Google Chrome is the Most Used Browser in the World

Google Chrome

For the first week in history, Internet Explorer fell to Google Chrome as the 'Most Used Browser in the World'.  While Chrome has been outperforming IE on weekends for some time now, the week of May 14th - 20th marks the first time Chrome has averaged higher traffic over a full seven day period.

However, Google Chrome is not the dominating browser in every country, despite being the most used browser in the world.

Here are some interesting facts;

• In North America, IE still leads Chrome 37 to 26 percent.
• In Europe, Firefox is 1st, followed by Chrome, then IE
• In Africa, Firefox is dominating both Chrome and IE
• In Japan, IE is the leader with over 50% of users
• In India, Chrome leads by 8%
• In South America, Chrom has nearly 50%
• In China and South Korea, three quarters of traffic comes through IE

Trademark Symbols, Can I Use Them?

Trademark symbols, can I use them? How do I use them? You often see major brands tacking on a ™ or ® to their logos, is this necessary or should you be using it with your logo?  Well, let's take a look at what each symbol means.

"If you claim rights to use a mark, you may use the "TM" (trademark) or "SM" (service mark) designation to alert the public to your claim of ownership of the mark, regardless of whether you have filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). However, you may only use the federal registration symbol "®" after the USPTO actually registers a mark, and not while an application is pending."

So basically, if you feel the need to claim your mark (your logo), but don't want to file the necessary paperwork or your application is still pending, go ahead and use the "TM" (trademark) symbol to alert the rest of the world that this mark is yours. If you have filed the paperwork and your application has been approved, you can switch over to the use of the "®" (registered trademark). Below are some examples of how famous brands have chosen to use the trademark symbols.

Starbucks (Trademark)

Google (Trademark)

McDonald's (Registered Trademark)

Adidas (Registered Trademark)

Free File and Archive Manager (.ZIP)

PeaZip

Designers often send their clients project files in ZIP archive formats (.ZIP).  It allows the large files to be reduced to a smaller file size for sending via email and archiving.

My favorite file and archive manager program is PeaZip.  PeaZip is an open source, free file and archive manager for 32 and 64 bit Windows and Linux and I recommend it highly.  Download it here.  

Why do I need a privacy policy?

What is a privacy policy?
A privacy policy is a document meant to be read by your websites visitors that states how you will handle information you gather from them and how the information will be stored and managed. It also will often disclose if you sell or share this information with any third parties or organizations.

Why do I need a privacy policy?
All websites should have a privacy policy.  Not to mention, if your site uses third party services such as Google Adsense or payment processing, you are pretty much required to have one.  By not having one, you are simply exposing your business to liability in a number of different ways.

How do I get a privacy policy?
Red Lace Design offers professional, legal privacy policies custom tailored to your specific business and how your website processes and collects data from visitors.


Ask us how today and you can have your own privacy policy installed on your website tomorrow.

CONTACT US!

What are QR Codes?

You may have seen these codes in magazine ads, on store front windows or in the newspaper.  QR Codes are catching on in the advertising world and if you have a business, you should know what they are and how you can use them to your advantage.

Scan this QR Code for Red Lace Design's vCard

So what are QR Codes?
A QR Code is a two dimensional barcode which can be quickly and easily scanned by most camera and smart phones.  QR Codes can contain many different types of data - URL, phone number, SMS, vCard, coupon codes, Google Maps, social networking accounts, YouTube videos, and much more.

What can I use a QR Code for?
Using a QR Code can be a great way to point people directly to your website or blog, allow them to download your vCard (makes a great addition to the backside of a business card) or simply give you a call.  It makes it easier for your customers to contact you in just about every way, they don't even have to enter your data into their phone because the QR Code provides it with just a click of their camera.

Where do I get a QR Code?
Red Lace Design offers QR Code generation and implementation.  Contact us today to get started.

What are Font Stacks?

When designing a website, picking a font to use for your pages text isn't as easy as picking any font you think looks nice and is legible on the web. Why you ask?  Let's say you picked Corbel for your site in font size 10, sure it might look great on your computer but Jane Doe across town may not have Corbel on her computer so when she sees your website, her computer selects a default font for her to display your websites text and suddenly the site isn't as legible and she can't read your sites text so she goes elsewhere.

The proper way to choose a web font is to choose a 'stack' (a bit like a list).  Font stacks combine Windows, Mac, Linux and Adobe fonts in groups that are relatively similar among themselves (stacks take the following format; exact font, nearest alternative, platform-wide alternative(s), universal (cross-platform) choice(s), generic).  A font stack allows you to control what the end user sees no matter what machine/computer they are using to view your website. For instance, a Mac user won't see the same font as a Windows user because their computers don't have the exact same system fonts.  It is standard practice to use a font stack because if you don't, the end user such as Jane who doesn't have the same font as you, will see whatever their machines default 'serif' or 'sans-serif' font is, which could make the site look less than optimal or at worst, illegible.  I choose from the 8 Definitive Font Stacks when designing websites, these font stacks have been professionally created from typography experts based on the best pairing of fonts for the stacks and web read-ability, these stacks are used the world over by professional web designers.  A stack example would be the 'Verdana-based sans serif stack', my personal favorite for it's legibility and cleanliness.  The stack is; Corbel, Lucida Granda, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, DejaVu Sans, Bitstream Vera Sans, Liberation Sans, Verdana, Verdana Ref, sans-serif.

Another option that allows you to use custom fonts thanks to CSS (cascading style sheets) is to use software such as TypeKit. TypeKit allows you to choose from hundreds of fonts (requires sign up and a low annual fee) and once you pick a font(s) for your site, you simply add a line of generated code to your web pages.  Taking this approach eliminates the issue of the user not having the font you selected on their machine because it is pulled straight from TypeKit, thus ensuring what font you select for your site is going to be exactly what users see.  I highly recommend using TypeKit.

If you'd like to discuss your website and incorporating TypeKit or Font Stacks, please contact us.

Free EPS File Viewer

While vector graphics are most commonly used by designers and print shops, as the client, you may want to see the file as well. EPS files can only be viewed in certain programs such as Adobe Illustrator but you can view any EPS file using a free EPS viewer from 3M Products.


Not sure what an EPS (Encapsulated Post Script) file is? Read our blog post 'What is a Vector Graphic?'.