ADP’s global gateway combines globe and flag icons
Payroll services company ADP demonstrates that you don’t necessarily have to choose between using a flag icon or using a globe icon on your global gateway. As shown below, the …
art of the global gateway
Global gateway notes: Guidewire, Google, Locaria
One of the many things I love about global gateways is that I never stop discovering new ones. Here are notes on a few gateways I’ve stumbled across over the past …
IBM: A tale of two global gateways
IBM, much to my chagrin, has used a lengthy pull-down menu as its global gateway for years. Here’s what it looks like: There are two problems with this menu, the …
The Mr. Potato Head global gateway
I was happy to discover recently that a toy that I loved as a child — Mr. Potato Head — is still alive and well. Not only that, but Mr. …
3M: Many brands sharing one global gateway
3M finished in the top 10 of the 2011 Web Globalization Report Card. Its global gateway strategy is one reason why it scored so highly. But what’s particularly impressive about 3M …
Delta’s global gateway: When complexity kills
I’m always amazed when I come across global gateways that I find complicated in my native language. Like Delta Airline‘s global gateway. What you see here is not one but …
An artistic global gateway
How’s this for a visibly engaging global gateway: It’s the landing page for Protest Boardwear — a Netherlands-based clothing outfit. Unfortunately, the map itself isn’t clickable, which violates a cardinal …
Dear Airbnb: Please take down your mutant flag
Airbnb is one of the hot new travel web service startups. It basically lets you rent out your spare bedroom or look for a spare bedroom when you travel. That’s …
Microsoft launches a new global gateway
I’m happy to see Microsoft launch a new global gateway on its home page. Here’s a detailed view: Notice how the country/region options are all nicely presented in the native languages. …
Is Apple giving up on flags?
Apple has been using flags as part of its global gateway for many years. In 2006, Apple’s global gateway was positioned in the footer and featured a different flag for …
Going Global Gracefully
A great quote from an interview with Tarun Khanna and Krishna G. Palepu, authors of the new book Winning in Emerging Markets: Multinationals based in developed countries as well as …
Minimalism in global gateways
A global gateway doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, it shouldn’t be fancy. It should be as easy to understand as a stop sign. Form and function and nothing …
Global gateways don’t have to be complicated
The Visit Korea tourism web site offers up a global gateway that’s difficult to ignore: I like it. The languages are presented in the native scripts. The user has to …
Three rules of global gateway design
It’s been awhile since I’ve written about global gateways — those landing pages and header elements that companies use to direct visitors to localized web sites. I came across one …
Is this the next language icon?
Does this icon say “language” to you? It doesn’t to me. But the OMC design studio feels so strongly about it that it has launched a web site to promote …