In Articles, Tips Aug 27, 20103
Designing for a Responsive Web with Heuristic Methods
As the web has developed so has the technology and range of platforms we can use to engage with it. As the range of screens increases, higher resolution displays are becoming the norm whilst at the same time both larger and smaller screens are becoming more widespread than ever before. (more…)
Read moreIn Articles Aug 25, 20108
How and Why Would Anyone Validate Their Code
Validating HTML or CSS code is a controversial topic. Many are strict on assuring their code is validated while others do not care at all. There are plethoras of reasons why you should validate your code, or at least as much as possible instead of ignoring the errors. We discuss several benefits to validating your HTML and or CSS. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Aug 20, 20106
The Advantages of Using CSS Sprites Along With a Few Tips
There are many techniques in CSS to achieve certain results in different ways, CSS sprites being one of them. CSS sprites is a technique used where you can have a large single image containing a set of images that can be broken down using CSS to separate the image into multiple.
To better understand this concept, let us look at the following example image: Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Aug 13, 20106
Six Sure Fire Ways to Remain Focused as a Designer
Sometimes, we all begin to deviate from a project we are working on due to finding something that we may find interesting or the cause of distractions from devices or services. However, such deviation or procrastination may cause delays and possibly lead to lies and angry clientele. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Aug 6, 201018
The Things Clients Expect Designers to Have Learned
As the web standards continue to increase, new technologies and techniques arise, which increases clientele expectations for what a designer can bring forth. Whether be it fancy gradient effects, attention to detail, or mesmerizing illustrations, there is always that expectation a client wants for what they envision for their design. Furthermore, we discuss eight things a client expects from today’s designers to have learned. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Aug 2, 20106
10 Incredible Websites of Big Content Providers
There are many websites of the same genres, but we all choose one out of them all. Whether be it the design, the layout, or the service that hooked us onto it, we all know they all offer similar content. So if you are designing and developing a site in the same genre as many others, how should you design it and what key elements should you include? Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Jul 28, 20104
How Thinking and Developing Modular Can Increase Productivity
When we have one few too many clients, we panic and begin to cut corners to squeeze in as many clients as we can into our schedule, and we end up working nights and weekends with buggy results. What if there is a way to save time and still manage the same amount of clients if not more?
Creating modular components is a step closer to reaching that goal, you can have 10, 20, 30, or even 40% if not more complete already with just several minutes of piece work. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Jul 23, 20103
Troubles When Developing With AJAX
For those that are not familiar with AJAX, the word is an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript + XML. AJAX is not new to the scene. In fact, even the newest advances in AJAX are at least five years old. Yet AJAX is becoming the buzz word in developing. AJAX is a very powerful technology that allows you to build a website with incredible functionality without users having to refresh the web page they are on. However, there are some “bumps” in the road when trying to utilize AJAX. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Jul 21, 201011
Best Tools for Testing Cross Browser Compatability
Cross-browser compatibility is something that can’t be overlooked in this day and age. The fact that your website could be viewed one way in Firefox and a completely different way in another browser like Safari can be a stressful thing to cope with. Being able to create and build websites that not only look but function the way their supposed to in multiple browsers isn’t a walk in the park. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Jul 16, 20103
Taking the Best Measure to Fortifying Your Scripts
No matter how hard we try, we always seem to forget to secure certain aspects of our scripts, whether be it an input field or data being inserted into a database. It would definitely be nice to fall back on security precautions that we implement into our scripts whether or not we have sanitized everything needed. Here are some tips and coding styles to achieve just that. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, General, Tips Jul 14, 20104
CSS Techniques I Dreamed About When I Started….
When I was first introduced to CSS, my mind exploded with possibilities that CSS created, which lead to thoughts of what it could provide me as a web designer. CSS provided the bridge between web designers and web developers. We have all seen situations where a developer created almost the perfect website, yet it didn’t have the appeal that a good front end designer could present. Now with CSS, you could have both in a seamless creation of perfection. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Jul 12, 20106
25 Powerful iPad Applications for Creative Professionals
The iPad is well laid with touch-screen bliss, with that said, it provides us with enough real estate to make mockups, administrate, and develop a bit at home or on the go. Furthermore, we summed up 25 must-haves for designers and developers alike. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Jun 28, 20105
15 Google Chrome Extensions for the Avid Designer
Google Chrome has become one of the best choices for web browsing, especially for designers and developers due to its flexability. Even though Firefox is still considered to be in the lead, it’ll only be a matter of time before most delve into Chrome. This web browser has great speed and top notch functionality due to the large variety of extensions available. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Jun 23, 20105
Data Tables In Modern Web Design
Creating organized data tables in modern web design requires that an individual have more than a rudimentary knowledge of the old table formats. In order to create an effective table, it is important that the information be compelling, interesting, and data driven without being overwhelming or burdensome to the reader. There are many different schools of thought on what makes a table effective, but the most important aspect of table creation for a designer is to know the audience and market that will be reading the table. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Jun 16, 20105
Toolbox: Tracking How Well Your Sites Evolving
When you develop a website that you want to nurse well into its successful stages you can’t help but to wonder “how well your web site’s evolving”. Is it reaching a new peak every month? How many more visitors are arriving on a weekly basis? Is there any actual growth on all aspects? These are just a few of the questions asked by most individuals who build and develop their own websites. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, Tips Jun 7, 201011
ThemeSwitcher in Web Design, Fantstic Examples and Tutorials
Have you ever visited a site that sells themes and allows you to easily switch between them within a fraction of a second? Most of have, and we can agree that this makes switching between these much quicker and easier. The cool thing about ThemeSwitchers is that any website with a similar function (i.e. switching between color swatches from an online color app) can utilize them through the power of jQuery. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles, General Jun 4, 20103
Fresh Photoshop Resources – Patterns, Textures and Actions
There is nothing better, nothing more powerful and nothing more popular than the greatest graphic image editor ever that is Photoshop. Photoshop by itself is a pretty useful tool, but when its extended with stylish brushes, beautiful patterns, seamless textures and powerful actions, it is truly an unstoppable tool.
In today’s news we have collected the best free resources to help enhance your next project.
In Articles, General Jun 2, 20105
The Future Of CSS Typography
The challenge for any web designer is to create style sheets that are unique, distinctive and can be replicated in a way that will create brand recognition. To that end, the future of CSS typography is an ever evolving and changing field that is constantly being updated, altered, and manipulated to both meets the growing demands of clients and the challenging demands of the market. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles May 12, 201010
5 Stellar Ways Designers Can Gain Passive Income
Not every designer is constantly working on a project or with a client, and when the downtime sets in and your bank account isn’t growing, there’s a variety of things you can do to “survive”, one of them being gaining passive income. If done right, you can be well on your way to making money on a continuous basis. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Apr 19, 20105
12 Super JavaScript Animation Frameworks
JavaScript is a powerful, flexible, and popular programming language for the web. It allows you to do a wide array of dynamic functions that would otherwise be much harder or inconvenient to create. Because of how straightforward JS is, it’s even become the language of choice for animation when compared to Flash. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Apr 16, 20108
Sketching or Straight To the Computer for Design Concepts? What’s Your Choice?
There are several methods for wire-framing,prototyping or sketching a web design project. Some may use a web based wire framing app or download one of the many powerful desktop applications available, and others, will simply use the ageless and always reliable pencil and paper. So, we now pass this question to you.
In Articles Mar 8, 20104
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. Read the rest of this entry »
In Articles Mar 3, 201071
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, 200953
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, 200913
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.
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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, 200925
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, 200919
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, 200921
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, 200947
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.
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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.
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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.
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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, 200916
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.
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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.
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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, 200911
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.
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In Articles, Inspiration Jul 31, 200919
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.
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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, 200916
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.
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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.
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