Slide Deck for Oct 18, 2011 guest lecture at AU School of Communication's American Observer class. Students learn how to implement and successfully message via web sites and social integration. This guest lecture is directly about using WordPress as a portfolio tool, but addresses the questions of what makes a successful portfolio and how it is fundamentally used to convert new business.

1. Portfolios, WordPress and Buying Instinct
American University School of Communications
October 18, 2011

2. What is Design?

3. Justin Seeley
@JustinSeeley - Oklahoma City
Design is the expression of
an idea, be it print, web, or
other. To me it isn't just
looking pretty but also
functional.

4. Jayvie Canono
@OneFineJay - Severn, MD
Design is a methodical and
rational approach to
solving a problem.

5. John Cornthwait
@jrcornthwait - Roanoke, VA
For me as a web designer,
it's the logical, organized
presentation of
information.

6. Good Design...

7. Good Design...
✤ Engages the senses

8. Good Design...
✤ Engages the senses
✤ Visually attractive

9. Good Design...
✤ Engages the senses
✤ Visually attractive
✤ Emotionally connecting

10. Good Design...
✤ Engages the senses
✤ Visually attractive
✤ Emotionally connecting
✤ Naturally intuitive

11. But Good Design...

12. But Good Design...
✤ Serves a strategic purpose

13. But Good Design...
✤ Serves a strategic purpose
✤ Convinces consumers to investigate

14. But Good Design...
✤ Serves a strategic purpose
✤ Convinces consumers to investigate
✤ Does not convert business

15. Let’s talk Apple...

16. Why do people buy Apple?

17. Why do people buy Apple?
✤ Simplicity and elegance of the form factor (touch screen, etc)

18. Why do people buy Apple?
✤ Simplicity and elegance of the form factor (touch screen, etc)
✤ Aesthetics of iOS

19. Why do people buy Apple?
✤ Simplicity and elegance of the form factor (touch screen, etc)
✤ Aesthetics of iOS
✤ Integration with other Apple products (iPad, Mac, Apple TV)

20. Why do people buy Apple?
✤ Simplicity and elegance of the form factor (touch screen, etc)
✤ Aesthetics of iOS
✤ Integration with other Apple products (iPad, Mac, Apple TV)
✤ Consistency of high-quality products

21. Reasons not to buy Apple

22. Reasons not to buy Apple
✤ Not cheap

23. Reasons not to buy Apple
✤ Not cheap
✤ Perception of Cult-like behavior

24. Reasons not to buy Apple
✤ Not cheap
✤ Perception of Cult-like behavior
✤ Many of their innovations aren’t all that innovative (iOS5
Notifications, Wireless Sync, iCloud)

25. Reasons not to buy Apple
✤ Not cheap
✤ Perception of Cult-like behavior
✤ Many of their innovations aren’t all that innovative (iOS5
Notifications, Wireless Sync, iCloud)
✤ Intentionally closed environment, unlike Android

26. But people keep
buying!
“Let’s stand in line on Day 1”

27. Brand Loyalty Trumps Design

28. Brand Loyalty Trumps Design
✤ People would buy iPhones even if Apple.com sucked. Fortunately, it
doesn’t.

29. Brand Loyalty Trumps Design
✤ People would buy iPhones even if Apple.com sucked. Fortunately, it
doesn’t.
✤ People would buy iPad 2s from popup stores in Austin during SXSW
because they need to have an intuitive portable device that has a track
record.

30. Brand Loyalty Trumps Design
✤ People would buy iPhones even if Apple.com sucked. Fortunately, it
doesn’t.
✤ People would buy iPad 2s from popup stores in Austin during SXSW
because they need to have an intuitive portable device that has a track
record.
✤ People would buy Apple products simply because there’s a pattern of
consistency that has defined Apple since the original iPod release.

31. What the hell does this have to do
with WordPress?

32. Yoda.
Question my sanity, you are.

33. Jedi Mind Tricks

34. Jedi Mind Tricks
✤ Luke was too focused on practical elements of becoming Jedi

35. Jedi Mind Tricks
✤ Luke was too focused on practical elements of becoming Jedi
✤ Yoda taught Luke how to channel a deeper Force to become Jedi

36. Jedi Mind Tricks
✤ Luke was too focused on practical elements of becoming Jedi
✤ Yoda taught Luke how to channel a deeper Force to become Jedi
✤ Formulaic solutions to non-formulaic problems will prevent you from
being Jedi

37. Which brings me to WordPress

38. Which brings me to WordPress
✤ Identify your goal - is it more sales? More awareness? Viral
marketing?

39. Which brings me to WordPress
✤ Identify your goal - is it more sales? More awareness? Viral
marketing?
✤ What is your call to action?

40. Which brings me to WordPress
✤ Identify your goal - is it more sales? More awareness? Viral
marketing?
✤ What is your call to action?
✤ Dozens of theme options, but what is your main idea?

41. Which brings me to WordPress
✤ Identify your goal - is it more sales? More awareness? Viral
marketing?
✤ What is your call to action?
✤ Dozens of theme options, but what is your main idea?
✤ You can’t be everything, so don’t try.

42. Which brings me to WordPress
✤ Identify your goal - is it more sales? More awareness? Viral
marketing?
✤ What is your call to action?
✤ Dozens of theme options, but what is your main idea?
✤ You can’t be everything, so don’t try.
✤ How can you convert repeat customers AND make them your
marketing mechanism?

43. Practical WordPress

44. Practical WordPress
✤ Use Custom Post Types to keep portfolio items, stories, and case
studies separate from posts and pages and more easily manageable.

45. Practical WordPress
✤ Use Custom Post Types to keep portfolio items, stories, and case
studies separate from posts and pages and more easily manageable.
✤ Use post thumbnails for spashy screenshots

46. Practical WordPress
✤ Use Custom Post Types to keep portfolio items, stories, and case
studies separate from posts and pages and more easily manageable.
✤ Use post thumbnails for spashy screenshots
✤ Use your intuition over your brain when deciding on what and how
to show your portfolio - design is only one part visual. The rest is
empathy.

47. Thank you!
Aaron Brazell - aaron@technosailor.com - @technosailor - WordPress Bible, http://amzn.to/wpbible2

48. ✤ iPhone Photo by Witer on Flickr. Creative Commons.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/witer/4908036684/
✤ All photos of Twitter users accessed via Twitter API or
used with permission.
✤ iPhone line photo by Leo Prieto. Creative Commons.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leoprieto/751764781/
✤ Yoda photo by Andres Rueda. Creative Commons.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andresrueda/
3454095552