Graphics - Page 13

Inspiring advice, tips, and suggestions for improving your graphic design skills, logo design, working with templates, and more.

A Beginner’s Guide to Emotive UI

Graphics / 19 Oct 2016

A Beginner’s Guide to Emotive UI

We talk about designing something that connects to a user emotionally. That connection can be a key component in establishing trust and relatability. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. There are so many things to consider. Emotions are broad, complicated, and often very difficult to influence or change.

That’s what we will think about today. What is emotive (or emotional) UI? How can you create a user interface that actually evokes that emotional connection? And is that something that you should consider more carefully in your next design project?

Button Design Tips: Simple, Small and Vitally Important

Graphics / 17 Oct 2016

Button Design Tips: Simple, Small and Vitally Important

We talk about details a lot in design. It’s for good reason. Paying attention to even the smallest of details can make or break a design.

Today’s we’re going to dive deeper into one of those details and look at ways to design buttons that users want to click (or tap). Even though buttons might be one of the smallest elements in your design, they are one of the most important. How else would you communicate actions to a user? How else would they provide information in that feedback loop?

Think back for a moment to one of the big complaints about flat design in the early stages: Users did not know what was and what was not interactive in the design. Hence, the importance of great button design.

7 Tips for Creating a Memorable Design

Graphics / 10 Oct 2016

7 Tips for Creating a Memorable Design

It’s the goal of pretty much anyone with a website: to have users that come back again and again. They share your content; they engage with you regularly; they tell others about the website. They remember the website.

It doesn’t happen by accident. A memorable design is a tool that will help create this user connection. Here, we’re going to look at seven ways to create a lasting impression with seven stunning examples of how to do it. Learn how to create a design that sticks in the long term, and doesn’t fly under the radar!

Duotone Color: Tips & Examples for This Vibrant Trend

Graphics / 28 Sep 2016

Duotone Color: Tips & Examples for This Vibrant Trend

The next big web design image trend is here, and it’s vibrant, colourful, and beautiful!

Thanks to Spotify, duotone is growing in popularity almost daily. The effect, which uses a pair of colors over a photo is striking, fun and vibrant. It’s also quite trendy, with new sites changing to a duotone format almost daily. Here are a few ways to make the most of this hot design technique.

Design Trend: What’s Up With All Those Tiny Corner Logos?

Graphics / 19 Sep 2016

Design Trend: What’s Up With All Those Tiny Corner Logos?

Have you noticed how small logos seem to be increasingly popular on websites? For a while, it seemed the focus in design was to “make it bigger.” That has shifted — in terms of logo size and placement anyway.

The biggest trend in website design right now is the use of the tiny corner logo. We’re going to break down the trend and look at a few great examples. Maybe you’ll find the inspiration to shrink the logo in your next project. Or maybe you’ll decide to keep it big and bold!

Experiential Design 101: Designing for VR

Graphics / 14 Sep 2016

Experiential Design 101: Designing for VR

We may live in a world where many of our design and communication interactions happen via a screen, but information from screens is jumping into the live realm more and more often.

While it might almost sound like something out of a science fiction movie, you will create design elements that live in the space between screens and reality in this lifetime. It’s already starting to happen. Experiential design is the force that will shape how those projects come together and how you create and develop dynamic real-life design elements.

How to Create a Timeless Design: 7 Tips

Graphics / 12 Sep 2016

How to Create a Timeless Design: 7 Tips

The best designs never really go out of style. These classics are often rooted deep in design theory and have that certain something that helps them withstand the test of time. You know some of them – brands such as Nike and Coca-Cola have logos, colors and overall design personalities that have stood for decades.

Thankfully, that timeless concept is something you can apply to almost any project. You might not have the same visual recognition as the Swoosh, but you can create an aesthetic that can work for you for years to come. Here’s how to do it.

Have You Ever Created Something Bad… on Purpose?

Business / 3 Aug 2016

Have You Ever Created Something Bad… on Purpose?

Be honest. Have you ever created something that was just bad? Now, have you ever designed something bad on purpose? It’s a strange concept, but one that we’re going to be exploring more today.

Sometimes designing something bad can actually yield a positive result. Not sure about that idea? Read on and you just might change your mind. (Then think about each example of a “bad design” and how you could fix it.)

3 New Logo Trends to Try for Your Brand

How to Design a Logo / 25 Jul 2016

3 New Logo Trends to Try for Your Brand

We all know the story. You spend a lot of time perfecting the perfectly trendy design element… and then, just like that, the trend is over. And your cool design goes with it. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The trick to designing around trends is speed. To make the most of an emerging trend, you need to get from concept to deployment quickly. The second trend trick is to use trends that aren’t “too trendy,” meaning they pull from classical design elements.

Today, we’re going to look at three logo trends that you can start using right away. Done well, they should also have a lot of staying power because they use some more timeless concepts from design theory.

Is the Gradient Making a Comeback?

Graphics / 20 Jul 2016

Is the Gradient Making a Comeback?

One of the techniques shunned by designers at the beginning of the flat design era is making a comeback. Almost overnight, it seems that gradients are popping up in website designs everywhere.

From backgrounds to image overlays to subtle textures on user interface elements, the two-color effect is back in a big way. It’s also a little different this time around. Here’s what you need to know before using gradients again (and plenty of examples to spark your creativity).

7 Tips for Designing Consistency

Graphics / 13 Jul 2016

7 Tips for Designing Consistency

Consistency will make your design better, easier to use, and practically invisible. It gives the user plenty of room to experience the design in the way you intend.

Designing for consistency is a no-brainer in some cases and a little trickier to understand in others. Quite simply, consistency is the thread that ties together elements in a single design. It also ties together designs across a single campaign or brand, creating a product that is distinguishable, usable and effective. Take special note of all the examples below, each brand is a leader when it comes to consistent and usable design.

How to Design a Minimal Logo That Works

How to Design a Logo / 5 Jul 2016

How to Design a Minimal Logo That Works

It doesn’t get much more minimal than that classic Nike Swoosh. The design is simple, iconic and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t know what it stands for. The logo is the company.

And it’s so minimalistic. That same concept is trending again in logo design. Minimal logos are the “in” thing from brand marks to badges on website home pages. Whether you have a logo or not, there are plenty of great ways to incorporate this minimal logo style into your design work.