Articles - Page 107

Sketch Templates / 29 Sep 2020

15+ Best Sketch Tutorials (Sketch App for Beginners)

If you have been waiting to experiment with Sketch, there’s never a better time to dive in than right now. The Mac-based vector graphics editing tool for user interface and experience design has become a go-to tool for many designers and developers.

If you haven’t started using it yet, or already downloaded the software and are feeling a little overwhelmed, then you are in the right place.

Here, we’re going to look at some of the best Sketch tutorials to help you jumpstart your familiarity and skill level with the software, whether you’re completely new, or looking to level up your skillset.

Lightroom Presets / 2 Sep 2020

How to Create & Save a Preset in Lightroom

If you’re an Adobe Lightroom user, learning how to save a preset can make your workflow much smoother. Today we’re going to teach you how to create your own Lightroom presets in a few quick steps.

A Lightroom preset is a “package” of settings that can speed up the photo-editing process. Presets can be reused to create the same effects over and over again. Using them can take a lot of time out of the editing process for repetitive actions.

We have a full guide to Lightroom Presets if you want to learn more, or find presets that you can download and use right away.

Layouts / 26 Aug 2020

Vector vs. Raster: What Do I Use?

With all of the image options and file formats out there, it can be a little overwhelming when you are choosing what file type to use (and send to clients). Compatibility is always a concern when you are working with different file types, but when it comes to graphics and images the type of computer graphic format you use is essential to how the image renders.

There are two types of digital graphics files – vector and raster. Vector images are made of hundreds of thousands of tiny lines and curves (or paths) to create an image. Raster images are composed of pixels. But how do you know what format is best for your next project?

UX Design / 18 Aug 2020

Is Your Design Inclusive? (And How to Make It More Inclusive)

Is your design for everyone? We talk a lot about creating with an audience in mind, but it’s important to understand that audience can identify in several ways.

Now more than ever before, it is important to create designs and visuals that are inclusive of that entire audience segment. An inclusive aesthetic will make users feel like they are part of the design and that a company, organization, or product is for them.

Inclusivity is more than just accessibility. It’s a combination of function and visual design that creates something that people identify with and want to be a part of.

It’s time to check yourself and your designs, put aside your biases and take a hard look at projects to ensure they are as all-encompassing as they can be. Let’s get started.

Photoshop Actions / 13 Aug 2020

How to Use & Install Photoshop Actions

If you aren’t taking advantage of Photoshop actions for editing and image effects, you’re missing out on one of Photoshop’s best features. Here, we’ll take you through how to use Photoshop Actions, and the best steps to install and apply them in seconds.

Photoshop actions can save you time when it comes to repeated tasks, and condense entire paths of editing into a single click. (While it might sound too good to be true, Photoshop actions are a very real thing.) We’ve previously hand-picked the best Photoshop actions out there, and today we’re explaining how to use them!

Business / 11 Aug 2020

Should You Design Your Brand Based on Digital Marketing Needs?

What comes first: branding or strategy? It’s an age-old question for designers and marketers and today extends to digital marketing as well. Should your brand design be based on digital marketing needs?

In today’s marketplace, the answer is overwhelmingly yes. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a brand that isn’t leveraging some type of digital marketing, including social media, to communicate with audiences.

Here’s why.

PowerPoint Templates / 10 Aug 2020

How to Design a Presentation for Screen Viewing

Given how the world is changing, you are probably presenting more commonly on screens in virtual conference or webinar settings. That can impact the design of presentations, and you’ll need to think about what to change to make it work well.

There are multiple considerations when designing PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides templates for screen viewing versus when you are presenting live.

Here, we’ll walk through key considerations to help you make the most of designing presentations for screen viewing.

Premiere Pro Templates / 21 Jul 2020

Final Cut vs. Adobe Premiere Pro (Which to Choose? Pros & Cons)

Almost everyone is shooting video these days. From social media clips to full feature moving images for websites and more. But you have to do more than just take video, to get the right finish requires a solid video editing tool.

Two of the best options available are Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro. These solid video editors are packed with features and can help you polish video clips for a more professional feel.

But which one is right for your projects? Here, we’re taking a look at each tool and key pros and cons to help you choose the video tool that’s best for your daily workflows (and budget).

Trends / 14 Jul 2020

Design Trend: Strong Hero Images With Subtle Text

This website design trend is all about contrast… or the lack thereof. More designs are popping up that have large and stunning hero image areas, but text elements are much more subtle. This is a shift from oversized hero area text that has been big (literally) for some time.

These designs make you look because of this difference. It establishes a sense of contrast with other websites, while maybe not creating so much contrast in the design itself.

Let’s take a look at websites with strong hero images and subtle text to help you generate inspiration for your next project.

Mockup Templates / 7 Jul 2020

20+ Poster Mockup Templates (Free & Premium)

Whether you’re designing a poster to advertise a product, business or event, or as an aesthetic decor item, there’s no point in making a poster that doesn’t look great when it’s hanging in place, right? That’s why you need a poster mockup, to put your poster in real life settings and scenarios and ensure that it looks just as amazing when it’s hanging on a wall or in a frame, as it does in your design software.

This list of free and premium poster mockup templates includes the best purpose built mockup options for all kinds of poster designs, from huge billboard style displays to small, decorative pieces that look great on the living room wall.

Whatever your need, there’s a mockup template here that’s just waiting for your poster design!

Mockup Templates / 3 Jul 2020

20+ Flyer Mockup Templates (Free & Premium)

Flyers are a classic marketing and advertising tool that allow you to promote your products and services to a huge audience, and raise awareness of your business or brand. But what looks good on the screen when you’re designing it may not translate perfectly into paper, so it’s a good idea to use a flyer mockup to ensure that your design has the desired effect.

Creating mockups from scratch is time-consuming and requires both time and expertise, so why not save yourself the time and effort and use one of the many flyer mockup templates available online?

We’ve even saved you all of the hard work, and rounded up some of the best free and premium mockup templates that are available for instant download, meaning you can be customizing your very own mockup in a matter of minutes.

Let’s take a look at some of the best flyer mockup templates that we’ve found.

Font Collections / 2 Jul 2020

25+ Free Brush, Script & Hand Lettering Fonts

Type is what meaning looks like, says Max Phillips the founder of Signal type foundry. This quote alone proves the importance of using proper typography in designs. And these free brush, script, and hand-lettering fonts will get you off to a great start.

Typography is not just about improving readability but also giving an identity and meaning to your titles, headings, and paragraphs. You can’t achieve that goal without a great-looking font.

Even if you can’t afford a high-quality premium font, try to at least get a free font that gives meaning and personality to each and every design you work on. Never settle for the default fonts.

You don’t have to spend hours scouring the web to find a great free font. In fact, we did the heavy lifting for you.

In this collection, we’re featuring some of the best free brush, script, and hand-lettering fonts you can download for free. Have a look.