Carrie Cousins

Software / 24 Jun 2019

How to Embed a YouTube Video in Google Slides

You know that video can add extra spark to a website design, but it can also spice up a presentation. The challenge is that embedded videos can sometimes result in presentation mishaps if they don’t play properly.

It can be pretty embarrassing to run into one of these mishaps, but they are totally preventable.

Today, we’re going to walk through how to embed a YouTube video in Google Slides so you can nail your presentation, embedded video and all!

Business / 19 Jun 2019

How Do You List Freelance Work on Your Resume? (We Have the Answer)

Congratulations, your freelance business is proving successful. But how do you handle talking about it or explaining freelance work to potential employers, or on your resume? It can be a hard subject to explain as a single entry on paper, and you don’t want freelance work to look like an employment gap.

There are some things you can do to on paper (and on LinkedIn) to help present freelance work in a way that is more understandable to others. The key for many freelancers – especially those working part-time – is remembering to include freelance work as part of your resume and design portfolio. Sometimes those jobs can be just the thing you need to help land the next big gig!

Software / 19 Jun 2019

How to Create Actions in Photoshop in 5 Minutes

A Photoshop action can save time and effort when you perform some of the same edits and tasks repeatedly. You can record almost any command into an action that you can replay for later use on different files.

Here, we have step-by-step instructions so you can learn how to create actions in Photoshop. (It really only takes five minutes.)

In no time at all, you’ll have a helpful Photoshop action that can save you time every day!

Business / 17 Jun 2019

How Many Slides to Use in a Presentation? 5 Tips

There’s nothing worse than a presentation that goes over time or poorly-designed slides that cram too much information onto the screen at once.

While there are a lot of things that can dictate how many slides to use in a presentation, key factors include how long you have to speak, what content you are presenting, and the visual nature of the content. (Some speakers don’t need slides at all to keep audiences engaged!)

Here, we’re breaking down common presentation times with a guide for how not to overload slides, and use them well—no matter what type of talk you are giving.

Reviews / 12 Jun 2019

Jumpstart Your Career With This UX Design Bootcamp

The next level of your career starts now. If you’ve been looking to enhance your skills or break into UX design, formalized training might be the next logical step.

Springboard, an online school designed for skills that today’s workers need, is accepting applications for the next UX Design Bootcamp. This is more than an online class, it’s an intensive course that includes a design project in the industry, one-on-one mentoring, and even a guarantee that you’ll find a job in the field.

Here’s how the program works.

Business / 12 Jun 2019

How to Start and End a Presentation: 10 Unique Ideas

A good presentation leaves you wanting more. It engages your thirst for information. These presentations are a mix of killer content, striking visuals, a charismatic speaker and—crucially—a memorable start and end.

And with the right tools, almost anyone can give a great presentation. When every minute matters, how you start and end your presentation can have a huge impact on what people take away from the time you’re talking to them (and whether it makes a lasting impression!)

Today, we’re breaking from traditional visual design techniques to think about how to craft a dynamic presentation, with a memorable beginning and ending.

Business / 10 Jun 2019

How to Edit a PowerPoint Template: A Quick Start Guide

Whether you’re starting from scratch and building a custom template, or have a PowerPoint template you’ve downloaded and want to customize, knowing how to edit a PowerPoint template is a great skill to have in your kit.

We’re going to walk you through editing a PowerPoint template step-by-step, explaining all the PowerPoint terminology along the way!

If you like the presentation template we are using here—Creativa—you can get it from Envato Elements. It’s a great multi-purpose template that’s great for all types of presentations.

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.

Business / 3 Jun 2019

Self-Care for Designers: Don’t Burn Out

In a world where work never seems to turn off, there’s a growing movement to prioritize self-care. It’s way too easy to neglect yourself when you have work and meetings and then all of the “life” things after work, from networking events to taking kids to soccer games.

The time to start practicing self-care is before you start to burn out. You’ll stay fresher and have greater mental capacity to tackle projects with creative spark.

But how do you do it? How (and where) can designers find time for self-care? We have a few ideas for you.

Graphics / 29 May 2019

10 Web Design Trends We’re Already Over

Design trends have to be used cautiously. Just as quickly as many trends come into fashion; they can fall out of favor and make a design feel dated.

Don’t ignore them completely — testing out trends can stretch your creative muscles and help you create something you might not have tried otherwise. But do be aware of what’s fresh, what’s timeless, and what’s out of date!

Here are 10 design trends that are over (or should be anyway).

Reviews / 27 May 2019

Core: Jump Start Your Website Design

Have you ever started building a project with a user interface kit and wished there were more to it? Core might be the fix to that common problem.

Core is a front-end feature kit packed with essential project building blocks, and you can get it free from Mason. Usability is the key feature of this kit. So many UI kits look great but fail in the actual use department. Not Core. It’s beautiful and usable.

Here’s a look at Core and what it can do for you.