Carrie Cousins

Brochure Templates / 13 Nov 2019

How to Make a Brochure on Microsoft Word (Using a Template)

Did you know you can make a brochure using a common tool such as Microsoft Word? It’s actually a really capable tool for brochure design, for creating a high-quality, professional outcome.

With a good template, you can turn a simple Word document into a carefully designed brochure that you can get printed or push as a PDF online.

Here, we’ll walk through the steps using a template that you can download from Envato Elements.

You can use what you learn for any type of brochure, using Microsoft Word – a tool you’re already familiar with! Whether you’re looking for a tri-fold, A5, or larger brochure, these steps will work for any type of design.

Adobe XD Templates / 13 Nov 2019

What Is Adobe XD? a 101 Intro

Adobe’s UX design tool seems to be picking up speed. Have you tried Adobe XD yet? The tool is part of the design giant’s suite of software. It meets a need that was being filled by other tools such as Sketch and Figma. But thanks to Adobe’s large customer base, XD is proving itself a viable option.

Here, we’ll look at what Adobe XD is – and isn’t – to help you figure out if this tool might be worth exploring.

Whether you’re already sold on Adobe XD and want to learn more, or you’re weighing it up against the pros and cons of other tools, we’ll give you a helpful introduction to make the decision easy.

Graphics / 11 Nov 2019

Favicon Examples, Best Practices and Techniques

Do you ever pay attention to those tiny icons at the tops of browser tabs? How about when you save a shortcut to a website or page online? Those tiny images, or favicons, are designed especially for that purpose.

There’s a pretty distinct difference between what makes for a good or bad tiny icon. You’d be forgiven for thinking that design decisions at the tiny scale matter less. But a poorly designed favicon can reflect badly on your brand.

Today we’re looking at what these icons are, basic design techniques for them, and the specs you’ll need to follow.

Reviews / 5 Nov 2019

Designers, Get Your Custom Domain at Hover

Looking for a way to make your design portfolio – or any other website, for that matter – stand out? A custom, top-level domain is the start.

Hover is a leading provider of domains and mailbox services for you or your small business.

You can snag a new domain or transfer an existing one to their platform.

Not sure how to get started? Here’s everything you need to know about Hover and the services and tools they provide for individuals and businesses.

Trends / 30 Oct 2019

What Is Modern UI Design? 10 Tips & Examples

Chances are that you might not be able to list the aesthetics of a modern user interface, but you sure know when you land on a website that doesn’t use one. It just feels dated.

Modern UI design helps establish credibility for your website or brand because it has a style that fits what most people to be a current visual aesthetic. This might include visual trends, adapting to usability standards and patterns, and using development techniques that are appropriate for today’s users.

Here, we’re going to look at elements that you’ll find in modern user interfaces. Hopefully, most of these examples seem pretty familiar, but if not, it might be time to plan a little web refresh.

Reviews / 28 Oct 2019

Serpstack: Search Result Data Made Easy

Collecting real-time and accurate search results just got a whole lot easier with the serpstack API. The lightning-fast JSON REST API pulls search data.

serpstack was built by parent company apilayer out of an in-house need to keep track of search engine positioning with ease. That grew into what is one of the most trusted SERP APIs on the market.

Here’s a look at the tool and how you can make it work for you?

Trends / 28 Oct 2019

The Art of Website UI Button Design: 10 Trends & Tips

Great button design is something that most website users never think about… because when it works well, it’s almost invisible. The best buttons are easy to click or tap, have an obvious function, and help users interact with the design without thinking.

It’s a fairly simple formula, but it can be hard to design if you leave it as an afterthought.

Today, we’re looking at trends in button design, plus a few tips to help you design a UI button that people click over and over again. Give your button design a boost with these tips, trends, and ideas to spark inspiration.

Flyer Templates / 16 Oct 2019

How to Make a Flyer for an Event (Using a Template)

Event flyers can be fun projects that give you a little more freedom with your design. Many events come with a design style of their own, providing ample opportunity to bend or break some of your brand rules.

The downside to event flyer design is that it often comes with tight turnarounds. So how do you make a flyer for an event quickly, that is designed well?

Start with a template. Here, we’ll take you through everything you need to know to create an event flyer from a template, from thinking about content to preparing the file for printing. We’re going to use a template from Envato Elements.

Typography / 7 Oct 2019

8 Things to Stop Doing With Typography (Right Now!)

Good typography is an art that shouldn’t be messed with too much. Letterforms flow together to form words and phrases that are readable and have subtle visual meaning.

But if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to ruin typographic beauty in an instant.

If you have slipped into any of these design traps, this is the time to stop doing anything on this list to type and clean up your design pieces. (Your portfolio will thank you.)

Trends / 2 Oct 2019

10 Website Design Trends That Are Fading (Thankfully)

Website design trends can be a lot of fun to experiment with and incorporate into projects, but if you aren’t careful these elements can add a dated look to projects. Sometimes trends fade out as quickly as they rush in!

Here, we’re going to look at some website design trends that are fading. (And that’s a good thing.)

If you have these elements on your site, it might be time to consider a refresh.

Business / 25 Sep 2019

What Is a Website Privacy Policy (And How to Write One)

Maybe you first noticed it in WordPress, when the admin started settings asking for a link to a privacy policy. Maybe you’ve been following news and the passing of GDPR. Or maybe you’ve just been talking it over with peers. Regardless, it’s probably time to include a privacy policy in website projects.

But with so much legalese, where do you start? What is a privacy policy? How do you write one?

Here, we have help! Since we aren’t lawyers, it’s always a good idea to have your counsel read over your policy, particularly if it gets complicated in any way.

The good news is that it doesn’t need to be earth-shatteringly complex to fairly quickly have a privacy policy on your site that covers off the most common issues.

Reviews / 16 Sep 2019

Show Real Time Weather Data With Weatherstack

What’s the forecast? Answer the question on your website, or in your app, with weatherstack, a freemium API that gives you access to real-time and historical weather information.

Weather information can be beneficial for several different website types and applications, but all weather data isn’t equal. weatherstack goes into a greater level of depth than many other options and surfaces the data in a super easy-to-use way.

Here’s a look at how to use this tool and how to make it work for you.