David Appleyard

David Appleyard manages the Tuts+ Editorial Team, along with having founded several design websites including Design Shack, Creative VIP, and Themelantic.

Inspiration / 29 Apr 2015

30 Premium Tumblr Themes With Beautiful, Minimal Design

There are thousands of Tumblr themes all over the web. To be perfectly frank, most of them aren’t great, and won’t do your creative work justice. Today we’ve collected thirty of our favourite premium Tumblr themes from across the web.

All of these cost a few dollars, but all of them will take your Tumblr blog to another level. From stylish, minimal Tumblr themes, through to those featuring big colours and bold images — we have a full selection. All of them are available to buy straight from Tumblr directly, and can be set up on your blog in a few minutes!

Deals / 22 Apr 2015

3 Fantastic Deals for Android Developers (Save Over $1,100)

This week on Design Shack Deals, we’re featuring a collection of three different offers we have for learning about Android development. If you’re wanting to build upon your knowledge of web design and try something new this month, one of these collections of courses could be just what you’re looking for.

Whether you’re looking to develop a game, learn the basics, of grab a course that teaches everything from start-to-finish, one of these packages should fit the bill perfectly. Read on to find out more, or head straight over to Design Shack Deals to take a look at all our e-learning content!

Deals / 16 Apr 2015

Complete iOS 8 & Swift Developer Course for $89 (91% Off)

This week’s deal teaches you the tools required to develop iPhone and iPad applications for iOS 8. Learn the syntax for Swift, the language used to develop for iOS apps, as well as important design patterns and best practices that will take you from beginner to pro in no time.

With over 350 videos and 36 hours of content, it’s a comprehensive introduction. And it’s yours for just $89 (that’s 91% off the usual price of $998). Read on to find out more, or take a look at the full deal now!

Business / 13 Apr 2015

Introducing Media Temple’s WordPress Hosting

We’ve hosted Design Shack with Media Temple for years. So we were very pleased when they came to us, and asked us to take a look at their new managed WordPress hosting solution.

Media Temple’s new full-featured WordPress hosting solution features four new, customizable and scalable plans. Whether you’re a photographer, web designer or creative agency, there’s a plan that should work for you. Today we’re taking a look at this new hosting product, to see how it stacks up!

Competitions / 9 Apr 2015

Win a New MacBook With Design Shack Deals

Apple’s new MacBook is the thinnest and lightest Mac ever, with every component meticulously redesigned to create a Mac that is just two pounds and 13.1 mm thin. It’s a gorgeous piece of industrial design, and a machine that’s very capable to use for graphic, or web design.

This month, we’re giving one of these brand new MacBooks away to one lucky winner through Design Shack Deals. It’s a great chance to get your hands on a beautiful new machine for your design work, packed with technological innovation. Read on to find out how to enter!

Freebies / 6 Apr 2015

Handy Graphic & Vector Freebies From 1001FreeDownloads

Today we’re featuring a collection of vector and design resources from 1001FreeDownloads. It’s a really handy place for finding new goodies to use in your projects — completely free of charge!

They have thousands of good quality, free images of various types available (which you can use for commercial purposes). No registrations, no fees — you can just pick what you’re after, and download it. Simple! Read on to see a few of the different items we’re featuring today, and find out more about how the site works.

Deals / 31 Mar 2015

Save 50% on a WordPress Themes Lifetime Subscription

This week’s Design Shack Deal is all about WordPress themes. We have a collection of 95 Premium WordPress themes available, as part of a theme subscription. For just $49, you get access to a growing collection of 95 themes, with more added every month.

Usually costing $100, this is a 50% saving which won’t stick around for long. Take a look at the deal now, or read on to find out more about the themes available, licensing, and see a few examples!

Competitions / 24 Mar 2015

The Wacom Intuos Pro Pen & Touchpad Giveaway

When it comes to precision image editing, let’s face it – a trackpad/mouse just doesn’t cut it. In order to produce your best design work, you need all of the dexterity that your hands have to offer and the Intuos Pro Pen & Touchpad will give you exactly that.

With 2,048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, this touchpad is nothing if not precise, and we’re confident that this along with dozens of other convenient features will help take your designs to the next level.This month, we’re giving one of these touchpads away to one lucky winner through Design Shack Deals.

Software / 18 Mar 2015

A First Look at Bloom: An Opt-in Plugin From Elegant Themes

Today, we’re excited to be taking a first look at a new product from Elegant Themes — Bloom. It’s a WordPress plugin that takes the headache out of growing your own email list using beautiful, customizable and easy-to-use forms that can be placed anywhere on your website.

The email inbox is a sacred place. Emails are not lost in the endless stream of chatter or filtered out by social algorithms. They are a direct line to your visitor’s ear, it’s an incredibly important medium. Talking to your customers is the fun bit, but building your list is the hard part, and that’s where Bloom comes in.

Deals / 17 Mar 2015

Pay What You Want: iOS Designer Bundle (Worth $1,297)

This week’s deal is a great opportunity to grab a bargain on everything you need for iOS design. It’s a bundle of three iOS design courses, one huge collection of design assets, beautiful wireframe graphics for organising your app’s flow, and much more.

This is another fantastic Pay What You Want bundle. You decide how much to pay! Grab a few of the courses for any price, or beat the average selling price to unlock the whole deal. Read on to find out more, or take a look at the full deal now!

Deals / 10 Mar 2015

Save 83% in the Web Designer’s Photoshop Tool Bundle

This week’s deal gives you a fantastic opportunity to save 83% on a collection of Photoshop plugins. Usually costing $149 individually, they’re just $24.99 for the next few days.

It’s great chance to accelerate your Photoshop workflow, with CSS Hat 2, PNG Hat, iOS Hat, PSD Cleaner, Subtle Patterns, and much more. A wonderful collection of plugins, that are all yours for this one-off price! Read on to find out more, or check out the bundle now.

Deals / 4 Mar 2015

Pay What You Want: Front-End Developer Bundle (Worth $1,042)

This week’s deal is a great opportunity to learn everything you need to know about front-end development. It’s a bundle of seven courses and tutorials, totalling over 93 hours of instruction from industry professionals.

The best thing about this one? It’s another Pay What You Want bundle. You decide how much to pay! Grab a few of the courses for any price, or beat the average selling price to unlock the whole deal. Read on to find out more, or take a look at the full deal now!