Insights

For years, Launch Brigade has brought on college students onto our team as Summer interns. A few of our interns have even joined us once they’ve graduated. This year, Misha came on board as an intern to research and work on a web portal project internal to Launch...

Though it's hard to say exactly what draws the musically inclined to Launch Brigade, just about everyone working here plays some kind of musical instrument, or has a deep connection to sound. Just counting the number of headphones being used at any given time in the...

There are an overwhelming abundance of inexpensive or sometimes free themes available online in template marketplaces. So why pay to have a custom theme made when so many inexpensive options are available online? It’s important to keep in mind that while saving money...

How many times do you read an article online and think, “Wow, this is a beautiful font?” I do that a lot, but then again, I grew up in a graphic design studio and was obsessed with typography ever since I can remember. The majority of readers don’t pick up the daily...

Our first goal has been achieved, and we couldn’t be more thankful to the community: We've qualified for Mission Street Grants contest! Along with our sister cloud company, Cloud Brigade, we applied for a grant so that we could continue conducting the internships...

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We just applied for a $150k grant through Mission Main Street Grants program. We are competing with companies across the country for 20 grants provided by Chase bank in a partnership with Google. In order to qualify we need to get 250 votes by October 17th. Why would...

A few years back, several members of our coworking space were engaged in an ongoing Nerf War. So at random intervals, battles would break out in the hallways of NextSpace, with foam darts flying everywhere. People were really getting into it, even modding their Nerf...

Why Every Writer Should Have a Basic Understanding of SEO By Jenn Virskus Storyteller To many writers, search engine optimization is something their editors will take care of. To some, SEO is the enemy of good writing—a practice that demands keywords be stuffed into...

As marketers, designers, and developers, we're always striving to speak to our clients in plain language, but industry jargon is a natural and (sometimes) useful feature of our work. For instance, knowing the terms of a trade often helps you to understand the tools of...

Gutenberg is more than a public book repository or the first mass-produced Bible. It is the new editor that will be released with WordPress 5.0. In 2017, Matt Mullenweg introduced Gutenberg at WordCamp Europe. Its purpose is to simplify website creation and editing to...

What does Launch Brigade do? We help companies grow by better integrating their marketing and technology efforts. Most of our projects involve our clients digital presence. We might redesign a website, or modify it and test the effects on conversion rate, or rearrange...

People are often surprised when they find out tech companies are our biggest clients. They think a company that makes high-tech software or hardware products should be able to create its own website. Sometimes they can, but just as often, tech companies face unique...

Santa Cruz County has been changing so much the last couple decades, it can be challenging to keep up. But one thing has remained the same — there aren't enough quality jobs here, and locals often struggle to get the quality jobs that do exist. The area is blessed...

Working with a design agency is one of best ways to leverage expertise outside your team and accomplish unusual projects. But how do you know if an agency is the right fit for you? We think every working relationship should be positive, productive, and relatively...

If you want to be a successful business, you’ll need more than just a great product or service. You’ll need a crisp, well-functioning website to get your message out and serve as a source of lead generation. So what are the things that keep your business website from...

After building numerous mobile-friendly and responsive websites I’ve accumulated the following set of design guidelines that produce better usability for mobile users. By the end of this article, you should be better equipped to create or judge mobile web designs and...

Has business slowed down for you? Are you wondering how to get more traffic to your website, or how to get leads and turn them into customers? Whether you're having your first website built or you're considering how to set up the most effective website redesign...

Apple released its first iPhone in 2007, and technology hasn't been the same since. The boom of the modern smartphone has completely changed the way people use the internet. Business owners have increasingly turned to responsive web design companies in an effort to...

                    Why branding matters and why you should spend more time and money on it It’s fizzy, it’s sweet, and I see it everywhere all the time. Although I’m not a big fan of the drink now, I’ve been admiring...

We love our local businesses and the passionate entrepreneurs who run them. But we were surprised to learn that more than half of all small business owners don’t have a website. As a Santa Cruz web design agency, we care deeply about our community and we’d love to see...

This one’s for the locals! Chances are, at one point or another, your team has come across an all too familiar problem: the creative block. Below are tips for how Bay area web design companies in particular can help their employees break out of a creative slump: Go On...

Join the talk about web development in San Francisco on November 17-19, 2014. An Event Apart (AEA) is hosting a three day conference for those who are passionate about code, usability, and content. There will be twelve guest speakers, and plenty of networking...

Adobe is hosting a Creative Cloud conference on July 16th, 2014 at their corporate headquarters. This event offers a platform for Adobe enthusiasts, San Jose web design experts, and other creative professionals to network and discuss the latest developments in Adobe...

Is your website mobile friendly? Experts say 2014 will be the year that mobile device internet usage will surpass the desktop. If your current website does not support mobile devices, you may already be losing business. While you may not sell any products online, more...

1) Avoid large blocks of text and distracting visuals People who visit your website want information, quickly. If it takes them longer than a few seconds to figure out what your website is all about, they’ll likely move on to something else. Avoid unnecessary images...

Your WordPress website is about to undergo extremely high traffic conditions and you want to be prepared. You have done everything you can on the server side, but the database is increasingly becoming a bottleneck. Table Engine Type Make sure your tables have the...

If you have not already done so, check out the new Launch Brigade inspired video game Destroy ‘em. Use the space bar to shoot; left and right arrows to move; up arrow to accelerate; and hit ‘p’ to pause. Hit F5 to start a new game. There are currently four levels in Destroy ‘em. If you reach level 3, you are really good at the game!

Ming Horn is a Berkeley High School junior who recently launched KhodeUp, a program that aims to empower Cambodian youth by providing web development training, access to the Internet and laptops, as well as ongoing mentorship. KhodeUp has already surpassed its $15,000...

Are you considering starting your own e-commerce business? That’s great! More and more people are turning to online shopping to make purchases. In fact, online retail sales are expected to reach $294 billion this year. Building an e-commerce business from the ground...

In today’s technology-driven world, a website can either make or break a sale. If designed correctly, your website can become your greatest sales tool. Consider the following guidelines: Keep it Simple When it comes to website design, simplicity almost always wins. A...

How and Why Launch Brigade Revamped the Santa Cruz Tech Beat Website by Judith Wellner Remember newspapers? Those awkwardly huge, printed things with a distinct scent of fresh ink? Remember the ritual of opening up your favorite section while sipping your morning...

In today’s highly digital world, having a strong web presence is one of the most important marketing tools. If you want to get ahead of your competition, you have to make sure that your website is well-built, aesthetically pleasing, and highly effective in driving...

          WordPress is currently used by more than 60 million websites and is quickly becoming the content management system (CMS) of choice for larger corporations, including Fortune 500 companies like Sony, GM, UPS, and eBay. However, some...

Having a strong online brand presence is essential to the success of any business. And the competition is becoming more fierce — especially in the Bay Area. Silicon Valley experienced record sales last year, and growth in the region continues to get stronger. Now more...

How data can provide valuable customer insights Have you ever wondered what your customers actually think of your website? Perhaps you’ve asked them before, and perhaps they’ve given you only positive feedback. That’s awesome! But are they really telling you what they...

Launch Brigade Attending Open Web Camp Web development is a rapidly growing field. It’s not for Marathon runners – it’s for sprinters. Technology is changing every day, and we want to stay ahead of the game. We are a curious group here at Launch Brigade, always...

If you are a business owner, you probably know that your website is one of your most valuable sales tools. A well-designed website that accurately represents your brand and speaks to your customer’s needs is more likely to generate sales. However, building an...

This is the technical article detailing steps of migration and pitfalls to avoid Link to Alan Storm's article on child theming

Background of when eBay announced this what it means to customers get started sooner than later link to the technical article Keywords:

I just wanted to chime in here on backup strategies. To properly cover your assets ;-), you need a multi-pronged approach. Let's look at the available options: 1. External Drives Pros: Cheap, fast, portable. Multiple disks can be used in rotation for offsite backup....