functional and allowing the web designer to tweak it according to the features. With them, you can create an appealing website on WordPress or any other content management system (CMS) that is open source.

How to Get Your Food Product Business Started

how to get a food product business started

We live in the era of the entrepreneur. There are many people out there looking to launch new businesses with a good percentage of those individuals in the food industry.

If you just made a great home recipe, it may be difficult for you to figure out where to start. Those that are new to the business may be dealing with issues concerning the manufacturing of the product and nutritional information. They may wonder where to go to find how to distribute a product that is FDA approved.

If you find yourself stuck in this boat, here are some resources that may get you headed in the right direction.

Lien Design wins twice - Design Rush Best Package Design of 2021

California best package design 2021

Lien Design is proud to be the winner (twice!) of the Design Rush Best Package Design of 2021 award. This award seeks out the best packaging design of 2021 that is on-trend, consumer-friendly, and unique in its category.

This award inspires us to continue creating innovative designs that boost our client’s growth and further promote memorable brands. Many thanks to Design Rush and their team of experienced design judges. We are truly honored.

And the winners are…

How the Right Food Packaging Can Increase Shelf Life

Food packaging design and shelf life

When we think of eco-friendly packaging, we often consider a package’s effects on the environment. For example, is it biodegradable? Can it be manufactured in a sustainable manner? Will it end up in a landfill where it can be harmful to plants and animals?

These are all good points, but an issue that isn’t considered as much in the environmental plan is food waste.

Sure, waste is always considered in environmental matters, but what many people overlook is that there are manufacturing methods that can be incorporated when you design food packaging that may keep products from spoiling and cut down on waste.

How the Right Packaging Design Can Boost ROI

Best packaging design in San Diego, California.

Business is all about boosting ROI. It’s about making wise investment choices that will get you your money back and help you grow your company.

Great packaging design weighs heavily into ROI. In fact, in a blog post for Nielson, Randall Beards called packaging “the small investment that brings big returns”. He notes that once a smart packaging choice has been made, it can continue to boost revenue for years to come.

If you are looking to increase your ROI with innovative packaging, here are some things to keep in mind.

Should You Update Your Package Design for Covid?

Design for packaging San Diego, California.

The coronavirus has thrown all of us for a loop. Now that a vaccine is on the way, we are all breathing a sigh of relief. But the trauma of the event has left us with a lasting impression that may affect buying decisions in the future.

When it comes to packaging design expertise, brands need to be considerate of people that are slowly adjusting to life after the pandemic. This calls for an emphasis on health and safety. If your designs aren’t doing all they can do send a positive message, an update may be necessary.

This article will review the elements of a packaging design that sends the right message so you can find out if yours checks off all the boxes.

Frozen Food Packaging Design Trends for 2021

Amazing frozen food packaging design

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the world. For most of us, it has changed many aspects of our everyday lives. It has also affected the way most businesses operate.

The food industry is one that has been majorly affected by the coronavirus. With people no longer able to eat in a public setting, they are counting on getting food delivered, often in frozen form. This calls for updates in product packaging along with great package design.

The packaging updates that are taking place will likely change the future of frozen food packaging dictating trends for the new year. Here are some updates to look out for.

Packaging Inserts & How They Can Boost Your Product’s Value

Packaging Design trends for 2021 in San Diego.

Product packaging is very important. An amazing package design will make your product look interesting so customers will be more likely to take notice. It also helps promote your image and brand.

The unboxing experience also plays an essential role. If you add design elements to the interior of your package, customers will have fun unwrapping the product making it more memorable and making them more likely to return as a loyal customer.

5 Ways Quality Photography Can Increase the Value of Your Brand

A picture tells a thousand words. The pictures a business uses on their web page design and social media tell consumers a story. They make content more engaging and they break up text to boost readability.

But if your pictures don’t look professional, they can do more harm than good.

A low-quality picture, or possibly worse yet, a stock photo can make your company look bad. Subpar photography makes it seem like you didn’t take the time and effort to make your content look good. And if you don’t want to invest time and money in your company, why should anyone else?

Here are some other reasons why quality professional photography is so important.

1: It Helps SEO

There are many factors that come into play when it comes to boosting SEO and images are one of them. A good image that is properly labeled will help you rank higher on search engines. It can also keep users on your page longer increasing the chances that they will buy your products.

Convert low-res images to high-res FREE with this app!

Using visuals to engage your audience and convey your brand message is quite effective. For this reason, having crisp, high-resolution photos on your website and in your business's marketing materials is crucial.

Here are a few of the factors that make having high-quality photos so crucial:

They draw interest. We live in a digital age where information and stimulation are all around us. Gaining people's attention and breaking through the noise can be challenging. Exceptional photos can assist you in doing that. They can draw people in even while they're scrolling through a website or their social media feeds because they're more aesthetically pleasing and captivating than text by itself.

They leave a favorable impression. The initial impression a potential customer has of your business is largely shaped by the visuals they see on your website or in other marketing materials. Images of a high caliber convey professionalism, authority, and meticulousness. They demonstrate that your business is serious about what it does and that you care about giving your clients an excellent experience.

We all have those horribly pixelated images sitting on a camera or in storage that we love, but just didn't come out right. Whether you took the original photo on a low-resolution camera, or maybe it was the ‘90s when all digital photos left a lot to be desired, you can still salvage your great memories. Thankfully a new website called imglarger.com can help save the day!

Why Do You Need to Have a Brand Logo?

When was the last time you really paid attention to a brand logo? Maybe you’re thinking of your favorite brand. Or maybe a really popular brand comes to mind, even if you don’t have any personal experience with the company. On the other hand, you could think of a logo that makes you shy away from any products associated with it!

Regardless of what comes to mind, the effect is the same: brand logos are closely associated with the brands themselves. The logo is simply a visual representation of the company.

Wait — “simply” a visual representation? Does that mean that logos aren’t really that important?

On the contrary, logos are enormously vital to the life and growth of a brand.

Creating Amazing WordPress Web Design in 2020

Website design in southern California.

WordPress started out as a platform primarily used by bloggers but it has since grown to become one of the most cost-effective web design California software tools on the internet. Here are some benefits it offers.

Ease of Use

WordPress is so easy to use, even beginners can get online publishing content quickly.

Versatile

WordPress can help you build any type of web site you want. It can be used to create fashion web sites, government websites, a professional portfolio… and the list goes on. With tons of themes and plug-ins available, you can customize your site to suit your needs.

What Christmas food & drink trends will be big this year?

Christmas food package design 2020.

The holiday season is right around the corner. It’s a time for giving gifts and gathering with friends…and that means there is sure to be a lot of great food going around!

Anyone who lives in New York or has ever been to New York, knows New Yorkers ain’t fooling around when it comes to food. Known for great deli, bagels, pizza and so much more, the city has always been a hub for terrific cuisine.

Now that the holidays are here, New Yorkers will be looking to outdo themselves at the dining room table. Here are some dishes you will want to try.

Terrific New York Christmas Desserts

Sure, food is great, but at holiday time, the desserts are often the star. Here are some New York desserts no holiday table will want to be without.

Mom’s Best Pumpkin Cheesecake

If there’s one dessert New York is known for, it’s cheesecake. Get into the holiday mood by adding a little pumpkin flavoring.

The Rise of Gender-Neutral Branding

In this more and more enlightened day and age, people are becoming more accepting of gender fluidity. Trans and gay communities are more widely embraced. Recognition is not only appreciated by the LGBTQ communities, but by much of the millennial generation that supports them. Hence, there is a call for brands to get on board by using techniques that are more gender-neutral.

The need for change is most essential in the beauty and fashion industries. Brands need to get on board with package design expertise, web design, and marketing material that recognizes the change in tides. Here are some adaptations they should be making:

The Package Design

Traditionally, packaged goods have been made to appeal to either the female or male sex. This can be seen in the color schemes used, the shapes of bottles, and box graphics incorporated in the package design.

Today, genderized packaging is losing its appeal in favor of neutral colors and architectural, minimalist designs that will appeal to any gender.

Creating a Corporate Package Design That Will Set Your Brand Apart

Every corporation has its own distinct identity that should come through in everything they do. This includes their logo, their name and the color palettes they use in their web design and marketing materials. These are elements that can be used on letterheads, business cards and more.

If you are in the early stages with your company, you are probably building your identity from the ground up. If this is the case, here are a few things you will want to bear in mind.

Graphic designers refer to these standards as a brand style guide, but they are more commonly known as "brand guidelines." The logo, color scheme, fonts, and even the brand voice are all accounted for. Companies of all sizes can benefit from having brand guidelines since they aid in the following ways:

Bring about uniformity. Customers are more likely to return to your business if they see familiar branding aspects in all of your communications. Trust and loyalty will naturally follow, and your brand's recognition will increase.

A check for quality. Having brand guidelines in place will ensure that all of your promotional materials maintain a consistent level of quality. Avoiding blunders and discrepancies in the use of your brand's elements is made easier with detailed rules.

5 Ways to Create a Great Coffee Label Design

Amazing coffee label packaging design in San Diego, California.

Coffee is quite a popular drink. Statistics show that 83% of adults drink coffee and 63% do so on a daily basis. This means, if you sell coffee, you’re in the right industry.

The coffee industry is lucrative, but it is also quite competitive. Therefore, manufacturers always need to be doing something to up their game and stand out from the competition. Your packaging and amazing label graphics are a big part of what makes you unique.

With that in mind, here are some tips that will help you create a label that is sure to make your product catch the consumer’s eye.

How to Choose Amazing Brand Fonts for Packaging Design

Packaging design with amazing typography

Packaging design is one of the main factors in getting attention for your product if done beautifully. If you fail to create packaging up to par, it won't get noticed by mass amounts of people. To make it enticing and captivating one should use the fonts wisely. If you have a small company where you sell various products, your packaging matters a lot in this case.

If it is dull and fails to capture people's attention, then it might affect your business. packaging can create a lot of difference, but how? I am going to mention in this article how to choose brand fonts for packaging design and what differences it creates if not done sensibly.

3D Packaging Design Taking the World by Storm

3D packaging design in San Diego.

3D packaging is a design trend that is becoming more popular as the years go by. No longer content with simple 2D designs, consumers want to see images that pop off the label. That’s where 3D design comes in.

There are several ways to incorporate 3D into a great packaging design, but the trend is still relatively new and many companies will need a bit of inspiration. Read on to find out how you can add 3D elements to take your packaging to the next level.

35 years of Apple interface design