Friday, March 20, 2020

How To Create Effective Visual Content With Ashton Hauff from CoSchedule [AMP 032] - CoSchedule Blog

How To Create Effective Visual Content With Ashton Hauff from [AMP 032] Blog Have you ever said, â€Å"make it pop,† to your graphic designer? While you know what you mean, it’s likely that your graphic designer does not have the same mental image you do. Today’s episode is going to be about collaborating with your designer to make an amazing image that pops the way you want it to. It’s all about communication! How Ashton got into design and why she loves it. Why digital design is such an important part of the marketing process, as well as why some types of design just add visual clutter and are ineffective. How Ashton makes sure that her designs are intentional and relevant to the blog posts or projects she’s working on. She also talks about how she goes about storytelling through her designs. Tips on finding a theme and settling on colors for a particular project. Why communication is an integral part of the design process. Some of the problems that designers can encounter when they’re working with marketing teams. Why it’s so important that a marketing team trust the designer’s expertise. How marketers can work with designers when there’s something they don’t like in the image. Why simplicity matters for high-quality designs, as well as why simple designs can be challenging to create. Why agility is important, as well as how much Ashton creates over the course of a week. Examples of times when things just went wrong with Ashton’s design process, including what ended up being the problem and lessons she learned. Ashton’s vision of the future of design in marketing, as well as her advice for people just getting started in design. Links: Ashton’s archive on Latent Semantic Indexing blog post .com Lynda.com Canva.com If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Ashton: â€Å"Design is such a huge part of marketing because we’re such a visually led society.† â€Å"You have to know what story you’re telling before you jump into design.† â€Å"You have to trust that your designer knows what they’re doing. There are a lot of elements to design that the everyday person doesn’t notice. We see all of the different layers that make that piece what it is.† â€Å"Over-communicate early on. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.†

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Battle of Fuentes de Onoro - Peninsular War - Duke of Wellington

Battle of Fuentes de Onoro - Peninsular War - Duke of Wellington The Battle of Fuentes de Oà ±oro was fought May 3-5, 1811, during the Peninsular War which was part of the larger Napoleonic Wars. Armies and Commanders Allies Viscount Wellingtonapprox. 38,000 men French Marshal Andre Massenaapprox. 46,000 men Buildup to Battle Having been stopped before the Lines of Torres Vedras in late 1810, Marshal Andre Massena began withdrawing French forces from Portugal the following spring. Emerging from their defenses, British and Portuguese troops, led by Viscount Wellington, began moving towards the border in pursuit. As part of this effort, Wellington laid siege to the border cities of Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Almeida. Seeking to regain the initiative, Massena regrouped and began marching to relieve Almeida. Concerned about the French movements, Wellington shifted his forces to cover the city and defend its approaches. Receiving reports regarding Massenas route to Almeida, he deployed the bulk of his army near the village of Fuentes de Oà ±oro. The British Defenses Located to the southeast of Almeida, Fuentes de Oà ±oro sat on the west bank of the Rio Don Casas and was backed by a long ridge to the west and north. After barricading the village, Wellington formed his troops along the heights with the intention of fighting a defensive battle against Massenas slightly larger army. Directing the 1st Division to hold the village, Wellington placed the 5th, 6th, 3rd, and Light Divisions on the ridge to the north, while the 7th Division was in reserve. To cover his right, a force of guerillas, led by Julian Sanchez, was positioned on a hill to the south. On May 3, Massena approached Fuentes de Oà ±oro with four army corps and a cavalry reserve numbering around 46,000 men. These were supported a force of 800 Imperial Guard cavalry led by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessià ¨res. Massena Attacks After reconnoitering Wellingtons position, Massena pushed troops across the Don Casas and launched a frontal attack against Fuentes de Oà ±oro. This was supported by an artillery bombardment of the Allied position. Surging into the village, troops from General Louis Loisins VI Corps clashed with troops from Major General Miles Nightingalls 1st Division and Major General Thomas Pictons 3rd Division. As the afternoon progressed, the French slowly pushed British forces back until a determined counterattack saw them thrown from the village. With night approaching, Massena recalled his forces. Unwilling to directly attack the village again, Massena spent most of May 4 scouting the enemys lines. Shifting South These efforts led to Massena discovering that Wellingtons right was largely exposed and only covered by Sanchezs men near the village of Poco Velho. Seeking to exploit this weakness, Massena began shifting forces south with the goal of attacking the next day. Spotting the French movements, Wellington directed Major General John Houston to form his 7th Division on the plain south of Fuentes de Oà ±oro to extend the line towards Poco Velho. Around dawn on May 5, French cavalry led by General Louis-Pierre Montbrun as well as infantry from the divisions of Generals Jean Marchand, Julien Mermet, and Jean Solignac crossed the Don Casas and moved against the Allied right. Sweeping the guerillas aside, this force soon fell on Houstons men (Map). Preventing a Collapse Coming under intense pressure, the 7th Division faced being overwhelmed. Reacting to the crisis, Wellington ordered Houston to fall back to the ridge and dispatched cavalry and Brigadier General Robert Craufurds Light Division to their aid. Falling into line, Craufurds men, along with artillery and cavalry support, provided cover for the 7th Division as it conducted a fighting withdrawal. As the 7th Division fell back, the British cavalry harried the enemy artillery and engaged the French horsemen. With the battle reaching a critical moment, Montbrun requested reinforcement from Massena to turn the tide. Dispatching an aide to bring up Bessià ¨res cavalry, Massena was furious when the Imperial Guard cavalry failed to respond. As a result, the 7th Division was able to escape and reach the safety of the ridge. There it formed a new line, along with the 1st and Light Divisions, which extended west from Fuentes de Oà ±oro. Recognizing the strength of this position, Massena elected not to press the attack further. To support the effort against the Allied right, Massena also launched as series of attacks against Fuentes de Oà ±oro. These were conducted by men from General Claude Fereys division as well as General Jean-Baptiste Drouets IX Corps. Largely striking the 74th and 79th Foot, these efforts nearly succeeded in driving the defenders from the village. While a counterattack threw Fereys men back, Wellington was forced to commit reinforcements to break Drouets assault. Fighting continued through the afternoon with the French resorting to bayonet attacks. As the infantry assault on Fuentes de Oà ±oro faltered, Massenas artillery opened with another bombardment of the Allied lines. This had little effect and by nightfall the French withdrew from the village. In the darkness, Wellington ordered his army to entrench on the heights. Faced with a strengthened enemy position, Massena elected to retreat to Ciudad Rodrigo three days later. The Aftermath In the fighting at the Battle of Fuentes de Oà ±oro, Wellington sustained 235 killed, 1,234 wounded, and 317 captured. French losses numbered 308 killed, 2,147 wounded, and 201 captured. Though Wellington did not consider the battle to be a great victory, the action at Fuentes de Oà ±oro allowed him to continue the siege of Almeida. The city fell to Allied forces on May 11, though its garrison successfully escaped. In the wake of the fighting, Massena was recalled by Napoleon and replaced by Marshal Auguste Marmont. On May 16, Allied forces under Marshal William Beresford clashed with the French at Albuera. After a lull in the fighting, Wellington resumed his advance into Spain in January 1812 and later won victories at Badajoz, Salamanca, and Vitoria. Sources British Battles: Battle of Fuentes de OnoroPeninsular War: Battle of Fuentes de OnoroHistory of War: Battle of Fuentes de Onoro