Carrie Cousins

Navigation / 18 May 2020

5 Reasons to Avoid the Desktop Hamburger Menu Icon

A hamburger icon as the only source of navigation on a desktop website sucks. It’s frustrating, confusing, and violates unwritten rules of navigation and user flow best practices. Why would you do it? Other than to maintain or establish a certain aesthetic, it’s hard to find an answer that makes any sense.

The often-debated hamburger icon can be a great complement to website navigation or even for small screens, but it shouldn’t be the only option for desktops. You are doing yourself – and the website design – a huge disservice if this is your only menu option.

Take note of the different desktop menu styles throughout this post. Some of the best uses of the hamburger icon come with other menu items.

Procreate Brushes / 13 May 2020

Procreate for Windows and Android: Alternatives & Ideas

Procreate is one of the hottest drawing apps in the App Store. With more than 13,000 reviews and an average 4.5-star rating, it’s no wonder that designers and illustrators everywhere are talking about the app.

But one of the most common questions about the tool is what alternatives exist for Windows and Android users since Procreate is only available for iOS at this time. Let’s take a look.

Mockup Templates / 11 May 2020

How to Make a Mockup (Using a Mockup Generator or Photoshop)

Mockups are a design tool that show off a design – logos, websites, products, and more – in a realistic way. There are plenty of tools out there to help you create a usable mockup to show off your work.

The primary benefit of using a mockup is that it can bring a project to life (even before it is finished) for clients or serve as a portfolio showpiece to highlight different applications of a specific design.

Here, we’re going to look at how to make a mockup and how to use tools such as mockup generators to create just the right scene for your designs.

Reviews / 6 May 2020

Designing for Print Is Easy With Print Peppermint

Printing can make – or break – a design that you’ve put a lot of effort into.

Print Peppermint is a quality printer that allows you to choose from a variety of paper types, premium finishes, and luxury styles.

Here’s a look at the printing service, and a few tips for how you can use it for projects.

Font Collections / 27 Apr 2020

How to Pick a Font (For Any Design): 10 Tips & Principles

Choosing the right font for a new project can be exhilarating. But it can also be a major challenge. Fortunately, there are some timeless rules you can follow when deciding how to pick a font.

Whether you’re going for a super-subtle and simple design, or a bright and bold layout with impact, you’ll always need to consider some similar trade-offs with typography.

How to pick a font is less about specific steps and more about creating the right feel for a design project. Here’s how you do it (with some examples of lovely typography choices).

Font Collections / 22 Apr 2020

How to Change the Default Font in Word, Google Docs & PowerPoint

Sometimes design is as much about helping others use the tools as it is creating things. There are plenty of days when adding “tech support” to your resume seems feasible! But being armed with little tips and tricks can make work life easier for you and those around you.

Being able to change the default font in common software is one of these tricky smart tips.

Here’s how you change the default font in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Microsoft PowerPoint. And it’s all packaged here for you in one place.

Figma Templates / 20 Apr 2020

20+ Best Figma Tutorials for Beginners

Figma is one of the hot interface design application tools out there. It’s made for collaboration and working with others on digital-based projects. You can design and illustrate (it has vector tools!), prototype, and generate code.

Plus, you can work seamlessly with others and participate in fully integrated design collaboration.

If you haven’t started to use Figma yet, it can be a little intimidating. You can of course learn more about the tool direct from Figma, but there’s lots more to explore as well.

To make it easier we’ve gathered twenty Figma tutorials for beginners to make learning this tool a breeze!

PowerPoint Templates / 15 Apr 2020

How to Narrate a PowerPoint Presentation (And Record Your Voice)

For a presentation that you aren’t actually giving in person, you can narrate it within PowerPoint, recording your voice so that others can play it back when they watch the presentation.

It’s a nifty trick that popular with slide shows and presentations on networks such as SlideShare, YouTube, and even individual websites. And it can even help you when rehearsing your presentation as well.

Here’s how to narrate a PowerPoint presentation by recording your voice, in a few quick steps!

Software / 15 Apr 2020

How to Install Photoshop Plugins (In 2 Minutes!)

An Adobe Photoshop plugin is a tool that can shave time off projects in the popular photo editing tool. Here’s a quick guide on how to install Photoshop plugins in just a couple of minutes.

There are plugins that do almost anything, and can quickly become a seamless part of your workflow. Adobe’s Camera Raw plugin is used by photographers everywhere, for example.

Installing a plugin seems to keep getting easier all the time. You can follow manual steps or click to add plugins right from Photoshop.

Either method takes less than 2 minutes and almost anyone can do it.

Inspiration / 13 Apr 2020

10 “Random Act of Kindness” Ideas for Designers

Sometimes it’s the little things that can bring a smile and make your day. More than ever these random acts of kindness are needed to help get your community (and the world) through tough times.

As a designer, you can use your creative ability to spread kindness. Your skills give you a unique way to brighten someone’s day, help a local business or charity, and make a difference.

Not sure where to start? We have a few ideas that you can borrow, add your creative flair to, and use to spread kindness and happiness.

Keep smiling!

Trends / 25 Mar 2020

Design Trend: 3D Geometry

Three-dimensional shapes and geometry add depth and visual interest to the digital space. Maybe that’s why this is a trending website design technique.

While 3D elements in web design aren’t new, using geometry and geometric shapes to create this effect is beginning to explode. It can be a fun and interesting way to make elements seem to jump off the screen for website visitors.

Here’s a look at the trend with some examples to get you thinking about how this design trend (and these techniques) might work in your projects.

Business / 23 Mar 2020

7 Tips for Developing a Website Redesign Strategy

With the average lifespan of a website being somewhere between 3 and 5 years, chances are that you’ll have a website redesign project soon (if you aren’t already working on one.)

The foundation of a solid redesign is strategy. What do you (or your client) hope to get out of the redesign? Why is the change being made? What does success look like?

Answer these questions and it will help bring the design together. Plus, we have a few more tips for developing a website redesign strategy. (Take note of the images in this post, they are pretty nifty website designs from the Design Shack gallery.)