TwitterView - HughBriss 041709In this TwitterVIEW, Ryan Yee of NerdBoyTV interviews graphic designer and entrepeneur Hugh Briss on the importance of backgrounds for branding and establishing a unique presence on Twitter.
WEB DESIGNER TwitterView with @HughBriss Hugh Briss is a Web developer, Internet entrepreneur, blogger and Twitter evangelist. One of his most recent Internet ventures is TwitterImage.com where he and a crew of talented designers create custom Twitter backgrounds for their clients. NerdBoyTV First of all, I personally am a fan of your background work. How did you come to decide to do Twitter backgrounds for other people? HughBriss I had done MySpace backgrounds before so it seemed like a no brainer when I saw that Twitter allowed us to add backgrounds. HughBriss I realized that lots of people don't have the skills to do their own backgrounds so I decided to see if they'd be willing to pay. NerdBoyTV Why do you think backgrounds on Twitter are so critical? BTW, I noticed you updated urs too ;-) HughBriss I don't think they're critical for everyone but for any person or company interested in branding and marketing I think they are. NerdBoyTV You obviously bring graphic design skills into your work; what do you find as the most common problem with some Twitter backgrounds? HughBriss Not understanding the limitation and how to best utilize a small space and make the background effective at most resolutions. HughBriss Pretty tough to design effectively for 1024 wide monitors though. ;) HughBriss Backgrounds are the best way to make a great first impression as well as adding more marketing real estate. “Backgrounds are the best way to make a great first impression as well as adding more marketing real estate.” 1 NerdBoyTV What have you seen in terms of the most creative or unusual use of a Twitter background? And why? HughBriss One use I haven't seen that would be awesome is to use that area to update or make special offers. HughBriss For example, a movie production company could use it to hype their newest movie release. NerdBoyTV Do you predict that Twitter would EVER allow clickable links on backgrounds? HughBriss I hope Twitter will allow them although I doubt they will. Too easy to abuse I think. HughBriss I would definitely like to see them center the background though, like we can on YouTube channel backgrounds. HughBriss Solves the big issue of not being able to put anything important on the right side of the tweet area. NerdBoyTV Though I must admit I kinda like how the unusual Twitter layout (slim left, wide right) forced folks to be a little more creative in layouts. NerdBoyTV And the right side IS so unpredictable because of the different screen sizes and resolutions we're dealing with in TwitterLand ;-) HughBriss True, but if the background was centered we'd still have to keep our margins narrow but we could use the right as well. NerdBoyTV So if someone wanted (make that needed) to work with you, how do you work with them to create a focused relevant Twitter background? HughBriss I ask them to provide any input as far as what styles they like, color preferences, copy, etc. and then I look at their website. HughBriss In most cases, unless their website design is bad, from a branding standpoint, I think it's best to follow the website design. “For example, a movie production company could use it to hype their newest movie release.” “I would definitely like to see them center the background though, like we can on YouTube channel backgrounds.” 2 NerdBoyTV Do you have any opinion on using an actual photo OR something like an avatar/icon when branding your Twitter page? HughBriss Depends on what the background is for. If it's a company it's probably best to use a logo. Individuals should brand themselves. NerdBoyTV As a designer, what would you say was your absolute FAVORITE background that you created for someone and why? What did you like bout it? HughBriss One of my favorites is @bizarrefoods because I love that show and it's a fun background. HughBriss @tkpleslie is another and I was happy with @erikjheels because of the subtle promotion for his website in the stadium billboard. HughBriss Other favorites are @jasonmitchener @johnchow @delight.com NerdBoyTV Sounds like you STILL appreciate clever graphic elements EVEN if they're on a Twitter background? HughBriss Cleverness is always a plus, especially if it makes people look longer or talk about it. HughBriss One thing I like to do when I have a high quality photo of the person to work with is to silhouette it instead of in a box. HughBriss When I say silhouette I mean cut it out of the original background. NerdBoyTV And btw, I JUST looked at @erikjheels Twitter page...WOW, that really IS kewl. Just a simple use of a photo landscape, too. Easy, nice! HughBriss Thanks, yeah, I think it was a subtle way to do it and he gets a lot of compliments on it. I knew he loved baseball. NerdBoyTV And looking longer or talking about it is definitely the goal here on Twitter...good point. “Cleverness is always a plus, especially if it makes people look longer or talk about it.” “One thing I like to do when I have a high quality photo of the person to work with is to silhouette it instead of in a box.” 3 HughBriss Even if people don't want a custom background they can easily find great photos to use as long as the focal point is on a side. HughBriss One point I'd like to make about photos. Don't use them if they aren't royalty free or you don't have the photogs permission. HughBriss And I always add a credit line for the photographer when I use Creative Commons photos. NerdBoyTV Good warning. Having worked with some great graphic designers, copyright infringement can get dicey. HughBriss Right, people seem to think if it's on the Net it's free to use for whatever they want but that's not the case. NerdBoyTV Many people (wink, like @ryanyee) rely on some of these freebie services to create backgrounds; any that you've found that YOU like? HughBriss The free services are okay for some but if you're really serious about your brand you need fully custom and unique. NerdBoyTV So in closing, if you could give one bit of advice to newbie Tweeple about backgrounds, what would that be? What should they avoid? HughBriss They should avoid using the stock Twitter backgrounds and avatars even if all they do is just use a photo background. HughBriss Generic backgrounds give the impression that they aren't very serious about being on Twitter. NerdBoyTV I agree...those stock backgrounds have become like Helvetica and Arial LOL. NerdBoyTV I just want to say thanks again for doing this TwitterView with me and I look forward to seeing MORE of your work throughout Twitterdom ;-) HughBriss Thanks for asking me to do a Twitterview with you, I enjoyed it and hopefully it will help a few people. “Even if people don't want a custom background they can easily find great photos to use as long as the focal point is on a side.” “Generic backgrounds give the impression that they aren't very serious about being on Twitter.” 4 RYAN YEE is the host of www.NerdBoyTV.com, a weekly show on technology, gadgets, and Internet services that’s a video broadcast on YouTube and a podcast on iTunes. Ryan has grown up with the Internet; he actually remembers Netscape Navigator (before Firefox), Columbia Music House and Napster (before iTunes), programmed on IBM punch cards (before JavaScript and C#), owned a Timex Sinclair 1000 (before current Dell Precision M6400), and used 5.25 floppy disks. He has a very unique perspective of today’s technologies and shares his wisdom in a very user-friendly manner. He is the creator of TwitterVIEWs, a unique interviewing format in 140 characters or less. Follow him on http://twitter.com/nerdboytv. 5
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