Let's Talk Graphics

07/23/2026

Reminder: When scrolling through any social media platform, be aware that the algorithmic echo chamber effect can create the illusion of widespread opposition, agreement, enthusiasm, or apathy.

In reality, this might simply be the social media platform's design to keep you engaged by presenting information that elicits strong emotion. For example, the more that you interact with a certain topic of conversation, the more likely that topic will show up in your personalized feed.

07/21/2026

WEBDEV RELATED: Because I was already tracking this vulnerability and had necessary protective measures in place ahead of time, zero LTG-managed websites were compromised. This is precisely why having a dedicated, technical webmaster matters. Your site stays fast, online, and secure while you run your business.

On July 17, 2026, critical vulnerabilities in WordPress Core were publicly disclosed and patched in the 7.0.2 maintenance release.

The security issues were responsibly reported to the WordPress security team prior to release by external researchers:

- CVE-2026-60137 (Facilitated SQL Injection) — Reported jointly by TF1T, dtro, and haongo.

- CVE-2026-63030 (REST API Batch-Route Confusion & SQL Injection leading to RCE, dubbed "wp2shell") — Reported by Adam Kues at Assetnote / Searchlight Cyber.

07/12/2026

Today I'm sending out a very heartfelt and special Thank You to West Star Ranch Animal Rescue and Thrift Store.

You see, I've been maintaining their website for well over a decade. For the past 4 or 5 years, I've simply just volunteered to act as their webmaster. However, I recently experienced a fairly significant situation with my adopted fur baby, and she needed to see a vet. Instead of just letting me volunteer for the year, West Star Ranch stepped in and helped me take care of that bill.

I just want to express my gratitude for their generosity and remind everybody that, if you are looking for a pet, there is no better thing you can do than to adopt.

There are so many deserving animals that people overlook because they want a kitten or a puppy, when the benefits of adopting a full-grown and likely previously-trained pet are more numerous than you might imagine.

07/07/2026

MARKETING TIP: Dominating the Mobile Screen. Yesterday, we covered how people scan ads. Today, let’s talk about choosing your your featured graphic's canvas size before you ever open your design software. 📐

If you want to stop the scroll, you have to dominate the physical screen real estate on a phone. For Facebook, a vertical 4:5 portrait format is king. It physically takes up the maximum amount of vertical space in the mobile feed, pushing your competitors' content entirely off the screen.

For Instagram, while that same 4:5 format looks great in the main feed, it presents a trap: Instagram automatically crops the top and bottom off your image to make a square thumbnail on your profile grid. If you want a seamless look that never gets accidentally chopped in half on your profile, stick to a classic 1:1 square format. We'll talk more about margins tomorrow.

Linked In ads have their own ideal ratio and margins, but for today just know that 1:1 (square) is the best choice.

Tomorrow in Part 3: The absolute do and don’t rules for platform safe zones so the app's buttons never cover up your text.

Want to make sure your next ad graphics are sized perfectly for the platform you're targeting? Feel free to contact us!

07/07/2026

GRAPHICS TIP: People do not read ads. They scan them. 📲

If your layout is a mess, people will ignore the ad. Implement a hierarchy of attention. Your layout should guide the viewer's eye in a specific 1-2-3 order:

👀 FIRST LOOK: The Visual Hook
This is your main image. It takes up the most space (the center zone). Its only job is to stop the scroll. Show a happy customer, a dramatic before/after, or a high-contrast product shot.

💬 SECOND LOOK: The Headline
Once the image hooks their attention, the eyes naturally gravitate towards the text. Create a headline. Keep it short and powerful, and left-aligned so it's instantly readable on a mobile screen. (Always thing mobile first as most people are looking at social media on their smartphone.)

👉 THIRD LOOK: The Call-to-Action (CTA)
You have their attention so show them their immediate next step. This is your Call To Action. Shop Now, Learn More, Follow Us are popular choices. Even though social media images aren't interactive, make it look like a tappable button on the image so they know exactly where to click.

Tomorrow in Part 2, we’ll break down the exact layout formula to use so your text never gets cut off by the phone screen.

Do your current ads guide the eye, or are they trying to say too much at once? If you need a hand tightening up your marketing graphics, feel free to contact us!

07/01/2026

WEB DEVELOPMENT TIP

The conumdrum:
Changing a page URL from /our-services-old/ to /services/ without setting up a redirect, instantly breaking every internal website link, social media post, or Google search result pointing to the old page.

The DIY Fix:
If you change a page's address (aka slug), you must also create a 301 Redirect. Think of a 301 as the digital version of a change of address form at the post office. It tells a visitor's browser and Google search bots that the page has permanently moved to a new address.

Creating a 301 ensures the visitors are automatically forwarded to the new address instead of hitting a broken link (aka 404 error or "page not found"), and helps you preserve your website's SEO ranking.

📬If you aren't entirely certain how to set up a 301 redirect, feel free to contact us!

Send a message to learn more

06/30/2026

GRAPHICS TIP: Many people prefer to handle their own print marketing and advertising. But unless you know the many (many!) pitfalls, it's easy to create something that is more turnoff than tantalizing. If you’re going the DIY route, watch out for this major roadblock:

❌ The Conundrum: Placing white text over a busy, light-colored background, or dark text on a dark background. If people have to squint to read your offer, they won't.

👁️ The DIY Fix: Use the Squint Test. Look away, squint at your design, and look back. Can you immediately read the words? If not, try adding a subtle, solid color overlay shape behind the text, or drop the background image's brightness down to boost contrast.

06/25/2026

BUSINESS SECURITY TIP: If a delivery driver or a customer walks into your office lobby, could they quietly take control of your network? Many business owners don't realize that office equipment and like smart cameras, printers, and other basic IoT devices ship with generic factory passwords like 'admin' or '1234'...

Audit those devices! If you haven't changed the default manufacturer credentials, change them immediately so that every single device has its own unique, strong password.

06/23/2026

LTG services are diminished but we're still here! To mitigate this issue, I upgraded my cellular plan and am using my phone as an internet hotspot. It's one of the slowest and most expensive internet connections known to mankind, but it beats losing my job. (PV Times link in comments.)

Aside, incidents such as this are a primary reason why my local compute capability recently received a major upgrade. No internet? Not a huge problem. More like a major inconvenience. Now if we could only teach the sysadmins at Optimum that routers can be used to (re)route traffic. (LOL small indie company)