Carrie Cousins

UX Design / 5 Jun 2019

How to Design a Perfect Website Onboarding Process (With Examples)

Think about the last time you downloaded a new app or landed on a new website. Did you know exactly what to do? Did the design help you engage with the site in a meaningful way? A simple onboarding process can make all the difference.

It’s important to think about website and app design in terms of onboarding visitors to create the best experience possible. This can include anything from helping someone find an item in your online shop and understanding how to make a purchase, to playing a game, or signing up for an email.

Onboarding is the process of integrating any new user into the design flow so that they can have the best interaction possible with your website, app or digital product or service. Here’s how you design it (with examples for inspiration).

Trends / 5 Jun 2019

Isometric Design & Illustration: An Eye-Catching Trend

Icons form an integral part of any website design. From use in informational and navigational elements, to eye-catching parts of a larger design, icons and icon-based elements can be an attractive and interesting way to draw in users.

While icons have used a dramatically flat aesthetic for a while, more projects are shifting to isometric icon usage. This trend is appearing on websites and print projects across plenty of different industries.

It’s gaining popularity because isometric icons have a more realistic look while still using flat layers. It’s an almost perfect mix of flat and depth. Here’s a more in-depth look at this design trend and how you can make the most of it.

Trends / 20 May 2019

5 Design Ideas That Never Get Old

There are some design ideas and concepts that never get old, no matter how many times you see them. Today, we’re exploring these timeless design ideas that you can incorporate into your own work.

These classic concepts are often deeply rooted in design theory. They might be trending styles that cycle in and out over time. They all incorporate elements that make a website design easy to look at, interact with, read and understand.

And for that reason, these design ideas never seem to get old. In fact, you can call them timeless design styles.

Reviews / 15 May 2019

IP Geolocation API: Better Understand Website Visitors

Where are your website users coming from? That’s a common question that many website owners don’t always know the answer to. Understanding where users come from—and information about their location—can be important to the functionality of your website.

Just think, you could push notifications at time zone appropriate times, or adjust language, design, or layout based on the location of a website visit.

Geolocation data can help you create a more valuable experience for website visitors. And the free IP Geolocation API is a tool that can help. Here’s a look at it and how it works.

Inspiration / 15 May 2019

20+ Best Photoshop Tutorials for Designing Posters + Flyers

What makes a great poster design? It’s often a mix of creativity and design elements that have a certain panache.

Poster and flyer design can be a lot of fun because you can often stretch your design muscles and try things you wouldn’t for other projects. It’s an opportunity to do something attention-grabbing and unique!

With that idea in mind, here are twenty different poster/flyer tutorials that you can try out. Plus, you’ll get a chance to try out some new design techniques along the way!

Trends / 13 May 2019

Design Trends: When to Use Them + When to Ignore Them

We showcase a lot of design trends here at Design Shack. Not only is it fun to look at examples of new work, groundbreaking projects, and things that are growing in popularity, but it can also serve as a bit of design inspiration.

You can use trends to determine if your projects look modern, classic or just plain dated. But design trends aren’t for everyone all the time. That trend that looks amazing for one brand or project might be a disaster for another.

So how do you know when to use design trends (and when to just ignore them altogether)? Here’s your primer!

Font Collections / 8 May 2019

6 Tips for Working With Hand-Drawn Fonts

Hand drawn fonts seem to be almost everywhere. But how do you use them in a way that’s different and effective? When it comes to hand-drawn fonts, these tips can help you create something that’s readable and matches the tone of your project.

The hand-drawn font design trend can be somewhat tricky and isn’t necessarily for all projects.

If you do go down this route, make sure you’re approaching it in a way that doesn’t compromise the goals of your design project!

Graphics / 1 May 2019

Data Visualization in Web Design: 12 Stunning Examples

Data, data, everywhere. But what do you do with it? Today, we’ve collected 12 stunning examples of data visualizations in website design to jump-start your thinking about how to work with data.

We live in a time where the ability to showcase data in new and interesting ways can be a huge asset as a designer.

Whether you have a massive collection of numbers or just information that you want to showcase, this design style can be a great tool in your kit.

Reviews / 29 Apr 2019

3 Ways to Boost Your Resume With Parsons at Open Campus

Spend your summer days building on your professional foundation, and emerge this fall poised to take on new challenges. Whether you have your eye on that promotion, a new side hustle, or a career shift, boost your resume by pursuing industry-recognized credentials through Parsons at Open Campus.

Designed with working professionals in mind, Open Campus is The New School’s destination for continuing and professional education, drawing upon the vast resources of the top-ranked Parsons School of Design.

At Parsons at Open Campus, students learn from leading experts at the top of their field, develop professional portfolios for further career advancement, and expand their networks. Courses are available on campus in New York City and online to help you gain future-facing skills while providing flexible study options to fit into your busy schedule.

How do you get started? Here are three certificates offering key skills to make your resume stand out.

Layouts / 22 Apr 2019

Single Page Website Design: 10 Tips + Ideas

Long live single page website design! There’s something almost magical about small-scale websites that fit on a single page. They can be graceful, easy to navigate and provide optimal user experiences in a contained space.

While there was a time when we shied away from single page websites, users are embracing them again (thank you, mobile!) and you should, too.

We’re looking at ten tips, ideas, examples, and suggestions to help spark inspiration for your next piece of web design work. It might be just the right time to keep it simple, and embrace a single-page strategy!

Trends / 10 Apr 2019

Mid-Century Modern Design: An Emerging Trend

Of all the retro design styles that have been trending, mid-century modern design might be one of my favorites. The phrase “mid-century modern” is more than just a staple on home improvement television shows, it’s also a classic art and design style that speaks to an era.

The best thing about mid-century modern design is that it can simplify the complex. It was a popular style in homes and décor, as well as graphic and product design in for decades spanning the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.

Now it is making a comeback as a graphic and web design trend.

Reviews / 8 Apr 2019

Videvo: Free, High-Quality Visuals for Your Website

Looking to create more engagement or interaction on your website? Video might be the answer.

According to some of the latest data, using video can increase engagement, is a favorite among website visitors and customers, and actually increases overall return on investment. The takeaway? You need to be using video content.

If you aren’t sure where to start, look no further than Videvo. It’s packed with stock videos that you can download and use in projects. Here’s how it works.