Archive for the ‘designer’ Category:
HTML5 and CSS3 Web Page Tutorials
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).
Fresh Web Designer Tools and Resources
For today’s design news we have highlighted some fresh tools and resources for all you web and app designers out there. There are a couple of tools to help with any CSS3 and HTML5 development issues you may have, there is a marvelous new technique for styling buttons, and finally, and perhaps the coolest of all,some time saving iPad actions for Photoshop.
BonBon Buttons – Sweet CSS3 buttons
These sexy looking flexible CSS3 buttons have been styled with the most minimalistic markup as possible.
BonBon Buttons – Sweet CSS3 buttons
iPad Actions for Photoshop
These Photoshop Actions will allow any UX/UI designer or App developer to quickly create a gorgeous rendering of their app as it would appear on an Apple iPad. All that is required on your end is your final designs (and a copy of Photoshop, obviously).
iPad Actions for Photoshop
Selectivizr – CSS3 pseudo-class and attribute selectors for IE 6-8
selectivizr is a JavaScript utility that emulates CSS3 pseudo-classes and attribute selectors in Internet Explorer 6-8. Simply include the script in your pages and selectivizr will do the rest.
Selectivizr – CSS3 pseudo-class and attribute selectors for IE 6-8
HTML5/CSS3 Cheatsheet
Here are some simple cut-and-paste examples of HTML5/CSS3 features that are currently (mid-2010) usable across a number of web browsers, chief among them Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera.
HTML5/CSS3 Cheatsheet
By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).
A Selection of Mobile UI Wireframe Sketches
Reading about the UI design process of any web site, web application or even a mobile app can be very informative and inspirational for any designer. But nothing would beat experiencing the initial design process, as the original designer did, and getting the chance to view the fruition of a UI concept. The only way you could experience this is by having a look at the designers initial wireframe sketches, and that is exactly what we have for you today in this news round-up – A Selection of Mobile UI Wireframe Sketches.
iPhone Sketches: Paper, Pencils, Wooden Forms, Ink and Brush
iPhone Sketches: Paper, Pencils, Wooden Forms, Ink and Brush
Harvest iPhone App Sketches
Early Ember Sketches in Color
By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).
Ideal resolution for an image on the web
What do you recommend? Should your web image have a resolution of 72dpi or is it irrelevant as the browser works in pixels and 100 pixels are 100 pixels no matter what dpi you select? What do you think?
You can leave your thoughts or recommendations below, or you can leave your answer on the original question on Answers here: What resolution do you recommend for an image on the web?
What resolution do you recommend for an image on the web?
This question was originally asked by Kevin M..
There have been four varied answers so far, you can view them below:
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.
Our Favorite Freebies from the Past Week
For today’s news we have collected our favorites design and development related freebies from the the past week and thought they were that good, that we simply had to share them with our readers.
“Buddycons” – Vector Social Media Icons
The icon set is called “Buddycons” and includes 126 vector social media icons. Included in the set are PNG versions of all 126 icons in both circular and rounded variations as well as a vector source file for easy resizing. The icons are free to use for personal and commercial usage, however, redistribution is not allowed.
“Buddycons” – Vector Social Media Icons
Free PSD Templates: vCard Personal Portfolio Minisite
This PSD design comes in 4 pages: Homepage (About), Works (Portfolio), Portfolio Pop-Up, and Contact.
All the pages are in Photoshop (.PSD) format with all layers neatly organized in layer groups for easy identification and editing of the logo, text and graphics.
Free PSD Templates: vCard Personal Portfolio Minisite
Modernist: Free WordPress Theme with Focus on Typography
This theme supports widgets, is SEO optimized and has clean and documented code. It loads very quickly, and has various WordPress 3.0 features. Works in IE 6+ and all versions of Safari/Firefox/Opera. The theme is absolutely free to use in private and commerical projects.
Modernist: Free WordPress Theme with Focus on Typography
Typominima: Free typography based minimal WordPress theme
Typominima is a free typography based, gorgeous, minimal WordPress theme fit for the writer inside you.
Typominima: Free typography based minimal WordPress theme
Coda Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (PDF)
Coda Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (PDF)
By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).
Best Standards and Guidelines for Graphic Designers
The basis for this weeks Answers reader discussion is essentially a chance to share what you feel are the best graphic design standards for an inhouse design agency.
What do you think? Is there set standards and guidelines for graphic designers in inhouse agencies? You can leave your comment below, or you can leave your answer on the original question on here: What are the best standards and guidelines for graphic designers who work for inhouse design agencies?
What are the standards and guidelines for graphic designers who work for inhouse design agencies?
This question was originally asked by an Unregistered User, and you will find the best answer below:
The Best Answer came from aPablo G:
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.
Two High Quality and Massive Icon Sets
There are not many iconsets that can match the quality nor the quantity of icons that we feature in todays design news roundup. The first set, released this week by WPZOOM, has over 500 icons for every social network service you could possibly think of. And the second set, also released this week, has over 170 crafted icons perfect for web design brought to you by WooTheme.
500 Free Icons Social Networking Icon Set from WPZOOM
This awesome icon set includes 100 icons of popular social networking websites. Every icon from WPZOOMs Social Networking Icon Set is available in 5 different sizes: 64×64, 48×48, 32×32, 24×24 and 16×16px (PNG & PSD format), which means you get 500 beautiful icons!
You are allowed to use these icons anywhere you want, however WPZOOM would appreciate linkback.
500 Free Icons Social Networking Icon Set from WPZOOM
WooCons – 170 Free Web Icons
This huge icon set, designed by Janik Baumgartner exclusively for WooThemes, consists of 170 icons, sized at 32×32px and are in PNG format.
This icon set has been released on the GNU General Public License.
WooCons – 170 Free Web Icons
By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).
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.
Furthermore, deviation or procrastination is a general symptom among designers and freelancers alike that hits us on occasion. Moreover, we discuss six methods or tips that can help you stay focused as a designer to avoid deviation and or procrastination.
Working on an Aspect You Don’t Care For
This happens to everyone, we are “pumped up” when we first begin working on a design and as we complete the parts we enjoy and transition to the aspects we sometimes hate to do, our productivity level begins to decrease and procrastination takes place. In most designs we work on, we can usually begin on any aspect we desire.
With that said, in order to prevent possible deviation and or procrastination, I myself tend to do a bit of the parts I love and hate, which means I will be working on a mixture of both throughout, decreasing my chances of deviation or procrastination. Do note however, this method may sometimes not apply to some situations and you may have to finish one to get to the other.
In such a case, try to do the aspect you dislike more first before getting to the enjoyable part of the job or project. As humans, we usually tend to look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel rather than the opposite; the same feeling can apply here by leaving what you enjoy for the end.
Nap Time
No, we are not trying to bring you back to your childhood or preschool days, but we are getting to our point. Taking breaks away from your computer is a great way to increase productivity. We all tend to slow down every now and then and do a stare down at our screen for several minutes trying to analyze a situation or attempt to release frustration.
A better method is to schedule several breaks in between your working hours even if they are quick breaks. This not only clears your mind, it also refreshes your thinking process allowing you to get back to work in a more productive manner and being able to tackle what you were inevitably stuck on.
Say No to Interruptions
A major problem we have during our work hours is we accept a plethora of interruptions such as phone calls or from instant messages. If you are not expecting important phone calls, do not answer them and rather get back to them during a break or after work hours when the time is appropriate, this also applies to text messaging, try silencing your phone while working to avoid such distractions.
A cluttered environment also hinders your performance; thus, assure your workspace is clear from many distractions that can eat up on your time such as paperwork or electronic devices. Additionally, make sure your computer is clear of distractions, keep your Twitter, Facebook , and Skype clients off as well as your instant messenger clients unless need-be.
By turning off these distractions, you can remain focused on the work that needs to be accomplished rather on things that are supposed to be used during leisure time. If during working hours you must leave an IM client open, make sure whomever is on your contact list are people that you may need to talk to during working hours and vice versa. In other words, do not have your friends or family on this contact list, and save chatting with them after hours.
Break Your Project into Sections
As humans, we generally love to see continuous progress, but with a large project, progress seems to go by quite slowly. In order to keep yourself motivated with larger projects, try breaking down the project into small sections or parts. That way when you complete a part, you feel that you have accomplished more than you would without breaking the project down, thus, you keep your productivity rate high, while remaining motivated.
Don’t Over Do it
Accepting too many clients than what you can actually handle is common mistake made not only among designers but also among other self-employed freelancers. When you accept too many clients, you begin to dislike what you do and therefore become unmotivated toward any project you get your hands on with the additional stress for overworking yourself.
While accepting many clients may not be a choice but rather a must to keep bills paid, try to accept larger projects and fewer clients to balance out the change. This increases the enjoyment of what you do as a profession, while keeping you motivated and focused.
Client Search
Sometimes we spend far too much time searching for future clientele rather than actually working on what we currently have going on. Not only is this a distraction, but it additionally causes delays for your ongoing projects which may cause stress when you begin to run out of time. Furthermore, instead of searching for clientele on workdays that should be spent on priority projects, try setting a day out of your week specifically for finding clientele.
This not only helps you stay focused on your projects but it also helps you stay focused on searching for clientele, making it a win-win situation. Remember, time organization is a key aspect to staying focused and being on time. Without time management or organization, procrastination comes to play which causes your schedule to fall apart.
Overall, remaining focused, as a designer is quite a challenge especially if you do not work with others such as a team to keep each other motivated. While these six methods may or may not work for you, they do help by providing you ideas to create your own methods that work for you and your environment to remain focused, which is key to remaining productive.
Round-Up of Fresh jQuery Tutorials
There really is no limit to what can be achieved with jQuery. And when it is in the right hands those limits are challenged all the time, constantly pushing back its seemingly endless boundaries by developing fresh and creative techniques. In this design news round-up we have collected our favorite recent jQuery tutorials.
Super Ajax Polling/Voting System using JQuery, Ajax, PHP and MySQL
Super Ajax Polling/Voting System using JQuery, Ajax, PHP and MySQL →
jQuery Quickie: Slot Machine Style Navigation
jQuery Quickie: Slot Machine Style Navigation →
How To Create A Great Contact Form
How To Create A Great Contact Form →
Music Portfolio Template with HTML5 and jQuery
Music Portfolio Template with HTML5 and jQuery →
A Simple Movie Search App w/ jQuery UI
A Simple Movie Search App w/ jQuery UI →
By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).
Marvelous Logo Redesigns and Inspiration
In today’s news round-up we take a refreshing look at quite possibly the most difficult and challenging aspect of graphic design, which is logo design. We have some inspirational posts and some highly educational logo redesign round-ups which should stimulate all of your creative minds and inspire you in your next logo design project.
23 Of The Best Logo Redesigns In 2010
23 Of The Best Logo Redesigns In 2010 →
15 Famous And Successful Logo Redesigns – What Has Been Improved?
15 Famous And Successful Logo Redesigns – What Has Been Improved? →
50+ Creative Logo Designs With Hidden Thought
50+ Creative Logo Designs With Hidden Thought →
25 Inspirational Logos You Wish You Had Thought Of Yourself
25 Inspirational Logos You Wish You Had Thought Of Yourself →
By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).