In Articles Mar 8, 20103
Keeping Your Web Servers Running Smoothly
As designers and developers we generally worry about the aesthetics and behavior of a website. But what about the server it runs on that has made it all possible for this site to operate swiftly? In order to provide your clients with the best possible service you should ensure that their websites server is running smoothly on a regular basis, and what better way to do so then with intelligently designed tools that can notify you of any disturbances or irregularities that your websites server may encounter. (more…)
Read moreIn Articles Mar 3, 201063
So You Call Yourself A Designer?
Computer – check. Photoshop – check. Lots of free time – check. It seems that this is all that is necessary to call yourself a ‘designer’ these days. I believe that there is far more to a designer than software, computers and free time. Designers should have critical thinking skills, understanding of design principals, knowledge of grid systems, typography and much more. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, General, Tips, Tutorials Dec 4, 200950
Better Drop Shadows in Photoshop
Most real sheets of paper and card are not completely flat, but a standard Photoshop drop shadow can make an object look like its floating in mid air a lot of the time. However, a slightly curved or rolled page, a folded corner or a small crease is enough to go from looking too ‘Photoshop’ to looking quite natural. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Dec 2, 20098
Creative Block: Getting Your Hands Dirty with Creativity
Many designers (especially the newer generation) think of themselves as amssadors to creative thinking, effective design process, and ingenious results. And when your mind is running fresh on inspiration, and uncluttered, well lets face it, creativity just keeps flowing out. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Nov 27, 20096
Case Study: Fortune 500 Companies & Their Shopping Carts
Fortune 500 companies are placed in a list compiled and published by Fortune magazine. These companies are ranked within the top 500 U.S. corporations by their gross revenue. The first Fortune 500 list was published in 1955. And since then, it has been the dream of most start-ups and established companies to be featured within this list.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Nov 18, 20097
Size Really Does Matter
Whether you’re talking about weight, height, or the code for a website, the truth is that size really does matter. It isn’t a question of whether or not size matters — in one way or another, our experiences have shown that it does. The real question is how much does size matter? And how much does it matter when it comes to your code?
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Nov 6, 200924
13 Really Useful Online CSS Tools to Streamline Development
CSS is nearly used on every modern website design. However, having to write and structure CSS code from scratch every time you have a project is extremely time consuming. Below, we present you with 13 amazingly useful CSS tools for hacking on writing time consuming code. We tried to place emphasis on unknown tools that every developer should have a looksy at, however don’t be surprised if we included a few known sources.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Nov 4, 200910
Investing in the Grid
Print designers have successfully utilized the grid to create effective design layouts long before the world wide web was even conceived, but the truth is that grids can be just as effective for web page design and ought to be employed by every web designer.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Oct 30, 200916
Using Wireframes to Bring Your Site Together
Wireframes are the blue prints that define and allocate a Web sites content and behavior. They are not bound by colors, fonts, and anything that may surface on the site as part of any content. Wireframing compliments good web development and offers a visual of where the content will be laid out within the sites design. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Oct 23, 200920
10 Ways to Analyze and Optimize a Site’s Performance
Performance is one of its most important aspects of a website but it is often overlooked by both the designers and the developers. If a site takes too long to load the user will leave without giving other aspects of the site a chance. Every segment of code and every piece of the design should be created with performance in mind.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Oct 20, 20099
Website Accessibility and Usability: Ten Tips On How To Make Your Website More Viewer-friendly!
Most websites are developed with the sole purpose of spreading information about a product or service in mind. However the different viewer scenarios are not normally envisioned and it is assumed that all the site’s visitors have perfect physical or cognitive ability and fast computers with broadband connections to the internet. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Oct 15, 200941
10 Essential Skills Every Graphic Designer Should Have
In order to become a well rounded Graphic Designer, there are a variety of skills that are essential to handling a clients or employers tasks proficiently. Below you’ll find some of the most essential skills that a Graphic Designer will need to have as he/she advances in their career and reaches new height.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Sep 25, 20099
Essential Tips to Help You Become A Proficient Debugger
Generally when dealing with programming of any sort (especially on the web) debugging is certainly one of the top skills a programmer should build on. Throughout the development of a website, a great deal of the developers time is spent on testing the environment and searching for bugs. If you’re able to effectively learn how to search and fix bugs you’ll end up with fewer errors from the first attempt to write new code.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Sep 16, 200915
Valuable Tips for Locking Down Your WordPress Website
There are a variety of Content Management Systems (CMS) that can fulfill many of your sites needs, however, WordPress is usually recommended as the leading publishing platform. With popularity comes vulnerability and WordPress sites are usually open to all sorts of potential attacks from hackers, spammers, and other mal-intentioned Internet users trying to compromise the security of your WordPress environment.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Aug 28, 200911
Top Validation Errors When Using XHTML
As a developer being able to write valid XHTML code is one of the most sought out requirements. Valid XHTML can be a daunting obstacle to overcome if the developer is either in-experienced or has little or no knowledge dealing with code. Improperly placed elements, and incorrectly nested characters can prolong the inevitable work of coding a website.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Inspiration Aug 27, 200911
53 High Quality Fonts for your next Design Project
Selecting that exact font for that particular design project can be difficult. So, it is a good idea to have a catalogue of your favourite high quality fonts stored within your font directory for easy access. Where do you find high quality fonts? Have a look at the news items below, the fonts that they showcase are excellent, high quality and free!
In Articles, Inspiration Aug 11, 20093
Special Feature on the “Movie Stills Collection”
The art of still photography started almost as far back as movies its self. The original idea for this photographic style was to help a studio promote a movie by releasing images to the press, or for poster designs, a practice that still exists today.
In Articles, General Aug 7, 200914
The evolution of web design
The internet is now more than 25 years old, and the least you could say about is that the art of designing websites has evolved a lot over that time. The way pages are designed changed is tied to the evolution of technology, let’s take a look at how it evolved.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Aug 5, 200927
Colors on The Web: Color Theory for Designers
Art and science often coincide. When we approach the former using the latter, this is especially true. And in science, we disassemble the object we are studying and analyze each element as close as we may. Part of the art of web design, is color. So if we approach this element with a view toward science, we may discover ways to enhance our art for better appreciation and achievement of intent.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Inspiration, Tips Aug 4, 20092
In the news today: Twitter as a Business Tool, PC Mags Top 100 and some Artistic Chairs
In todays news we have a great article about how to take your Twitter profile to the next level, with “62 Ways to use Twitter for Business”, we also have PC Mags annual Top 100 Web Sites and lastly we have some really cool and funky artistic chairs.
In Articles, Inspiration Aug 3, 200910
Inspiring and Stunning Dark Web Designs
From a designers perspective the use of dark backgrounds (even the minimalist of ones) centers the attention towards the content, making it a popular choice for portfolios, image galleries, and design-related sites.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Inspiration Jul 31, 200913
Eco-Friendly Packaging Concepts
Packaging design is challenging enough with the everyday evolution of products as manufactures constantly search for better ways to make their products smaller and a bit “easier” on the eyes of consumers. More than anything, it can be a hassle having to look for increasingly efficient ways to package your product, especially if your design has to provide a solution for current ecological needs.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, General Jul 26, 20098
Enhance you website with a Vector Character, 10 WP Comment Hacks and a new Lightbox Clone
Today we have three great website enhancing news resources for you: Create a vector character for your site with Photoshop and Illustrator, 10 tips and hacks for your WP comment section, and finally, a cool new Lightbox clone called Bumpbox.
In Articles, Inspiration Jul 23, 200915
40 Eye-Catching Registration Pages
It’s incredible the amount of sites that have acquired a bad taste for web form design. A good registration form is assertive, and collected, however a great registration page is clean and offers a creative edge that forces you to take a second glance at the design. Some of the pages listed below were chosen for their attention demanding illustrations, while others because of their cleanliness and ease of usability.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Jul 8, 200955
50+ Tools To Make You a More Efficient & Organized Designer
As more and more web based tools solely created to help designers and developers in their mission to overpower sturfy web design come to life, we are plastered with one decision to make. Which of these tools benefit me the most? Many of these tools will indeed allow you to become a much better designer with the aid of tools that will help you code faster and become a bit more organized. This will allow you to actually save a great deal of time while also practicing good organizational skills all in one.
Read the rest of this entry »
