Carrie Cousins

Software / 24 Dec 2022

The 8 Best Photoshop Alternatives for Windows (2025)

Looking for a faster and better alternative to Adobe Photoshop? While Photoshop has been a standard for years, that’s starting to change with plenty of new tools for Windows that make easy work of photo editing. Many of these new tools include smart functions that will speed up workflows.

The best Photoshop alternatives pack in just the features you need without a lot of fluff you won’t use. Here’s a list of the best Photoshop alternatives for Windows in 2023.

Take note of special features to find the one that’s right for you.

UX Design / 23 Dec 2022

Microinteractions Are Growing Up: How to Design Them in 2025

Microinteractions aren’t a new concept in UX design, but they keep getting more impressive. We’ve been talking about microinteractions here at Design Shack for a while because they are so vital to the overall success of web projects.

Microinteractions are those tiny details that turn an ordinary user experience into something more memorable and engaging. The little things that surprise and delight, adding a layer of enjoyable UX to your app or website.

Here’s a look at how designers are using microinteractions in 2021 with examples of how this design technique has grown up.

Instagram Templates / 19 Dec 2022

10 Key Instagram Trends for Designers to Watch in 2025

From hard-core ‘grammers to those that post the occasional pic, Instagram is the social media platform that’s practically made for designers because it is so visual.

So, you’ll probably want to be on-trend when it comes to posting. Here are nine ways to create images that look modern with a few examples and Instagram templates to help you get started.

From #nofilter, to framing, overlay elements, carousels, and more, we’re exploring all the trends you need to know.

Business / 16 Dec 2022

17 Tips for Speeding Up Your Website in 2025

It’s not a trick question: is your website fast enough? Page load times can impact everything from how long users stay on your site (or if they see the content), to search rank and overall conversions.

Speed matters on two fronts – for desktop and mobile devices – with mobile speed mattering more than ever. Not only does your website have to load fast; it needs to load fast everywhere.

So how do you do it? Start by running a Google PageSpeed test to see where your site ranks (you’ll get a few suggestions for speeding up your site there as well). Then, start making these tweaks to make your website lightning fast this year.

Christmas Templates / 13 Dec 2022

The 2023 Christmas & Holiday Gift List for Designers

The countdown is on and retailers are telling shoppers to get their gift orders in early. So now is the time to get your holiday shopping taken care of.

We’ve collected a list of super cool gift ideas for designers, to help you be the perfect secret (or not-so-secret) Santa this holiday season. We all know that designers can be tough to shop for, so our gift list should be a life-saver!

Find something unique and different for the person close to you, with these wonderful gift ideas.

Inspiration / 12 Dec 2022

20+ New Year’s Resolutions for Designers in 2025

Happy New Year! Today, we’ve got a nifty guide to resolutions that are specifically for designers. What changes do you hope to make in 2023?

Did you know that people have been making resolutions to improve themselves and their lives since the time of ancient Babylonians? I’ll admit to making a few of these myself… now if I could only manage to keep them all year!

Good luck with your resolutions and have a wonderful New Year.

Christmas Templates / 17 Nov 2022

12+ Creative Ideas for Your 2023 Christmas Photography

Before you know it, you’ll be sending (and receiving) holiday cards and greetings. For many families – and designers – the perfect holiday image can make your card special.

So how do you level up photos to have just the right Christmas feel?

It’s all about photography. Here, we’ve got a variety of ideas to help you frame holiday photos to fit the season perfectly.

With a mix of styles, techniques, and backdrops, we’re approaching it from all angles!

Reviews / 15 Nov 2022

CF Spark: A Powerful Text to Image AI Design Tool

Sometimes your design idea needs a little extra push to bring it to life. A new tool from Creative Fabrica allows you to create designs from text to image, backed by artificial intelligence.

You can design and post images for yourself or even use the tool to create design elements that you can use and monetize in projects or marketplaces. You simply enter a text-based search query, which generates four images using powerful AI technology.

Here’s a look at the tool, how it works, and how you can use it.

Business / 14 Nov 2022

5 Tips for Online Security in 2025

It’s time to revisit your online security practices. Between remote workers logging into networks, to using public wi-fi or other online tools, you need to ensure that your data and information are safe.

This isn’t just a lesson for businesses either. While data integrity is vital for companies, it is just as important to keep your personal information safe.

Here are 5 tips for online security in the coming year.

And the good news is all of these things are relatively easy – and inexpensive – to do!

Font Collections / 7 Nov 2022

10+ Trends for Pairing Fonts in 2025

Trends in typography seem to evolve more quickly than many other design trends. For a long time, website designers stuck to font palettes packed with sans serif typefaces. But that feels like ancient history now!

Today’s range and variety of web fonts make for much more interesting design possibilities, font pairings, and visual themes.

We’re taking a look at trends for pairing fonts with a beautiful example of each, covering a wide range of font families and aesthetics.

Reviews / 31 Oct 2022

Lunacy: Breeze Through Graphic Design Projects

Admit it, you are always looking for quicker, more efficient ways to complete projects – even graphic design tasks. Lunacy is a piece of free design software from Icons8 that can help you do just that.

It’s packed with AI-powered tools to speed up your work, giving you a new edge in your design work, plus a range of built-in graphics to help you “build design like a Lego”.

Today, we’ll take a look at this tool, highlight its key features, and explain how you can make it work for you.

Business / 20 Oct 2022

8 Regular Maintenance Considerations for Your Website

It might not be the most fun topic when it comes to your website, but it may be one of the most important: regular maintenance.

If you launch a website and then never go back and work on it, it will eventually stop working. The user experience will deteriorate over time and you won’t be able to maximize the impact of your site. As the first impression that many customers have with you, an up-to-date and well-functioning website is a must for any business.

Here are eight crucial regular maintenance considerations to help you keep your website in top condition.