Static can be good – gimmicks are definitely bad if used for gimmicks’ sake. However, we’re big fans of websites with cool, sometimes subtle effects that make all the difference between an enjoyable exploration and a flying homepage visit.

So, we’ve compiled a library of cool image and text effects that can be used to add interest to any website:

• Show your clients more of what you do with an image rotator;
• Include lots more text without overcrowding a page by using a text accordion;
• Keep images automatically updated by bringing in photos on a theme from flickr

These are just some of the things that can make the difference between a website and an interesting, interactive, engaging website.

We’ll regularly add effects that we think you’ll like – bookmark us and check back for simple ways to add that all important interest.

View library

The Egyptians and their papyrus sure did start something! Paper and the methods used to process it have been many and varied over the years – as have the types of paper, the sources of raw materials, the enhancements and the environmental impact.

All paper when first created is uncoated. To coat paper, mills add various compounds, press the paper and then put it through rollers to make it smoother and shinier. The reason paper is coated is because it creates a lower level absorbency of ink, it adds water resistance and strength to the paper and the colours are protected a bit more from light which prevents fading. Please bear in mind Coated stock is not very suitable for writing on as it causes smudging.

Uncoated papers have no coating and so have absorbent properties. This will affect the look of your final print job. It also dulls down colour but provides strong ink holdout and crisp dot resolution for sharper images. It’s a heavier paper and therefore can give the credible impression that fewer pages are more and it can project an approachable, kinder corporate image. Uncoated paper can cost up to 75% more than coated depending on the weight chosen.

Types of literature used for uncoated would mainly be forms, letterheads and compliment slips. More often now Charitable organisations Corporate Brochures are printed using uncoated stock.

When producing other items of literature, clients will often ask our advice on choosing coated paper – we use a combination of factors to choose between different paper types ;

Firstly there’s not a lot of difference in cost between the standard coated Matt, Gloss or Silk stock so we’re practically free to choose but like all good Jedi’s we must choose carefully.

• If a design includes a lot of photography, we run with a gloss stock. Gloss enriches the colour and reflects the light rays directly back to the reader’s eyes, therefore creates a sharper appearance and better contrast to the images. Gloss is generally used for literature pieces such as magazines and holiday brochures.

• If the design is more text heavy then we choose a matt stock. Matt has the opposite effect of gloss. Rather than light reflecting back to the eyes it diffuses it and spreads it across the page. So when reading text the reader’s eyes are less likely to get tired. (Unless of course the copy isn’t very engaging – see wow! for some top class copywriting!).. Examples of literature where matt is used are Annual Report & Accounts, Menus, Information leaflets to name a few.

• The other type generally used is silk stock, sometimes called Satin. Silk has a slight shimmer and is deemed to be an in-between matt and gloss stock. Examples of its uses would be Corporate Brochures, Prospectuses and Flyers.

There are lots more choices of paper but any good agency or printer will be able to advise you on what suits your budget best, what will make you stand out and what paper will best reflect your company.

So next time you have a project think carefully what paper you choose, it can make a huge difference to you, your product/service and your audience.

Ps. Watch out for more Paper hints and tips coming soon to a website near you!

The whole team got really stuck in on Wednesday when we took on our first challenge wow! project. Lots of tea and biscuits (that were very kindly donated by the Voluntary Action Swindon team) helped us through the day as we rollered, painted and glossed to our hearts content. The end result was a lovely fresh and clean office area that is ready and raring to go. Now, Voluntary Action Swindon can proudly offer this space to charities and organisations that need a helping hand.

You can view our pictures of the day on our Facebook page and don’t forget to ‘like’ us too!

Keep up to date with VAS and their great work here: www.vas-swindon.org and you can join them on Facebook

We’re always on the look out for new challenges, so if you have one that you think we could help with then please contact us: hello@wowcreative.co.uk

Here at wow! we are constantly being challenged each day with new briefs and projects that we love getting our teeth into. We’ve decided to take our challenging nature and give something back to the community by taking on volunteering projects for charity, that take us a little out of our usual comfort zones!

We feel that getting out and about, meeting new people and taking on new challenges will not only provide vital help to those that need it but will also allow us to broaden our own horizons as individuals and as a group, which can only be a good thing!

Our first challenge is going to take place this Wednesday (6^th October). We’ll be donning our painting clothes and decorating two offices for a great charity called Voluntary Action Swindon. This Swindon based charity offers a provision of services that help voluntary and community organisiations, aiming to improve the capacity and quality of facilities available to these groups. To find out more visit www.vas-swindon.org

We’re hoping that our help will enable an organisation to set up in these offices and give them a much needed base to work from.

We’ll be letting you know how we are getting on throughout the day via Twitter, so please come and follow us to keep updated (www.twitter.com/wowcreative). In the meantime, have a look at these ‘before’ pictures so you can see the task we have ahead!

If you have a challenge that you think we could help with then get in touch!

I’m not renowned for leaping to embrace new technology, if anything I’m known for dragging my heels. However, call me a good old-fashioned girl, but when technology is fun and exciting, I do want to shout about it. Now, I’m not going to profess that I know a lot about it but Augmented Reality (AR) is really grabbing my interest. Where 3D has seriously disappointed me, AR is floating my boat!

Augmented Reality (put as simply as I can) is combining amazing interactive 3D experiences with reality in real time. It’s bringing graphics alive and into our lives. When using Augmented Reality our senses are enhanced, so what we hear, see, feel and smell will be stimulated to the point we’ll be asking ourselves ‘am I experiencing something real or is this a computer generated encounter’! Sure, we’ll know which one it is but reality is starting to blur at the edges.

It’s a scientific minefield to get into the ins and outs of how it works. But as I understand it, it allows for information to be stored on a chip or a barcode that when viewed through a device (such as a mobile phone for now) will literally project a 3D experience in front of you – remember Princess Leia in Start Wars projected from R2D2? or think of Tom Cruise in Minority Report where someone’s iris will be read and specific adverts are shown just for him.

The future is about to get Augmented. One development suggested, is based on you wearing a small device that takes in data of our surroundings, gathers data from the net and projects the information onto any surface in front of you or even on you. So for example you’re buying a new car, you go to the garage, look at a SAAB 93, with AR you will be able to call up all the information you need about that car onto the bonnet of that car! Games companies will release games where characters can perform actions in your living room, even from your hands.

What really excites me about AR is that I think it will become the way forward for marketing and advertising, maybe not in the near future (although some companies are starting to use it in magazine advertising) but definitely in our lifetime. It’s a fun exciting way to promote your product or brand and the possibilities are phenomenal. Here’s an example of how it’s already entering the market.