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DMARC Explained

DMARC Explained

Beginning in February 2024, Google and Yahoo will begin to enforce an email standard called DMARC. You may have received a notification from other vendors who send email on your behalf (Website or ecommerce host, mailing list company, etc.), requesting that you set up...

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Meet Misha — Our Summer Intern and First Woman Coder

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...

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What Bad Cars Can Teach Us About Good Websites

What Bad Cars Can Teach Us About Good Websites

A long, long time ago, in another galaxy and before I started a tech business, I was an automobile mechanic. It turned out to be an invaluable experience from which many elements also applied to the high tech world. For instance, what could we learn about websites by...

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Top 5 Songs of 2016

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...

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Newspapers, Computer Screens, And The Magic Of Typography

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...

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Gearing Up For the Big Race

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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How to Configure Nginx for Magento

location / { try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args; } location /RELEASE_NOTES.txt { return 404; } location /report/config.xml { return 404; } location /app/ { return 404; } location /includes/ { return 404; } location /lib/ { return 404; } location...

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Why We Applied for a $150k Grant

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...

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How We Almost Made the World’s Coolest Nerf Blaster

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...

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SEO for writers

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...

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Becoming an AWS Hero

Becoming an AWS Hero

I am often asked how I got the opportunity to join the Machine Learning Hero program, so I wanted to share my story! It started with me attending the 2019 AWS Summit in Santa Clara, CA. I participated in a workshop on AWS DeepRacer, an entry-level tool to help...

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66 Essential Terms for Digital Marketing

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...

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Are You Ready
for Gutenberg

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...

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Frequently Asked Questions

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...

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Why Tech Companies Hire Marketing Agencies

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...

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How Launch Brigade Gets Picked Last

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...

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Why Your Website is Falling Apart

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...

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Guidelines for Mobile Web Design

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...

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Responsive Web Design: The Future Is Now

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...

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I Want a Sip of That Coca Cola Fame

                    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...

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Why Small Business Owners Should Have a Website

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...

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Join Creatives in SF at the AEA Design Conference

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...

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Join San Jose Web Designers at the Creative Cloud Event

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...

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Mobile Friendly Website Test

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...

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5 Website Design Mistakes You Should Avoid

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...

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Tuning WordPress for High Traffic Volume

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...

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The Launch Brigade inspired video game “Destroy ’em”

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!

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Berkeley Web Design Student Launches KhodeUp

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...

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How to Start Your Own E-Commerce Business

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...

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Does Your Website Help You Sell?

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...

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How Can a Corporate Website Redesign Help Your Business?

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...

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Why WordPress is Not Just for Small Companies

          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...

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What Do Your Customers Really Think of Your Website?

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...

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Sprinting for the Newest Web Development Technology

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...

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7 Reasons to Hire a Web Design Agency

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...

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Best Digital File Backup Solution?

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....

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