It’s that time of year again. It’s time to start thinking about what gifts to pick up for your family and friends (and maybe even yourself) for the holidays. And if you happen to be buying for a web designer this year, we happen to have 10 awesome holiday gift ideas that web designers will cherish.

1. Adobe Photoshop CS5

Adobe Photoshop CS5

You all knew this was coming first, right? What’s a top 10 list without Adobe Photoshop? With the release of Creative Suite 5, Adobe has boosted Photoshop’s features and delivered more flexibility and design options. And web designers know that a powerful graphic and image editor is essential to be effective at work. With holiday season discounts from Adobe, you can snag a copy of Photoshop CS5 starting around just $600.

2. Apple iPad

Apple iPad

Not only are Apple iPad’s the hottest item since sliced bread, but they’re less than half the cost of a quality laptop. They’re essential to have around if you’re designing for mobile devices, applications and varied device resolutions, and not to mention (we drool over how cool they are). If you really want to make a web designer happy this season, surprise them with an iPad (starting at just $499).

3. SanDisk Ultra® Backup 16GB USB Flash Drive

SanDisk Ultra Backup 16GB USB Flash Drive

SanDisk has introduced the SanDisk Ultra® Backup USB Flash Drive which is the first USB flash drive with a backup button. With three models available: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, web designers can store lots of files, images, drafts, proposals and more. Buy online from Staples.com starting at $89.99!

4. CSS3 For Web Designers

CSS3 For Web Designers

A Book Apart continues its web design book series ‘…for people who make websites’ with Dan Cederholm’s masterfully written “CSS3 For Web Designers”. With the emergence of new methodologies like HTML5 and CSS3, it’s always important for us designers to study up on the semantics so we can stay ahead of the game. Purchase “CSS3 For Web Designers” as paperback, ebook or a bundle of both.

5. Basecamp

Basecamp | 37Signals.com

Basecamp is a robust project management software solution for managing almost any type of web project. Millions of people already use Basecamp, and it’s the preferred project management tool of several multi-million dollar brands. Don’t have a large organization? That’s okay too. Basecamp starts with a “Small Group” plan that costs only $49/month.

6. Apple Magic Mouse

Apple Magic Mouse

The Apple Magic Mouse is a must-have for Mac-lovers. It’s a wireless, bluetooth-dependent multi-touch mouse that allows for seamless operation. Make sure you have the required hardware and software before buying the Magic Mouse. Details can be found on the Apple website or by clicking the link above.

7. Typekit Portfolio Plan

Typekit Portfolio Plan

Typekit is a really cool web service that allows web designers to use a large library of stylish fonts that were previously unavailable for use on websites. For web designers who have started using CSS3 on a regular basis know that in order to use a large variety of fonts on their projects, they must adhere to license agreements for font usage on the web. Typekit makes the “licensing agreements” a non-issue, allowing designers to stick to what they do best — using great typography. Purchase a “Portfolio” plan for a friend and spend only $49.99/year.

8. The Smashing Book

The Smashing Book

The Smashing Book is a byproduct of Smashing Magazine which is an awesome read for designers. It’s a printed book that covers best practices in modern web design. And as a treat, The Smashing Book also shares some exclusive information about the background of Smashing Magazine. This is a must-have gift for web designers!

9. Custom Laptop Skins

Laptop Skins

Surprise someone with a custom or pre-made laptop skin from Schtickers.com. Schtickers gives you total flexibility; allowing you to add custom graphics, text and backgrounds to their removable and reusable laptop skins. Create a custom laptop skin to fit the dimensions of your specific laptop! Very affordable, thoughtful gift for a web designer.

10. Quality Headphones

Headphones

Last but not least of the great gifts for web designers are a set of quality headphones. Lots of web designers enjoy listening to music while working. However, a set of half-broken headphones that barely work anymore aren’t going to get the job done. Do someone a favor and get them a quality pair of headphones that will last the test of time. The Amazon.com Headphone Department has a great selection. Get shopping!

There are plenty more great gifts for web designers that could have been included in this entry, but I decided to narrow the list down to the top 10. Any web designer would be lucky to receive any of the above. I know I would be. Happy holidays and happy shopping!

The arrival of HTML5 and CSS3 has given web designers a major sense of excitement by offering a broader range of options, creative opportunities and shortcuts for designing a web page. We could talk about all of these new features endlessly, instead, to keep things simple, we have highlighted four web tutorials that make use of HTML5 and CSS3 perfectly and that demonstrate effectively the potential power of these fantastic technologies.

Creating a Minimal Blog Design Using HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery

Creating a Minimal Blog Design Using HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery

Coding a Stylish Blog Design Layout in HTML & CSS

This tutorial starts with the Photoshop stage of the blog design process, and shows how the design and layout are created to form an initial concept from which the fully coded blog will be based on.
Coding a Stylish Blog Design Layout in HTML & CSS

Touch The Future: Create An Elegant Website With HTML 5 And CSS3

The aim of this tutorial is to create an elegant blog/portfolio for an efficient professional (graphic and web designer or photographer), coded through two new great technologies, HTML 5 and CSS3.
Touch The Future: Create An Elegant Website With HTML 5 And CSS3

Build a HTML5/CSS3 Website Layout Without Images

Build a HTML5/CSS3 Website Layout Without Images

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).

Sometimes to get your development juices flowing you just need a meaty project or an in-depth tutorial that you can sink your teeth into and lose yourself for a few hours in coding bliss. And that’s what we have for you today, three tutorials that will satisfy your code craving! They are not only roll-up-your-sleeves and put-on-a-pot-of-coffee good but they will also introduce you to some of the latest CSS3, HTML5 and jQuery techniques.

A jQuery, CSS3 & HTML5 Hover-Based Interface

In this awesome tutorial you will learn how to create a useful hover-based user interface using jQuery, CSS3, HTML5 and @font-face. The project you’ll be creating could easily be used for a portfolio or business site and the concepts you’ll learn could certainly be used to expand the idea further.
A jQuery, CSS3 & HTML5 Hover-Based Interface

Dynamic FAQ Section w/ jQuery, YQL & Google Docs

In this tutorial, you will build a dynamic FAQ section. The script, with the help of jQuery & YQL, will pull the contents of a shared spreadsheet in your Google Docs account, and use the data to populate the FAQ section with questions and answers.
Dynamic FAQ Section w/ jQuery, YQL & Google Docs

How to easily create charts using jQuery and HTML5

For years, Flash was the only solution to display a dynamic chart on a website. But thanks to modern techniques, the dying Flash isn't needed anymore. In this tutorial,you'll be shown how easy it is to transform a basic HTML table into a profesionnal looking chart using visualize.js, a very useful jQuery plugin.
How to easily create charts using jQuery and HTML5

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).

Our topic for today’s Design Reviver Answers news round-up is a question that was recently asked on PHP. And to be more specific the question was How Do I Show Different Content to Visitors From a Specific Country Using PHP?

Do you have an alternative solution, maybe a fresher technique? You can leave your comment below, or you can leave a your answer on the original question on Answers here

How Do I Show Different Content to Visitors From a Specific Country Using PHP?

This question was originally asked by a Devone, and you will find the best answer below:

The Best Answer came from an Unregistered User:

The Next Answer came from a Pablo G:

Unanswered Answers

That is now five weeks without any unanswered questions!!!

Thanks to everyone who asked a question, but most importantly thanks to everyone that took the time and effort to offer helpful and useful answers.

One of the great things about our Design Reviver Answers is that it gives the novice or amateur web designer the opportunity to ask a basic question and have it answered by one of the many seasoned pro users that we have. It truly is a great site for learning and understanding, for designers of every level.

This weeks highlighted question, from an amateur designer, is: “What is Inline Style?”

You can leave your comment below, or you can leave an even better your answer on the original question on Answers: What is Inline Style?

What is Inline Style?

This question was originally asked by an unregistered user, and you will find the best answer below:

The Best Answer came from an unregistered user:

The Next Answer came from a Andrew Miller:

Unanswered Answers

That is now three weeks without ab unanswered questions!!!

Thanks to everyone who asked a question, but most importantly thanks to everyone that took the time and effort to offer helpful and useful answers.<

High quality photo effects are not only reserved for professionals or tech-savvy image editing specialists, they can be achieved by anyone, as today’s design news demonstrates. We have collected four recent photo editing tutorials that can be easily followed and achieved by anyone with a digital camera and a desire to give a little bit of coolness and professionalism to there shots.

Give Your Photos a Vintage Look

This tutorial is for anyone who doesn’t have photo editing know-how, expensive editing software or a load of time to spare, and shows you how to create a retro profile pic in a matter of minutes using some absolutely free, entirely online services.
Give Your Photos a Vintage Look

How To Give Your Photos a Cool Retro Analog Effect

Back in the days of analog photography imperfections were part of the job. Colour washes, light leaks, vignettes and blurs were all common problems that appeared during the processing of your film, particularly from cheap cameras such as the Holga, or simply down to human error. While these problems don’t affect digital cameras, you can recreate the cool effects in Photoshop to give your shots that cool lo-fi retro effect.
How To Give Your Photos a Cool Retro Analog Effect

Foggy Window Effect in Photoshop

In this tutorial you will be shown how to create a foggy window effect in Photoshop, using stock photo, brushes, and layer styles to create the simple effect. The whole process is quite simple and it won't take you more than 30 minutes to achieve.
Foggy Window Effect in Photoshop

Quick HDR Effect Photoshop CS5 Tutorial

To create High Dynamic Range pictures, you typically need at least 3 different exposures of the same photo, but in this Photoshop tutorial you will learn how to create HDR from a single image.

This technique will make the bright portions of the image darker, and dark portions of the image lighter. This also gives the image a lot more realistic look.
Quick HDR Effect Photoshop CS5 Tutorial

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).

As web designers we may at times take for granted the knowledge and experience we have built up over the years, and its often easy to forget about, especially when you are just starting out, that there are many basic questions, that may not crop up very often, but still need to be asked and they certainly need to be answered.

And such a question was recently asked on Answers, and it was “Any difference between margin and position:absolute?”

You can leave your answers and thoughts below in the comment section, or you can leave your answer/opinion on the original question here, on Answers: Any difference between margin and position:absolute?.

Any difference between margin and position:absolute?

This question was originally asked by Khaoslive, and you will find the best answer below:

Best Answer from Neil Monroe:

Unanswered Answers

There are no unanswered questions!!! Yipee!!!

Thanks again, firstly to everyone who asked a question, but most importantly thanks to everyone that took the time and effort to offer helpful and useful answers.

There are no clear and defined skill-sets a developer should have to build a web site, with so many different technological possibilities it can be difficult deciding which to focus on. A question on this subject was recently asked on Answers, so, what skills do you think a front-end developer should have?

You can leave your answers and thoughts below in the comment section, or you can leave your answer/opinion on the original question here: What Should a Front-End Developer Know?.

What Should a Front-End Developer Know?

This question was originally asked by Desi, and you will find the favorite answers below:

Best Answer from J.J. Nold:

Second answer from an Unregistered User:

Unanswered Answers

Just one unanswered question this week, can you help?

1. Can Anyone Explain the True Difference in jQuery and jQuery UI?

Thanks again, firstly to everyone who asked a question, but most importantly thanks to everyone that took the time and effort to offer helpful and useful answers.

As designers and developers you can never get enough new and fresh resources, we love them and you love them. And in today’s news round-up we have collected five of the best brand new and useful resources, tools and blogs for you to enjoy.

Techi – Fresh daily technology news

Techi is a brand new technology blog that focuses on tech stuff that’s always "fresh and never boring". Brought to you by the guys behind Webdesigner Depot, they didn't like the ‘boring’ tech stuff that can often be found on the web (stuff like acquisitions, mergers, stocks going up/down, start-ups that nobody cares about, etc), so they purposely avoid those topics and try to make tech as much fun to read as possible.
Techi – Fresh daily technology news

Formee – Fresh baked forms for your websites!

Formee is nothing but a new framework to help you develop and customize web based forms. Did you use to spend a lot of time aligning fields and calculating margins and paddings in a quest for a perfect form? No more!
Formee – Fresh baked forms for your websites!

CSS Gallery Submission Made Easy

In a nutshell, CSS Gallery is a “showroom” for the coolest website designs. From the designers perspective they can be used as an inspirations resource and from the submitter views, getting your web site published on CSS galleries will give you a possibility to increase visibility of your brand.
CSS Gallery Submission Made Easy

seekWP – Search WordPress

seekWP is a new search engine that focuses on everything WordPress – themes, tutorials, resources and tips. Enter your search term, and hey presto, you will have your answer.
seekWP – Search WordPress

Browize – Online Browser Resizer

Browize – Online Browser Resizer

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboy and speckyboy@twitter).

There has been a tidal wave of buzz recently about all the new CSS3 features and properties. Just what exactly do these new properties mean for web designers, though? Well, CSS3 is pretty cool, no longer will you need to rely as much on graphics or Javascript, and more importantly it allows for better control over HTML elements, allowing you to create more flexible and even more complex web sites. Really, whats not to love about it all?

For today’s news we have collected the best articles that focus on CSS3 tutorials, and give you a little insight to what all the buzz is about.

Understanding The Basics Of CSS3

In this article,the author talks about some of the more popular features of CSS3 that have recently been spotted out in the wild among several popular websites. While most of these are only visible in some of the more modern web browsers (Mozilla, Chrome, Safari) it’s important to go ahead and get a grasp of exactly how they actually work.

Understanding The Basics Of CSS3

50 Excellent Tutorials for Web Development Using CSS3

In this emerging roundup they mphasis on some of the latest techniques: text-shadow, rounded box, box sizing, opacity handlers, multiple backgrounds, border images and also support for multi-column web layouts.

50 Excellent Tutorials for Web Development Using CSS3

Basic CSS3 Techniques That You Should Know

This article, from Six Revisions, takes a look at a few of the essential things you need to know about CSS3. With all of these new features, it’s important to place emphasis on the most important ones to get you up to speed. Even though only the most modern of web browsers (Safari, Mozilla, Opera) currently (partially or fully) support CSS3 specs, it’s an exciting time for those who like to experiment.

Basic CSS3 Techniques That You Should Know

15 CSS3 Navigation and Menu Tutorials and Techniques

Please bare in mind that for the most part all of these menu tutorials have not been written for usage in the wild, they are more experimental, a demonstration of what can be achieved and will be used in the near future.

15 CSS3 Navigation and Menu Tutorials and Techniques

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboy and speckyboy@twitter).